What's next after high school? In this present day society, college demands your presence. Why? Because college is largely what a four-year high school program used to be. The fact is that to attain a reasonable level of employment and a good living, most people must complete some post-high school education, preferably earning a bachelor's degree in college, if not a master's degree.

Does this mean that a person cannot be successful if they don't go to college? Absolutely not, but in a world where appearances count, having a college diploma is typically essential. College is merely a tool; it isn't a destination. What you do with the information you receive there is up to you, but before you get there you must be prepared.

If you're still trying to untangle the mystery of what a bachelor's degree or a master's degree is, don't worry, it's not overly complicated. This type of terminology is all part of the world of higher level academics. Here are the basics: two years in college results in an associates degree, four years and you have a bachelor's degree, add two or three more years and a book written by you and you receive a master's degree, another book and a couple more years and you end up with the highest academic nomination, a doctorate.

Various professions require various degrees, although in some cases sheer brilliance and talent can get you the job without the degree. Unless you are unusually self-propelled, foregoing a degree isn't the best option.

The Road to College

First, how to you get to college from high school? If you are a junior, you're in great shape. If you are a senior, you'd better get crackin' unless you plan to take some time off to work for a year or so before college. However, with perseverance, good organization and a lot of prayer you can usually get into college, even if you are a bit behind schedule.

As a junior, you can take the PSAT test. This is a practice run for the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the equivalent standardized test (ACT - American College Test) for the college you want to attend, which you will take as a senior or in the summer between your junior and senior years. Find out ahead of time which test you need to take and be prepared by taking them all if you must.

High school career centers or counselor's offices generally have all of the testing information and phone numbers. The test is usually offered on Saturdays but arrangements can be easily made for Sunday testing if you plan ahead. Generally, you will earn a higher score to take these standardized tests during or just after you have taken your English and math courses.

The next step to college after taking the standardized tests is to write down a list of prospective colleges and do a quick preliminary Internet search, gathering information and phone numbers from each university's website. If you don't know where you want to go because you don't know what subject you want to major in, then write another list of interests and gradually narrow down what you are most interested in. There are books and tests that will also help with this. Again, seek out the resources at your high school.

With several universities and/or colleges picked out, start gathering information from each of them. College offices are full of useful little brochures that outline every degree offered. Also ask for a university catalog, an application for admission, financial aid, housing information and any other useful information the university is willing to send you.

Where to Live?

University offices can provide a great deal of information; you merely have to ask. They can tell you all the details of campus life and will invite you to visit and see for yourself. Pay particular attention to housing. Many colleges have a requirement that you live at least one year in a campus dormitory, if not more. In certain circumstances, if you plan to live with your parents for example, they will make exceptions.

Where you live during college is very important as your surroundings can provide you with a location to get good grades and finish your studies quickly or distract you and make your university experience a frustratingly lengthy one. Make an effort to room with someone of like mind if at all possible—preferably one who views his/her university time as a tool to a better future, not one long, expensive party.

Patience and Punctuality: Paperwork

Once you have a pile of brochures, pamphlets and applications, keep them in a folder or box or other easily accessible container. Organize them by college or degree subject and add to the collection a basic calendar. Keep track of when you send off applications and when applications are due. Due dates will vary by college, but in general, all state-run universities within a state will be on the same schedule. Typically, college applications are due at least six to eight months before you start fall classes. You can, however, apply even earlier and have things settled long before most people. This frees up more time to enjoy your the last year of high school.

Colleges are fond of punctuality in applications. Likewise, admissions offices appreciate applications with well-written essays, along with good grades, respectable scholastic test scores and good letters of recommendation. There are many good books on these subjects and a multitude of information available at your high school career center. Search them out.

In the career center you will also find applications for a plethora of potential scholarships, including the always-present FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. This is required by virtually all universities in order to allocate financial aid. Even if you are blessed with the funds to never need financial aid, you still have to fill out a FAFSA form with your parents; it's pesky, but important. On the college timeline, this needs to be filled out almost a year before you intend to start college classes.

Other financial aid opportunities include work-study, specific university scholarships, government grants and departmental scholarships—all of which have their own specific due dates. Your university of choice can also supply you with information and applications.

I'm at College: What Now?

The physical preparation for college requires a great deal of organization and information gathering but once all the components are in the correct place, things roll along quite well. Mental and spiritual preparation for college is more extensive and complex. This is a talent you must develop before and during college.

The academic world is often full of strife, depending on the institution and the political attitude it exhibits. To truly use a college education as a tool, you as a student have to be aware of the moral and political direction of the university. Knowing the institutional and instructional bias enables you to toss aside invalid knowledge.

Mental and spiritual challenges at college are copious and serious. One trap is the party life—including many fraternities and sororities, life-threatening binge drinking, consumption of drugs and various immoral lifestyles. These are obvious, so drop them and run. They will distract and derail you from developing your relationship with God. However, other more subtle influences are sometimes more dangerous. These exist in the realm of ideologies. To these we now turn in order to identify and defeat them.

Bypass the Bias

All universities have a bias; some are secular and some are religious. The predominance, however, is for the secular (non-religious). The current trend in the academic world is to refute a belief in God. Evolution is the primary fable used to explain the earth and its inhabitants. This is especially obvious in various studies of science, including medicine. For humanities as well as law and religious studies (in secular universities), Marxism, humanism, amoral philosophy and human history minus God are blended into the flow of information. The Bible is frequently belittled as nothing more than literature.

Interestingly there is another field of study that tends to be less inundated and preoccupied by bizarre and crazy philosophy. This is business studies. However, as in everything, there are subtle ideologies to be wary of even here such as greed and manipulation. Here's the acid test: if Jesus wouldn't do it, should you?

Taking the High Road

Psalm 119:99-100 is truly the summation of what God's word teaches every student: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.” King Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun and the strange ideologies that have eroded the academic world are based upon the supposed “worldly wisdom” of the ancients. God's Word defeats them all. The armor of God is intensely vital and relevant when one has to charge into intellectual battle on university campuses.

The flaws of the academic world may seem daunting and even depressing but only if they are allowed to be. How to defeat them? Keep a positive foundation in God's Word and strong ties to your church family. Develop friendships with young and older people of like-mind. If your area doesn't have a young adults program, find out how to get one rolling.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Good friends who share the same right goals can keep you sharp and on the right track, which makes you capable of identifying the crazy philosophies and intellectual rubbish in the flow of knowledge and discarding them.

Prayer, daily Bible study and periodic fasting, as well as close contact with church members and your own family provides a balancing flow of good teaching, feeding you with godly discernment. Ask God to help you identify what is right and discard the wrong. Actively look for what is good in what you are studying. Search out that which aligns with the Bible, capitalize on it and make it your focus. Always remember that if it sounds crazy or sinful, drop it! You are not obliged to sit and listen or participate. College can be a great tool for a better career and standard of life; use it wisely.