Source: The Tufts Daily
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/students-adjust-religious-values-to-accommodate-college-life-1.2093123
Most students probably do not arrive on the Hill their freshman year expecting to be enveloped in religious fervor. Indeed, popular perceptions of college hedonism don’t seem conducive to quiet spiritual reflection, and students suddenly confronted with the vast array of new cultures and beliefs in college are often thought to leave behind any spiritual notions imparted on them by their upbringing.
Junior Kasey Mitchell arrived at Tufts with 12 years of Catholic school under her belt. “I had started to claim the faith as my own in high school,” Mitchell said, “but it was still a rote practice.”
Freshman year, Mitchell said she struggled to find her place in the new college setting. “I wanted to be a person, not just a student,” she said.
Mitchell was ultimately introduced to the Tufts Interfaith Community through Pathways, an Experimental College initiative designed to promote interfaith awareness and understanding. She eventually became involved with Conversations, Action, Faith, and Education (CAFE) and helped run the Interfaith Orientation program — activities which only further motivated her religious exploration. Coming to college, she said, allowed her to “see how it was to go to church with people my own age.”
Mitchell doesn’t believe she’s alone in experiencing a spiritual transformation while at college.