For the past two months I have been living in London, seeing the side of college most Biola students never see. Not just the British side, but the party side. Having the smell of pot floating through my window and waking up to liquor bottles littered all over the kitchen floor was a wake up call to the way most people live "the best four years of their life."

Housing outside the bubble

Because I have been able to get to know my flat mates, my thoughts have changed drastically about the college life I would be living for the next three months. Coming into the situation we, the group of 28 Biola students, were warned about the college life we were about to experience.These forewarnings shot me into my living situation with hesitance and nervousness. Coming in with these presuppositions is one of the biggest regrets so far on my journey.

Though it has only been a few weeks, seeing how the other side lives has been amazing. I came in thinking I would be a light in a dark place, and though this has been true, I have had a chance to make friends with the people I live around. Because I am only here for three months, I did not come with the expectation I would make lasting friendships.

Although Christ is absent in the lives of many people in my 25-person flat, the relationships they form are similar to the ones I see at Biola — just a bunch of students hanging out, making dinner and watching movies together. There is no lack of community — yes, Biola’s favorite word. It is just a different type of community, and as much as I love it here, it has made me appreciate the living situations at Biola even more.

Appreciating living at Biola

When living on a floor or in a building with up to 50 other people, you are going to develop a close bond with them. What makes Biola different is those interactions lead us into deepening our relationships with Christ through discussion, accountability and peer influence. You will make great friends in most any living environment you come across. What matters is what those relationships produce.

I was never very intentional while living on my floors in Horton. I was often too busy for floor events or floor dinner, showing up to only the big ones. This is something I have regretted over the past weeks. I have met Christian students here who are the only believers in their building. They make great friends with unsaved flat mates, but they latch to the Biola students for a Christian environment. I know when living at Biola, I took the people around me for granted, not thinking of the amazing opportunity I had to forge friendships centered around Christ.

Cherish your time in the dorms

Guys, until you have lived as the other side lives, you do not realize how great it really is at Biola. You don’t have your RAs offering you beer and laughing while your flatmates vomit into the toilet for hours. I have grown to miss living on a Biola dorm floor, even though I was never deeply involved in the floors where I lived.

I encourage you to make the effort with the people around you. Don’t leave Biola after four years without taking the time to appreciate living in an environment where you live with 50 people your own age who are all seeking Christ. Have theological discussions and accountability with those around you. These relationships are often more important than your Bible classes or the chapels you will attend.

We were not made to live alone in our walk with Christ, but to walk with the body of Christ around us. In 10 years we will all be at our jobs in various places, and most of us will be working in a secular environment. So go and have a weekly Bible study. Talk regularly about what you're struggling with. We're in a community most other Christians will never experience. Build up your foundation now in those around you because those relationships are the things that will last. Our community should go so much deeper than GYRADs and floor game nights.