Rachel

The best thing about Biola is the people you get to meet. I love my professors and friends so much, and it will be hard to leave them. I encourage you to make room to enjoy the presence of friends and faculty on a consistent basis. Go get Boba on Fridays with friends or make a list of all the tasty eats in LA with your roommate and try them out. Whenever possible, combine good food with good company. And if you have life questions you need help answering, do not hesitate to make office hours with your favorite professor. The faculty here love getting to know you, so spend time with them.

Rachelle

Enjoy however long you spend here at Biola, but remember that in the grand scheme of things, college is a small piece of your life. So do not put too much pressure on yourself. Do your best in your classes, explore and adventure with friends, cherish breaks with your family, challenge yourself to accomplish new things, but do not let your time here consume your identity, which should be first and foremost in the person of Christ. Everything else pales in comparison to becoming more and more like Jesus.

Olivia

Learn how to do excellent work and take care of yourself. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive. Creating boundaries in your life and knowing when to say no to things will free you. Do not believe the lie that the busier you are, the more important you must be. Allow yourself time to rest and make space to do things that you enjoy. Never be afraid to ask for help — no matter how humbling it may be. Go to counseling if you want to go to counseling. You probably need it more than you know. Allow yourself to be fully human.

Christina

I think the most life-giving thing I have learned in the last four years at Biola is to not fear. When I came to Biola as a freshman, I remember being flooded with fear — fear that I was not creative or talented enough. I struggled with comparing my skills and abilities to others. I have often felt extreme discouragement, but in those times I have also been quite affirmed by the Biola community. Because of the love I have experienced here, I have become able to stop fearing and see myself more in the way that God sees me.