Adam is a Politics student at York uni and shares some thoughts on beyond freshers week.

Picture the scene.

You’ve just had a week of non-stop partying, awkward introductions to new people, getting used to a new home, a new town and a whole new way of living. You’re probably shattered, feeling like death and wanting nothing more than to hide away in bed with your best friends Lemsip and Netflix for the day.

Instead, you walk into a hall filled with hordes of overly enthusiastic and intimidatingly happy people urging you to join them on the rugby team, or to sign up to the political party you really can’t stand, or to try out ballroom dancing with them for the first time - because you never know, you just might love it...

Some of you reading this may relate to this all too well as your freshers fair sticks fresh in your memory. You may have left feeling a bit like I did, excited and yet overwhelmed at the massive range of activities uni offers.

If I went through with everything I signed up to at my freshers fair, I’d have been a rugby player, a skydiver, a politician, a footballer, a journalist and probably a fair bit more. 

The number of opportunities to get involved with university life and to follow the well-meaning advice of family and friends to ‘get stuck in’ can make you feel like you have to do as much as possible and to soak up and embrace every single occasion to make a name for yourself.

But as you do all these things and meet all these people, who are you becoming known as? What are you letting yourself be defined as? Right now, university may feel like the most daunting, challenging and unsettling periods of your life. 

But it may just end up being the greatest story you ever write.

You have the incredible opportunity to define yourself as a follower of Jesus. As someone who fully embraces the challenges and hurdles of university culture with the unshakeable knowledge that Jesus goes before you, walks beside you and follows after you.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

You are not alone. Not in the stressful library times, in the out of control initiation ceremonies, in the challenging late night conversations in your halls kitchen, Jesus is with you, always.

And even more, no matter where you are in the country there are people cheering you on, willing to support you through the thrill ride of university and who are crying out to God for his blessing, favour and protection over you- the church.