Think you’ve experienced it all?
Think again…
When you hear the words ‘student culture’ what first comes to mind? Drinking? Relationships? Drugs?
The university culture is most likely completely different to anything you’ll have experienced before. It has its own climate, always changing, always evolving and through that provides some of the most exciting opportunities.
God desires a generation of students that live in the pressure point of student culture, who don’t hide their faith but show His love and grow deep friendships with other students.
Our prayer is that you will thrive in the university culture, knowing that God is with you and for you.
There are some areas of student culture which are the biggest students battlegrounds, but are full of opportunities for fun, friendship and faith to be shared in a natural way.
Nights out, relationships and studying all provide a huge opportunity for you to show your mates who Jesus is and live differently to the student norm. This is your time to embrace opportunities, lay strong foundations and discover what it looks like to have God walk with you through it all.
Stats
Recently Fusion asked Christian students how they spend their time. Around 1,500 students responded. Here are a few stats that may surprise you about student culture:
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25% of students take up part time jobs during uni term time
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71% of students do 2-5 hours of private study on top of lectures a da
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50% of students spent ten or more hours a week on social media
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67% of students cook their own dinner
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48% of students drink above the recommended limits
- 73% of Christian students don’t connect with a church at university
Drinking
Drinking forms the basis of most organised activities at university, especially in the first few weeks. Its readily available, deeply ingrained in student culture and pretty cheap! The drinking culture can seem scary, but it offers us an amazing opportunity to love our mates and love our universities. Being the sober one on a night out with our mates gives us an amazing opportunity. It means we can keep your eyes open to help out when we need to call them a taxi because they can’t walk, offer them some flat shoes when their heels are hurting and ward off unwanted attention. Your level-headed presence in that place means that you can show Jesus in a practical way they might have never seen before.
Top tips for the drinking culture:
- Know your limits - and stick to them! Keep accountable for how much you know you can handle
- Tell your mates why you don't get drunk - it could be the invitation they need to not drink!
- Don't shy away from nights out - but use them as an amazing opportunity to bless your mates and show Jesus love
- Seek advice - ask current students how they've found the drinking culture.
Money
Money is neither good or bad but it is pretty necessary at uni! At university money is a topic that will come up time and time again- some students will have loads of it, some will have next to nothing, there is huge disparity. Whether you will be reliant on your student loan, your parents or your own earrings, learning how to plan your spending well is essential.
Top student money tips:
- Make a budget - don’t be too stingy but know you won’t have much cash!
- Be your own person - just because your mates splash the cash, doesn’t mean you have to
- Live like a student - use all the discount codes and vouchers you can get your hands on!
- Use cash - on nights out and shopping trips. Its easier to keep track of
- Be generous - the student years are an awesome time to lay generous foundations in your life. Use your university years to be outrageously generous with the money you have- I challenge you!
The student culture offers more than just drinking and money- if you want to find out more about student culture watch the video bellow and check out the Student Linkup Sessions booklet.
Rich’s Story
I didn't shy away from nights out when I went to uni. I had to know my limits and 
get people to hold me accountable but it was such a good opportunity to share my faith. The amazing thing was, whether looking after my friends in a club or having deep chats in a kebab shop at 2 a.m. God used it to do great things. The relationships I built with my flatmates and course mates from going on nights out lead to friends coming on Alpha courses, new conversations about christianity and loads of ways to show Jesus' love. I began to learn that God is bigger than any night out.
Prayer:
Father, keep me aware so that I can show your love to my mates when they’re vulnerable. Keep me level headed with my eyes fixed on you. May I honour you with everything I do. You are God of my finances. I pray that you teach me how to budget well and be generous with money. Give me kingdom perspective of how to use the gifts that you have given me.
Amen.
This is 2/4 of a Starting University blog series:
1. Starting university - The start
3. Starting university - The Opportunities
4. Starting university - The legacy
