Hi guys! :-)

College application season was one of the hardest times for me. On top of focusing on my IB exams, I had to pick which college I would eventually invest 4 years of my life into. It was not a smooth journey—neither was it an easy process. At the time, I was still finishing up high school in Indonesia and I had no idea of what I wanted to study or which country I would even be in for college.

I for sure knew that I wanted to go to college overseas. Ever since middle school, my dream college had always been the University of Texas at Austin. I planned to attend UT Austin and study Nutrition there. Some other schools I ended up applying to were Purdue University and UC Davis. I applied to all three of those schools as a Nutrition major. However, my parents also encouraged me to apply to a couple of colleges in Australia since Australia is significantly closer to home compared to America. Keep in mind that I had heard of Biola at some point but did not have the idea of applying at all. I remember Biola International Admissions representatives speaking at my high school about Biola but never in a million years would I imagine myself where I am now.

During my college decision making process, I really felt God’s guidance and faithfulness. It’s funny how He places the right people at the right time in order for you to get to where you need to be. I remember coming home from school one day with one of my good friends and while we were talking about colleges, he mentioned applying to Biola because of the free application. I ended up applying out of the blue and got accepted. However, the idea of going to a Christian college just wasn’t appealing to me. Eventually with time, God has made it so clear to me that Biola is where I needed to be at this season of my life. I committed super last minute but it has honestly been one of the best decisions of my life. Thinking about it now, God really closed all of the doors I was trying to get through and opened the one I needed to get through. If I had gotten accepted to any of the other schools I applied to, I wouldn’t be here writing this blog!

Not gonna lie, freshman year was tough for me. There were times when I wanted to give up and go back home. I doubted God and my decision in committing to Biola. However, with time, I learned to love where I am and look at it from a perspective of gratitude. Everyone goes through different seasons of life and with patience and faith, you’ll get through it! Really listen to God and where He wants you to be. Know that I’ll be praying for you as you go through your college decision making process!

See you next time,

Fiona