This edition of the College Faith podcast welcomes Dr. Robbie Castleman, emeritus professor of Biblical Studies at John Brown University. She has studied, ministered to students, and taught at a number of very different types of schools. As a result, she is a helpful guide to understanding the similarities and differences between different types of colleges and universities.

In this podcast we discuss:

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• The fundamental importance of considering who will be your professors
  
• The importance of the core curriculum in finding what you are most interested in majoring in
  
• When it might be best to transfer to another university to finish your degree
  
• Why you should look for schools that encourage professors to “push” you
  
• What to look for in professors beyond their understanding of the subject matter
  
• How to do research on professors to find the best ones
  
• Other very important but non-academic considerations when choosing a college
  
• Surprising insights into financial aid, including at private, faith-based institutions, and how to access these funds (illustrated by her personal success in financing almost all her education)
  
• Differences she noticed when attending a public university for her masters degree
  
• The benefits she sees of studying at an explicitly Christian school (her answer may surprise you–often the opposite of what we hear!)
  
• The unique challenges of various types of colleges and universities
  
• The necessity of finding good fellowship with other believers while a student
  
• How she dealt with isolation and loneliness at one college she attended
  

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

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• Words of Wisdom from a Christian Professor at a Public University — Ken Elzinga on College Faith
  
• The Every Campus Coalition — a College Faith Interview
  
• How Christian Study Centers Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview
  
• How The Navigators Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview
  
• How CRU Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview
  
• How InterVarsity/USA Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview
  
• Robbie Castleman, True Love in a World of False Hope: Sex, Romance, & Real People
  
• Robbie Castleman, New Testament Essentials: Father, Son, Spirit and Kingdom
  
• (Various authors), Rest of Essentials book set
  
• Robbie Castleman, Interpreting the God-Breathed Word: How to Read and Study the Bible