To those preparing to enter college I might say this:

Continue to trust God’s Word as a sure foundation for your faith and life.

Always remember that salvation is a gift received by faith, not something that you acquire if you’re good enough.

But understand that God’s abundant mercy is not license for you to do as you please. Rather, count yourself dead to sin (Rom. 6:11). (Justification comes freely but sanctification has a cost.)

And aspire to fulfill the purposes in this life for which God has made you a new creation and still gives his gifts freely (John 15:8, Eph. 2:10, 2 Cor. 5:15, 1 Peter 2:9, Titus 2:14, Rom. 12:6).

Steer clear of churches and parachurch organizations that:
• Portray the Christian life as a perpetual set of self-improvement activities, with five steps to arrive at this and seven steps to achieve that.
• Cause you anxiety by making you wonder whether you are “in the center of God’s will."
• Indicate that great spiritual danger lies outside their particular discipling program.
• Maintain that Scripture is little more than a product of the cultures of another era.
• Teach that you are not truly a child of God unless you have a certain kind of spiritual experience.
• Tell you that you can avoid or remove suffering if you have enough faith.
• Teach that as you look inside yourself deliberately, God’s own Truth will be revealed.

“Test everything” (1 Thess. 5:21), and consider the noble Bereans who examined the Scriptures. If a preacher or teacher says something that surprises you, ask what the basis is for their statement.

Sometimes a good question to ask is whether your response to a religious teaching is ultimately about trusting in God to achieve good in you, or about trusting in your own ability to achieve what God wants.

When attending a religious discussion, you might benefit from looking up the discussion topic in your Small Catechism with Explanation, and others might benefit if you share the Bible verses you find.

Since students raised in a legalistic religious environment may have anxiety about their standing with God, be ready to share from the Bible what you know of God’s grace and God’s promises.
• "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:11).
• "His mercies are new every morning" (Lam. 3:22-23).
• “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Phil. 1:6).