Searching for a Higher Truth

After seemingly endless hours of class, homework and studying, all college students deserve the opportunity to unwind in their free time. For many, relaxation results from exercising, partying, sleeping late, watching a movie, or simply spending time with friends. Some students, though, escape stress in a different fashion – one not normally associated with typical college life – through spirituality and religion.

Bruce Coriell, chaplain and part-time professor of religion at Colorado College, says the amount of students engaged in spirituality is greater than most believe.

“In the last 10 years, I’ve seen more and more interest on the part of students on spirituality,” Coriell says. “It is on lots of people’s minds.

“In terms of the life issues that kind of come along for college students, [religious] questions arise on a regular basis. They’re just kind of part of becoming an individual.”

In fact, 70 percent of American college students say religion plays an important role in their lives and one in four report an increased spirituality since entering college, according to a study conducted by the Harvard University Institute of Politics .

Coriell says most people are naturally drawn to some kind of faith or belief system, so it is not surprising that many students are religious or spiritual.

“[Spirituality] gives people a chance to find some sense of balance or harmony or coherence,” he says. “Lots of what happens is that people have that sense that there’s got to be more than just me. That’s definitely a kind of question of spirituality.”

Students across the country spend their free time attending church and temple services, prayer sessions and meditation classes. They may not always relax in the stereotypical college manner, but still find respite through their own means of rest and enjoyment.

As part of the religious student community of America, the following three students represent those who escape college stress and find a sense of community through faith and religion. Though their personal beliefs may differ, all three say spirituality is an integral part of both their academic and personal lives.