It is common knowledge that college life is very different from high school life. There are new friends, new living arrangements and new freedoms and responsibilities. One aspect of life that also changes for many students, but may not be talked about as often, is religion. While many students who were very religious throughout their lives find themselves parting from those ways when they enter the University, there are also a number of students who become more involved in their religion and its activities.
Second-year College student Jessica Kirzner said while she has always been religious, she participates in the Jewish community more often now than in high school.
"I always had a very strong sense of Jewish identity, but I was never very involved," Kirzner said. "I did youth group when I started high school, but by senior year I didn't go to services at all."
Kirzner said she is very involved now, taking part in a number of activities such as being the secretary of the Hillel Jewish Student Union, leading services, teaching religious school and even going to Israel over the summer.
"I think it gave me the sense of being home," Kirzner said about why she thinks she became more involved in the Jewish community in college. "I was really homesick, and there were people I could relate to and customs I was used to."
Although Kirzner found a home away from home in Jewish activities, she respects that other students may feel differently.
"I think it's important not to pressure people into religion if it's not their thing, but for people who come to services, I try to encourage them to come more often," she said.
While life at the University may motivate greater involvement in religion for some students, others said they actually have become less religious throughout their college careers.
Second-year College student Louisa Tavlas lived in Greece for most of her high school years, and she said coming to the University made being a follower of the Greek Orthodox religion much more difficult.
"I was never extremely religious and didn't go to church very often in high school, but my family always had the belief and considered ourselves Greek Orthodox," Tavlas said. "Since college, I haven't gone to church at all because it's difficult to find Orthodox churches around here and there are not many people of the same religion."
Tavlas said although she was not a very strict follower, she still feels the impact of living in a different area while not having the same access to her religious community.
"I feel guilty because even if you aren't 100 percent into the religion to begin with, it's a comfort because I considered it a way of life," Tavlas said. "Greek life was centered on the religious traditions, and so it's a big culture shock not having that way of life anymore."
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