Hi! I’m Sarah Forness, a freshman communication major at Cedarville University! During freshman year, I have really enjoyed living in Willetts Hall. When I’m not at Cedarville, my home base is Pembroke, New York. Since starting at Cedarville in August, I’ve made so many priceless memories. I truly wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. I’m so excited to give you some perspective into what my life looks like as a Cedarville student!
At 5:35 a.m., my first alarm goes off, followed by my second alarm at 5:40 a.m. It usually takes me a few minutes to convince myself to leave my warm bed and get ready to go outside in the cold. I should also give a quick disclaimer: This is NOT what every morning looks like a Cedarville student! Every couple of weeks, I like to get up painfully early to go get some schoolwork done at a local coffee shop and focus on my relationship with the Lord.
For me, getting ready usually doesn’t take very long. I get dressed, make my bed, do a quick cleanup of my room, and take the trash out if needed. One of my favorite things to do at this point is listen to music. By about 6:15 a.m., I’m ready to go!
Early mornings are very peaceful and quiet on campus. Walking to Beans-n-Cream only takes about 15-20 minutes from Willetts. Depending on my mood, I have been known to use the walk to listen to music, the Bible, an audiobook, or to FaceTime my mom.
After arriving at Beans-n-Cream, I pick a table and order my go to: iced chai with a pump of gingerbread, light ice, extra vanilla cold foam. This morning, I also treated myself to two chocolate chip pancakes. Today, I decided to start this morning’s tasks with quiet time. I’m currently going through a Bible study written by Tara-Leigh Cobble called The Bible Recap. This morning, I finished my reading of Genesis and began Exodus. One of my favorite verses today was Genesis 50:19-20, which states, “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’”
I conclude my quiet time with prayer and begin my emails, assignments, and college textbook readings. At 9:30 a.m., after working hard for about two and a half hours, I pack up and start my walk to the Dixon Ministry Center (DMC) for chapel.
I usually sit with my bro-sis during chapel. This is a group of guys and girls assigned to you depending on what dorm you’re in. This morning, the chapel speaker was Dr. White. He spoke on the importance of not just making peace with our sin but completely killing it to live wholeheartedly for the Lord. I thought back to my quiet time this morning in Genesis, where the Israelites kept on sinning and then kept running back to God. They made peace with their sin and didn’t kill it. It’s funny how God speaks into my life using connections like this! He has a plan!
After chapel, I have three back-to-back classes. My first class is Composition. Today, we reviewed assigned reading and talked through an upcoming paper. Composition is a gen ed course, which means that everyone who attends Cedarville is required to take it. Many people don’t enjoy writing, but I don’t mind it. Personally, I would prefer to write and read any day over a test or final.
After Composition, I head to my second class, New Testament Literature (NT Lit), a part of Cedarville’s Bible minor. I have really enjoyed Dr. Couser’s teaching in this class. We always begin with a prayer and several personal updates about assignments and sometimes Dr. Couser’s family. I really enjoy when we move into the deeper biblical content. I don’t think there has been one class where I didn’t learn something new.
Immediately after NT Lit., I head back to the DMC for concert chorale rehearsal. Cedarville offers many musical ensembles for all majors, and I have been honored to be a part of this choir the past two semesters. Chorale practices are always fun and a needed change in pace from regular classes. Dr. Anderson is an amazing professor too! I was so excited that I managed to get a selfie of the chorale before practice began.
After chorale ends at 4 p.m., I am beginning to get hungry. At this point, I head from the DMC to the Stevens Student Center (SSC) to get a meal from Panda Express and catch up with a member of my bro-sis. After I eat, I head back to my dorm and finish all of my assignments and reading for tomorrow. I don’t want it hanging over my head the next morning!
Around 8 p.m., I head to the Scharnberg Business and Communication Center (SBCC) for a group project meeting with a fellow communication major, Ava. This particular project included a digital slideshow and a speech. We managed to come up with ideas for all of our slides during this meeting.
I actually really enjoy giving speeches and putting together projects like this. I chose the communication major because I felt like it best fit the career I wanted to go into. I have always enjoyed working with people, and I feel that my communication classes have done an excellent job of preparing me for this field. I can’t wait to see where God puts me!
By 10 p.m., I have walked back to my dorm and I can start to see the finish line for my day! My roommate Karlie and I talk for a while. Karlie is a sophomore special education major, so we don’t have many opportunities during the day to see each other. This point at night is a perfect opportunity to de-stress and catch up with my amazing roommate and good friend.
By 11:30 p.m., I am exhausted and ready for bed. I enjoy reading a book and listening to music before I fall asleep. Days at Cedarville are definitely busy and tiring, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. The memories I have made here are priceless!
I truly feel that Cedarville’s quality over quantity mindset and Bible-focused teaching is preparing me for a job and life in the best way. I would encourage you to look into the communication major on Cedarville’s website! If you enjoy helping people and showing them the love of Christ, communication is a perfect major for you! Thanks for reading about what I go through on a normal day at Cedarville University.
Major: Communication
Year of Graduation: Class of 2028
Tags: #academics, #college, #communication, #day-in-the-life, #experience, #experiences, #major, #student, #studentguide, #studentlife, #students
Posted in: College Life, Student Guide, Student Life