First

by Matt Carvel

So you’re about to begin your first year at uni. But are you ready?

You’ve probably thought loads about what your new life will be like. Will you fit in and make friends? Will the lectures be easy to understand? Will you miss home?

But have you thought about the challenges you may face to your faith?

Uni life offers you freedom like never before, freedom to make your own choices, freedom to run your own life.

How will you choose to live with the freedom that’s on offer?

In this book Matt Carvel will help equip you to face the distractions and temptations that you’ll find at university which could pull you away from Jesus. He uses biblical wisdom, humour and personal experience to practically explore how you can live for Jesus in a university culture. He tackles different areas of pressure and temptation including sex, relationships, drink, work and church life.

Living wholeheartedly for Jesus at uni isn’t easy. But walk the road less travelled and you’ll find that putting Jesus first will bring you satisfaction and joy that will last far beyond your university years.

Genres: Christian

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

Reviews

[Penman 1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely hilarious! I laughed my socks off and put them back on because it's immodest to have them off in public.

So I should probably say that I'm not actually a Christian but when this book was donated to the library I volunteer at I just knew I had to have a look. And it didn't disappoint. It was sexist, impractical in parts and completely ignores the existence of any sexuality other than heterosexuality. I do agree with other reviews that his points on housing are woolly at best.

But it was extremely humorous and I recommend this book if you want a good laugh, however, better to find it in a library though - so you don't waste your money on it!

[Jonathan Hart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this book as a fresher, and honestly found the majority of the content awful advice. At the time, I thought 'hey I am in my first week at Uni I should trust the voices of more experience christians'. However, now that I am on the other side of the university experience I can honestly say that 18 year old me was completely correct, this book holds ridiculous positions which is backed up with fairly poor theology. There are many better books to read if you want advice about how to put God first as a uni student.

[Abigail]

Lots of good wisdom and advice for University students, definitely buy it if you are in your first year of University. Its short, very easy and can be read in a week or less. Especially if you are just starting out as a christian, or are dealing with classic 'teenage' scenarios like relationships, drinking, dating, etc. This means it can even be read by younger people who are not yet going to University, or if you are not going to University at all

[Megan Mweemba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book was not written for my demographic specifically in mind (I'm a senior in uni, not a freshman), it still had a lot of good advice in it. I really wish I had read this when I was first starting college!

[Naomi Joy Pick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would thoroughly recommend to not just people starting out at uni but anyone and everyone trying to live as a Christian in the university environment. Easy to read, backed up by the bible and full of helpful advice!

[Anna Goodden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Thomas Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the practical tips for helping Christians through uni

[Matthew Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew Matt Carvel briefly as a fellow student worker in Brighton, so was delighted to see this book come out. Matt's writing style is laid back and conversational, and reading this book feels like a chat over a pint. That's not to say it's not serious - Matt is writing to encourage Christians at uni to "walk the road less travelled", living and speaking for Jesus even when it's costly. He covers lots of ground: there are short chapters on church, study, drink, relationships, sex, housing, and spending time with God, and that's just the first half of the book!

I particularly appreciated where Matt starts the book: reflecting on God's sovereignty in which university the reader has ended up at, and ultimately why they are there ("God has placed you at university for the purpose of His mission... building His church through spreading the Gospel of Jesus"). The second chapter similarly sets up a recurring theme throughout the book - that of taking the narrow road that leads to salvation, one marked by struggle but ultimately greater joy.

I might have one or two quibbles about specific advice (e.g. his being quite so adamant about living in single sex houses), and on occasion I'd have liked him to go further (e.g. in showing us more of why keeping sex for marriage is good, and not just "because God says so"), but on the whole I'd thoroughly recommend this book for students heading to uni.

[Rachel Coulson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in September last year as I started university, and I genuinely feel that this book is full of practical life advice for university and beyond. It tackles a lot of the key issues that come with independence and making your own choices, but links EVERYTHING back to the Bible. Although it's very much from a male perspective, I think there are many lessons to be drawn from it for either gender. My only real criticism is that much of it comes across as personal opinion rather than necessarily what God has to say, however that's largely due to the informal and chatty nature of the book and isn't inherently problematic.
I would definitely recommend First to other people.

[Alastair · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to some of the broader parts of university living as a Christian. It sweeps through some general advice while also looking at specific problems that face many Christian students and how to help solve them. While I generally agreed with his points there were a couple that I disagreed with (mainly on housing) but that advice was useful none the less. Useful for younger Christians as it detials some ideas on study and prayer (not the most complex stuff but a useful primer). All in all, I think it achieves admirably what it sets out of achieve!