I worship in one of the Protestant denominations of Christianity, but I go to a Catholic college.

I am not alone in this, though. Plenty of people choose to attend colleges either with no religious affiliation, or with a religious affiliation slightly different from their own. There are so many things to consider when deciding on a college; for most people, religious affiliation is just a minor factor. What is most important is education. You go to college to further your education, so ultimately people end up picking the school that will give them the best education for what they want to do.

If a student is strong in their faith, it is easy to work around going to a school of a different affiliation. When you know what you believe, and it is important to you, it is easy to find ways to practice and stay faithful.

However, being a college student strong in faith and willing to put in the effort to maintain it is becoming more and more rare. Especially in the Northeast, religion is practically bred out of us by the secular society. So being vocal about your Christian faith will get you some looks at almost any college.

At a Catholic college, it is a little different though. First off, some people still wonder at first why you decided to go to a Catholic school since your family has no roots in the Catholic faith, and clearly you are not particularly interested in becoming Catholic. Second, many people will wonder how it's possible that you are still as faithful as you are.

It is pretty common for young people raised in the Catholic tradition to question their faith during the college years. The teachings of the Catholic Church do not always line up with young peoples' liberal view of the world. It can be hard for them to reconcile their Church's teachings with what they personally have come to believe about the world.

I know so many people who are currently agnostic; they understand what it is like to have religion in one's house hold, but they do not quite understand what it is like to have religion in one's heart, mind and spirit.

This is a tough spot to be in. It is a tough spot to be in for yourself, and it is also hard to watch your friend be in that spot. Breaking away from how one was raised, as necessary as it might be, is never easy. I always want to tell my friends to try talking to God when I see them going through a rough patch, but a lot of times I know this will not help. In these situations, I have learned the way to show them my interpretation of God's love is simply to be there for them.

While there are a lot of agnostics at a pivotal point in their faith journey at a Catholic college, there are also plenty of practicing Catholics. It can be easy to bond with these people over having faith and practicing it in college. However, their faith is still different than my own, and other denominational Christians'.

I am Lutheran, and many a time have I been referred to as "Catholic lite." As any Lutheran will tell you, however, this is not accurate. While it is true that Catholic and Lutheran worship is very similar, the nuances of these two churches' teachings are not.

The Catholic Church is based on tradition and sacrament. There are a lot more rules to follow, and the faith itself is more structured than the Lutheran faith and a lot of other denominational Christian faiths. This is neither good nor bad. My aim is not to uplift one as better than the other. But it does mean that the way Catholics and denominational Christians view their faiths is different.

Nevertheless, as a Christian, it is very comforting to be on a Christian campus. When God or Jesus comes up in class, we do not just discuss them as a symbol. We discuss them as someone with whom we have all been acquainted. I also see people going to mass on Sundays and other Holy Days, and there have been far more vegetarian options available on Fridays these past 40 days.

Being on a Catholic campus, I know it is easy to get to some kind of service when I need to, and I have definitely attended mass since coming to school. It will never be the same as worshiping in my branch of Christianity, but going to mass is still worshiping the same God. That's what's important.

The downside to this is that Catholic schools, for the most part, only offer Catholic worship. At some public or non-religiously-affiliated colleges, non-denominational Christian services are offered once a week, but in general one will not find that on a Catholic campus. So, I always look forward to Lutheran worship when I go home.

Overall, though, I would not change a thing. For the most part, it is easy to be Protestant on a Catholic campus. Catholic campuses, especially in the Northeast, are notoriously open-minded toward other faiths. There may be more of a religious atmosphere on campus, but they do not hit you over the head with it. In fact, it is encouraged that you stay true to your own faith.

While there have been challenges to practicing my faith while at school, these challenges have helped me grow in my faith. My faith is important to me, and that will not change, regardless of where I go to college.