Retaining religious identity amidst the temptations of college life.
“You know, there’s many young men like you that I have seen over the years, and they all say the same thing: that they are ready to go out on their own. It’s a different world out there, and they come back, having changed.” I looked at my doctor, not sure what to make of his advice.
It was the summer before college, and I was getting my annual check-up. I was not, however, prepared for getting life advice from my doctor. Harvard was only a couple of months away, and I was excited. My doctor’s warning seemed to kill all of that excitement. I left the hospital that day, deep in thought, wondering — as I had done so many times in the last few months — how college life would really be. What I hadn’t expected was how hard it would be to reconcile religion and social life in college.
Flash forward to the first few weeks of school. All I am hearing about is some kind of “dance” for the freshmen class, Rush Hour. I had made new friends already, and they too were interested in figuring out what all the commotion was about. However, I was apprehensive; I was not the type to go out during the weekends and had no idea what to expect.
Flashing lights greeted me inside the dance floor. “Party Rock” was pounding my ears. Bodies were moving, swaying, and molding everywhere. It was surreal. It was intoxicating, exotic, and made my skin tingle. The music pulled me in, and the excitement held onto me. I was hooked, and I knew it. I realized at that moment how difficult it would be to retain my identity as a Muslim in a world without parental oversight and with so much temptation.
Being Muslim means that I do not have many of the privileges of the typical American teenager. As a Muslim, I should pray five times a day and fast during the month of Ramadan. My parents, being very religious, have always been strict with my siblings and me. I can’t be out too late, unlike some of my friends. Drinking is forbidden. Dating is unacceptable. Phone calls from female friends would have my mother questioning my relationship with them. My mother expects me to work hard and study; if I were back at home, I would never be out at 1 a.m.
I’m not the only one who faces this dilemma; many other freshmen share my concerns. College is a different world —there are no mothers to tell you to clean your room or fathers to make sure you’re at home in the night. In this new world, one is no longer a child but an adult. There is more freedom. Temptation is everywhere, and this makes it particularly difficult for freshmen who, coming from strict households, have never had such freedom.
But this freedom has also taught me about responsibility. After Rush Hour, I have made it a priority to deal with my religious, educational, and work commitments before anything else. As of now, my doctor has not been completely right about college changing me. Even though I go out a bit more, I’m still very much the same person. I continue to practice my religion and work hard to accomplish my dreams.
Anonymous ’15 can be contacted at independent1969@gmail.com.




