by Therese Ivers

Frances was a very bright AP high school student. During her senior year, Frances discovered the Lord and felt a very strong call to live her life in the cloister. After looking around at various convents, she felt very attracted to a community in a close by city. After a lot of thought and prayer, Frances decided to enter soon after she would graduate.

When the relatives and friends heard that Frances wanted to enter the cloister, they were very happy for her. One day, though, Frances went to speak to a priest friend of her family. He suggested that she seriously consider going to college before entering the cloister. Frances did not want to go to college before becoming a nun, but she promised to do some research on the matter and make a novena to help her in her discernment.

In the middle of her novena, Frances got a call from a friend she really respected. This person urged her to join the convent immediately and not “lose” her calling by going to college. Her friend pointed out that even if she went to college, she would probably be burdened with student loans that could take a while to pay back. Since the convent did not require a college degree and was cloistered, there was no reason why Frances should even consider going to college.

Does this scenario of conflicting advice about college education sound familiar? One of the biggest decisions the younger discerner faces is whether to go to – or to continue attending – college. While this article will specifically cover many of the pros and cons of attending college for women interested in becoming a cloistered nun, what is said here can be applicable in many ways to others discerning their vocations to consecrated life.

(c) 2008 by Therese Ivers and DoIHaveAVocation.com. All Rights Reserved

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