Speeches have been given and tassels have been tossed. Your freshly wrinkled graduation gown awaits its spot in the attic, as the glorious days of high school have taken their final bow. Some call it the happiest time of life, while others say it's the scariest. Either way, the transition to college is looming at your doorstep. Your parents and youth pastor have probably been showing you statistics that say that leaving for college often means leaving your faith. But does it have to be that way?

Of course, the answer is no. You don't have to let the allures of sex, drinking or the wrong crowd pull you away from God. Rather, this new season has huge potential to move you into a more adventurous journey of faith than you ever imagined. But to get your college faith off to a good start, you need to ask yourself these four questions:

1.Who am I?
College is only going to add to your list of "titles": student, roommate, co-worker and perhaps boyfriend or girlfriend. But with so many titles, it's easy to get confused about your identity and become someone who "tries on" a different personality for every crowd.

Seth Kolby, a student at Mid-America Christian University, knows how hard it is to stand strong in your identity in Christ. "Sometimes college makes me feel like my faith is going through a carwash," he says. "But the stable truth I always run back to is that I am in Christ, and therefore, I am a new creation. ... I have to refresh my true understanding of my identity on a daily basis. And by doing so, I can honestly say I've been able to experience college in all the amazement I always imagined."

Learn from other's wisdom and mistakes; ask God, those around you and yourself, "What defines me? What makes me me?"

2.What do I believe?
In a culture that promotes hundreds of "gospels," you have to know what you believe. You will be challenged in your beliefs in college—even at a Christian one. Ashley Gilliam, who transferred from a Christian college to a state university, found it more difficult to ask questions about her faith at the Christian college. "Being at a Christian school was actually harder in a lot of ways because everyone was scared to voice their questions and be honest about their struggles," she says. "They'd grown up in Christian homes and felt bad about not knowing their beliefs or being tempted by other belief systems."

What makes Christianity different from other faiths? Here's a good starting point: grace. Christianity is the only religion that serves a God by way of faith, not works. We're the only followers who are loved simply because we believe in Jesus Christ and realize our need for a Savior.

God doesn't care as much about your knowledge of beliefs as He does your knowledge of Himself. And knowing Him gives you the freedom to ask, wonder and work through your beliefs. In this process, you will gain testimony after testimony of His faithfulness—testimonies with which no textbook or teacher can ever successfully argue.

3.What's most important to me?
A study from HealthDay revealed that 83% of college women diet and 58% feel pressure to be a certain weight. A recent Leadership Network Advance newsletter cited that there are 68 million Internet searches for pornography every day. Premarital sex, drugs, cheating … the statistics are staggering.

You may be thinking, "But I'm exempt from these statistics since I'm a Christian, right?" Of course not. In fact, we are Christians because we struggle and we know we need forgiveness.

Aaron Barnard from Free Will Bible College says, "As [Christian college students], we must determine personal and spiritual priorities early and awaken to the false expectation that having the words 'Christian' or 'Bible' on the front lawn guarantees anything."

Determine your boundaries before you even set foot on campus, and you'll be grateful later. You will face challenges, but God will guard your path. There is no situation too tempting and no circumstance too hard. Jesus will always provide a way out.

4.What does my future hold?
Receiving your high school diploma can feel like receiving a blank check. You feel like the rest of your life is at your fingertips. It's hard not to agonize over what your future holds, but there is good news: This is the one question you don't have to know the answer to.

Amy Klinner from Belmont University says, "I could give you a list of many directions I'd love to go in—medical school, pediatrics, working with children, getting married, working with a non-profit organization and so on. And while all these paths are appealing, I'm still waiting for the Lord's path to unfold. ... I've just seen that when I try to roadmap my life, I either get lost, or I end up on a completely different map. Either way, though, my way rarely works out—and whenever I look back on what I assumed would be best, I realize that what God chooses is always far better for me anyway."

Consider your future hopes and dreams. Take them to the Lord, and watch His plans for you unfold. Not only will He guide you every step of the way, but He'll out-hope and out-dream you—for the cause of His name.

God never promised that transitions would be easy. What God promises is Himself—His ever-present, loving, rescuing, saving and sovereign Self. God will always be enough, and He will always be the answer.