Friendship, encouragement, and support from one generation to another.

Your college years are one of the most exciting and scary times in your life. Sometimes they can be lonely, too. Having a Philos means you’ll have someone (or someones) in a different life stage who is there for you…encouraging you, supporting you, praying for you, and cheering you on. Whether you are living at home or away, whether you come from a strong family or a broken one, your Philos can provide a home-away-from-home, a family-away-from-family, and a friend when you need them most. They can even offer you guidance and mentorship—if and when you want it.

But we’ll let you in on a little secret: the investment isn’t just a one-way street. Believe it or not, they need you in their life. While we certainly believe they’ll make a positive impact on your life, we believe your presence can make a difference in theirs, too.

How do I join?

It’s simple: just fill out our College Student Interest form by clicking the button below.

Let’s Go

What now?

We’ll be in touch with you to answer your questions and determine if the program is right for you. If it is, we’ll get more information from you so that we can find a good Philos match for you.

FAQ

Each relationship is different, but they all share the same baseline. Philos are committed to:

  • Contact their student on a biweekly (every other week) basis
  • Pray for their student on a weekly basis
  • Relate to their student face-to-face on a monthly basis

That’s what we call relational CPR. Philos commit to do this for their student for one year unless the student drops out of the program.

Some BAS friendships will develop into mentorship in life skills, career development, or spiritual growth. Some students will become like extended members of the Philos’s family. Others will become lifelong friends. Some will fulfill the baseline for a year and then part ways.

Your main responsibility is twofold:

  1. Respond to the communication from your Philos as they initiate friendship with you and provide opportunities for you to connect.
  2. Treat your Philos (and their family, if applicable) in an honoring way.

We’ll go over that in more details when you sign up, but that’s the gist.

Yes and no. When students and Philos candidates go through the process of joining the program, we collect info that will help us pair students with a Philos we think they’ll get along with and vice versa. We consider factors such as geography, degree/career field, interests and hobbies, allergies and health considerations, and any specific preferences expressed by both parties. A lot depends on how many students and/or Philos are in the “pool” at a given point in time, so we cannot guarantee it will be a match made in heaven—but we’ll do our best!

If there is a specific Philos candidate you know of that you would like to be paired with, you’ll have an opportunity to request that.

First off, we hope you’ll give your Philos more than one chance before you make that determination—relationships take time to build, and just because you and your Philos don’t hit it off right away doesn’t mean you won’t later. If, however, you feel you have given it a good shot and it just is not working out, you can always contact the Program Coordinator for help. The Coordinator can offer assistance in resolving any issues you have with your Philos or determine if it’s best to pair you with someone else.

We have designed the program to be a year long relationship between student and Philos, after which time both parties will have a chance to re-evaluate. However, you are not bound to the program for a year if you decide it is not the right fit for you. You can drop your participation at any time. We only ask that you communicate openly with your Philos and us rather than simply ghosting them.

That being said, we strongly encourage you to participate for a minimum of 3 months, and ideally to see it through for the full year. Building a relationship takes time. You may not hit it off with your Philos right away, or you may not think you are benefitting from it. But by dropping out of the program too soon, you may be missing out on the benefit that you may experience later and a friendship (or even mentorship) that could become lifelong.

No. You can participate as a “student” if you are between the ages of 18-24, even if you are not currently enrolled as a college student. If you are taking a semester off, entered into the workforce after high school, are enrolled in a trade school, or are doing an internship/apprenticeship, you may still be able to participate. The program exists primarily for college students, but it is not limited only to college students.

At this time, the program is intended to provide friendship and mentorship to traditionally-aged college students between the ages of 18-24. But please, fill out our general contact form, and we can discuss other ways for you to be involved in Collegiate Impact.

Nope! We are a Christian ministry, and those serving as Philos in this program are Christians as well. But if you do not consider yourself a Christian, we would still love for you to participate.