Lessons learned by a first-year seminarian

An interesting list from To and Through St. Vlad's:

Now that I'm coming up on the end of my first academic year at St. Vladimir's Seminary, I thought I'd post a list of observations and lessons learned since arriving here last August (however, the year still has a few more days - major academic finals begin Friday, so keep us all in your prayers.)

In random order:

1.) You will not find a peaceful environment at seminary.

2.) You will meet some of the best friends of your life here.

3.) You will meet many great priests.

4.) You will meet some not-so-great priests.

5.) Not every parish does things the same way, even if they are in the same diocese or jurisdiction. Be prepared to adapt, even if you don't particularly agree with certain practices (as long as they don't conflict with Orthodox dogma.)

6.) I don't care how well-read you may have been before coming to seminary in regards to theology, Scripture, or other studies; you can always learn something new.

7.) Professors usually welcome discussion, but on the exams, give the professor what he wants to hear, even if you don't particularly agree with it (but you can find tactful ways of mentioning your disagreement within the paper.)

8.) Be careful what you say in BLOGS or in emails, especially about church higher-ups.

9.) You will study A LOT.

10.) Do not procrastinate on papers. Start researching and typing up drafts early in the semester (I advise beginning research as soon as you find out the paper topic; as you learn more in class, you can always edit the paper.) Otherwise, you'll be sweating and pulling all-nighters during the last week of classes...

Complete article here.