College is an important investment in your child's future. According to education statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, students with a bachelor's degree will earn approximately twice the income of those without. But an investment in college isn't just monetary, especially when considering a distinctively Christian college. You are also choosing an experience that may set your child up for occupational satisfaction, a deeper understanding of personal faith, and effective service for the Kingdom of God. It pays to choose wisely.

Selecting the right educational environment is even more difficult because each student has unique gifts and abilities. Rather than simply selecting the "best college" based on a few statistics, you have to find the school that best fits your son or daughter. With that in mind, here are five areas you'll want to carefully evaluate during the Christian college search.

Early on in the search process, you'll want to explore a prospective college's core values and convictions. You can do this by examining three important documents:

• Mission Statement. To get a glimpse of a college's heart, read its mission statement. You'll usually find this on its website; if it's not there, ask the admissions office to send you a copy. Talk about how the statement fits your child's dreams and goals. Ask your son or daughter: "Do you see yourself fitting in at a school with a mission like this one?"

Let's say you and your student feel pretty good about the school's mission statement. Now it's time to get practical. If the mission statement says the college seeks to impact the world, then it's fair to ask: "Are a significant number of graduates in positions of influence?" If its mission is to train students to value service, ask: "In what specific ways do the school's students and graduates serve?" If the mission statement says the school emphasizes Christian community, ask: "How is Christian community demonstrated on campus?"

After you and your teen brainstorm specific questions, look for answers on the website. If you can't find answers online, take your questions to an admissions counselor.

If you like the answers you find, you'll want to test them by visiting the campus. Admission materials and presentations should take their cues from the college's mission. Classes should reflect it. Current students may not be able to recite the mission statement, but their experiences and attitudes will tell you whether it's working.

• Statement of Faith. Along with the mission statement, you'll want to carefully read the statement of faith or belief. This statement outlines those basic theological and doctrinal ideas that guide the institution.

Let's say you're checking off each bullet point, and you do a double take. One of the points is not exactly in line with what you believe. Should you pursue the college any further? That depends.

If you're looking at distinctively Christian colleges, you can be confident they will have basic beliefs in common—certain non-negotiables about the identity of Jesus Christ, salvation through faith, and the role of the Bible. But even within this group, you'll find theological or doctrinal differences, mostly in areas of practice and emphasis. In most cases, you don't have to agree with every item in the statement of faith, but you do need to be aware of the underlying beliefs of the institution. If one of those beliefs troubles you, or doesn't seem clear, ask for an explanation from the college. You may also want to get input from a pastor or leader in your church. If you feel you can live with the differences and your child could even learn from them, keep that school on your list.

• Code of Conduct. You'll want to read and discuss the rules and expectations for behavior. (The code of conduct—also sometimes called standards of conduct—can be found in the student handbook.)

Campus rules and policies can sometimes be a sticking point between you and your student. Be empathetic. Remember that teens are still trying to define themselves, and may feel like someone else is trying to do it for them.

Instead of glossing over potential areas of conflict, say something like: "Before reading the code, you felt this college was a match. I still believe it's a good match, but you have to decide if you'll choose to live up to the commitments expected of its students." Stress that the code of conduct is not written as a challenge to her personally, but is an agreement between students, staff and faculty of the best way to show each other love and respect. It's a call to a higher level of commitment. Then give her time to think about it, and encourage her to speak with current students about their experiences. In many cases, a student will decide that the benefits outweigh the area of disagreement. If not, the student should take the college off the consideration list.

College is a bridge between academic learning and career opportunities, reliance on parents and independence, childhood dreams and carefully examined thinking. To navigate this transition successfully, students need mentors. Who will those mentors be?

The cornerstone of a student's college experience is the time he spends in the classroom with professors. Most college graduates can easily name one or two faculty members who inspired them to achieve more than they thought possible.

As you visit colleges, ask students about their favorite professors. Which names come up? Why? Are they inspirational speakers? Do they take a personal interest in students? Is it easy to approach them for advice? Are any of them in your student's major? Visit a few departmental offices. Are they hubs of activity? Do students come and go, interacting with faculty?

Many professors also go well beyond the classroom to invest in students, inviting them into research projects, helping them explore their interests, attending their games and concerts, even inviting them into their homes for meals or discussion groups. Current students will be thrilled to tell you about this kind of interaction.

Often, colleges will place new students in small freshman seminar courses, allowing them to get to know faculty members better. Find out if this approach is taken at the schools your child is considering.

Professors aren't the only mentors on campus. Most colleges offer a whole network of formal and informal mentors. They often challenge students to integrate their values into everyday life and help them cast a vision for the future. At distinctively Christian colleges, they'll ask students to make decisions in light of God's priorities for their lives.

To meet some of these caring mentors, visit the campus' career center. Check to see if the staff is welcoming and knowledgeable. A dynamic career office can be an indication that the staff is engaged in the lives of students.

Think about other mentors your student might encounter. If your teen is an athlete, she'll want to get to know the team coach. The same is true for chaplains and other spiritual leaders your student might seek out for advice. Ask students if chaplains and campus pastors are accessible and in tune with student needs. Also consider the influence other students will have, whether club leaders, residence assistants or team captains.

Colleges can do a lot to increase individual mentoring opportunities. Small class sizes allow one-on-one access to faculty. Ask about average class sizes, especially for first-year students. Also ask about the number of students that work with each academic adviser. An adviser with fewer students has more time for those casual conversations that new students often need.

Every student is different. Some come to college more mature than others. Some struggle with learning disabilities while others learn with ease. Some respond to a challenge right away, and others need coaxing to venture into new areas of learning. With this in mind, it's important to find out what kind of opportunities the college has for the unique learning style of your child.

Some colleges will tell you which students tend to be most successful there. Read their admission material and you will sense if the focus is primarily on students looking for high levels of scholarship or students at all academic levels. You can also look at the class profile—the list of statistics like average SAT or ACT scores and average GPA—to get a sense of where your student would fit in academically.

Perhaps the best way to test the learning atmosphere is to attend classes. Allow her to find out for herself whether professors are both challenging and caring. If she can see herself in the classroom, participating and succeeding, chances are you've got a good match academically.

As you interact with admissions personnel, find out how the school approaches disciple building. Are students encouraged to ask questions? Are they given room to doubt and wrestle with their beliefs? Are there opportunities for debate on topics students will be confronted with in the "real world"? Great Christian colleges challenge students to examine their beliefs and assumptions in order to help them truly own and deepen their faith.

While many subjects are not directly tied to ministry, well-rounded Christian colleges make sure a framework of faith informs all fields of study. The classroom becomes a laboratory where students learn how the Christian faith applies to both academic disciplines and everyday life. Expectations for academic work should be just as high as at secular institutions, but they should also point students back to the big picture of God's sovereignty.

Look for colleges that frequently point students to the Bible. Check the catalog to see how knowledge of the Bible is incorporated into the curriculum. Look particularly at how a college handles culturally difficult areas of study like the sciences, because this is where students will need the most help integrating and applying their beliefs. And look for curriculum, speakers and events that bring the person of Jesus Christ to the forefront.

Christian colleges have the opportunity to equip every student to be a missionary for God's Kingdom. Every accountant, teacher, fashion designer and research scientist can be taught to bring the gospel into his corner of the world. When you're looking at colleges, ask: "Where can he learn to make an impact?"

They demonstrate that, in a work environment, ethical conduct is the foundation of a strong witness. They encourage students to view every professional area as a mission field, and they challenge them to enter the difficult ones for Christians—including the culture-shaping professions where the salt and light of the Kingdom of God are often lacking. High-impact colleges truly believe that every student can be an effective witness, and they find practical ways to train students for life outside the walls of the church.

Beyond sharing the gospel, students need to know they can make tangible differences. They can bring more justice and compassion into the world, just as Jesus did. A Christian college experience can teach them they are each entrusted with a sphere of influence, and that they can bring the power of the Kingdom of God into that sphere for the good of others.

One of the best ways to measure the impact a college is making is to check out its graduates. Are they moving on to positions of leadership and influence? The admission office, the alumni office and the career center should be able to provide this information. What about current students? Do they feel prepared to carry Jesus Christ into their workplace effectively? Do they feel the college heartily supports students who want to go on into the arts, journalism, politics, writing, film, and other areas in great need of Christian influence? On top of that, the best Christian colleges communicate that every person and every profession counts. Not everyone will make a movie or hold high office, but everyone can get involved locally, whether serving on a school board, writing a letter to the editor, or sharing the gospel at work.

Those studying for full-time ministry also need help learning to maximize their impact. If they become pastors, it will be their jobs to help their congregations carry both evangelism and a sense of mission into their communities and workplaces. Future church leaders will need intentional training to do this. Missionaries, youth leaders and pastors alike need to know how to assess where their efforts will make the biggest difference, and they need to be prepared to accept the most difficult assignments.

Read what the college publishes, online and in print, to see if making an impact in the world seems to be a priority. Perhaps the college's president addresses this on the website or in a promotional brochure. Maybe the college shares profiles of alumni making an impact. The college also makes a statement each year at graduation when it invites speakers and gives out honorary degrees. What types of achievement does it value? For students to truly internalize the message that they can make an impact for God's Kingdom, they have to hear it from the top, and they have to hear it consistently.

Christian colleges have an obligation to prepare students for career excellence that reflects God's excellence, training them to demonstrate the relevance of Jesus Christ to every facet of life, and inspiring them to make an impact for God's kingdom in the world. Christ-centered colleges have a sacred responsibility to transform students' lives, but like students, each college brings gifts and limitations to this calling. Parents, with your help and encouragement, your students can find the right college in which to invest themselves—a place where they will thrive and discover missions of their own.

As an educator, speaker and writer, Aaron Basko helps schools, churches, and homeschool groups assist their students and parents with educational and career planning from a faith perspective. Contact Aaron at edvising@verizon.net.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
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