Welcome! It's springtime and the air is full of banquets and proms, graduations and, for many families of seniors, college decisions. If you have a senior in your family, how is it going? Has the decision been made already? Or are you right in the middle of the process?

If your family is still in the college decision process for fall, or if your student has a couple more years to decide, I invite you to read the two leading articles in this issue of Adventist College Connections: "Give Me A C! Give Me An O! ..." and "Campus Spiritual Life: Finding The Right Fit." Both articles were written to help you think about important factors to consider and discuss with your student as you are making the college decision.

Making the big decision

I took a class one time in how to make smart decisions. The instructor, Dr. Kembleton Wiggins, shared the following five steps which I have found useful when making important decisions:

1. Define the decision and the real goal you hope to achieve by making the decision.
2. Examine your values. Ask yourself: which values are more important now?
3. Generate at least three options.
4. Evaluate each option. I like to do this by taking three pieces of blank paper, writing each option at the top, then drawing a line down the middle of the page and putting a plus at the top of the left column and a minus at the top of the right column. Then, I list the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Ask yourself: Which option is in keeping with Biblical principles? Which option is most in harmony with my values? Which option considers long-term future consequences? Which option satisfies these three senses: looks good, sounds good, feels good? Which option do I feel the most peaceful about?
5. Pray, remembering that God has promised to give you wisdom, and make a decision. Remember, making decisions is a way of getting information. Each alternative is likely to have important advantages and disadvantages, but you will never be able to predict with 100 percent accuracy whether a decision was beneficial until after you have made it and had the chance to experience the outcomes. Every decision has unforeseen consequences (sometimes positive and sometimes negative). As believers, we have the advantage of God's wisdom to help us and His promise to turn everything out for our good in the end.

Happy Deciding,

Rob Weaver, Vice President
Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities

P.S. I'd love to hear from you! E-mail me at enrollnow@adventstistcolleges.org and let me know your suggestions for the newsletter or how the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities can serve you.