INSIGHT
FROM THE PRESIDENT Three Steps to Finding God’s Calling
Your student’s calling is God’s dream — not a dream in terms of images or sensations during sleep but an anticipation of possibilities for His great cause. I am not just a president but a parent. All three of our adult kids and their mates navigated the complexities and risks of researching, choosing and completing college. Fortunately, they all flourish now with meaningful careers, healthy marriages, financial stability and an inspiring commitment to their communities and churches! But, I’m with you in solidarity as a parent. Only a few years ago, I experienced uneasiness in releasing my teens into adulthood and faced surprises in facilitating that launch. Let’s see if I can help you navigate this season. My advice is to get clear on three topics when preparing your college-seeking teen. First: Finances The cost of college is emotionally fantastic but the smartest return on your money. After average discounts, $1 in Olivet tuition gets you $35 over the working years. You can’t get that return in Vegas, by flipping houses or in the stock market. Also, every Olivet degree is designed for completion in four years, and more of our students finish on time than averages at government schools. So, think about it like this: A cheaper school on an annual basis will cost you far more over five years than a more expensive one where a student can finish in four years for two reasons: not just total tuition for the extra year but also lost wages in the fifth year when still in school. It’s a double whammy! Finally, don’t let school debt stick around. Agree with your student, in advance of accumulating college debt, that he
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or she can live in your house rent-free for the first year after graduation, and/or that it’s OK to work three part-time jobs digging ditches or scooping ice cream. Those actions have no bearing on his or her professional trajectory. Oftentimes, throwing every buck at debt can eliminate quite a bit of it in one year. He or she will be age 23, on the way to being debt-free and ready to start a fantastic career. Second: Academic Progress Once your student begins college, it would be foolish for him or her to lack loving accountability from a parent — a parent who understands the significance of time and money invested. Strangely, many parents never ask about their student’s academic progress; if they do, the conversation is often about the wrong thing. One parent wants to ask the student about results, like the grade received, but a better conversation is to ask about behaviors that produce that result. You can either talk “leads” (behaviors leading to a result) or “lags” (the lagging result). For example, the best-performing students maintain a 1:2 ratio of time in class versus time spent on academics outside the classroom. If your student takes 15 credit hours in a semester, that amounts to 15 clock hours per week in a lecture hall or lab. The 1:2 ratio means your student should spend upwards of 30 clock hours per week on school outside class: time for reading what is assigned and some extra material out of curiosity; talking with friends about what he or she is learning; chatting with a professor about what is confusing; preparing for tests;
