College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping their Kids Choose a College [Paperback]

Thomas Shaw (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0802412424 | ISBN-13: 978-0802412423 | Publication Date: August 1, 2005

Parents of teenagers in mid to late high school will appreciate this resource as they wade through myriad details concerning college applications, financial aid applications and admissions procedures. Tom Shaw, as a parent of collegebound teens, and as a seasoned educator and Christian college administrator, helps anxious or simply interested parents guide their teens to making the best choice for their college experience. Tom helps parents answer questions like:Is college the right choice for my teen?Would my teen thrive best in a secular or Christian environment?What are the differences between private, liberal arts and big state schools?How do I get involved without appearing controlling or overbearing?Written from the perspective of a Christian parent, this book places particular emphasis on the parent's role as nurturer and shepherd of their children's spiritual future. This resource would also be excellent for youth leaders and mentors of high school students nearing graduation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802412424
• ISBN-13: 978-0802412423
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,492,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad advice, Christian or not, July 11, 2006

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping their Kids Choose a College (Paperback)

"The college search is as much an art as it is a science" (p. 13).

"Your teen's foundation of faith should be a strong consideration when choosing a college. During those undergraduate years, he will learn not only what to think, but how to think. Your student will question many things during college, including his faith. And the questioning of faith is not necessarily a bad thing -- it's a normal part of development. Think of it as an unpacking of faith" (p. 19).

"Many Christian parents naively send their student to a state school because of the affordable cost, without counting the cost of that experience on her spiritual well-being. In ten years, do you want to be asking yourself, "Was the cost really worth the price?" (p. 55).

This slim book does not bash non-Christian schools, but it does send a warning message: your son or daughter will be exposed to other thoughts and beliefs. For me, that is one of the points in SENDING your kid to school. Enough said.

The interesting thing is that Thomas Shaw really has a number of good insights into the college selection process, the admissions process, funding college, and "letting go." These insights are good for all parents helping their students go to college, Christian or not. If you are non-Christian, you will probably tire of the Biblical quotes sprinkled throughout the text (they are italicized and offset, and easy to skip over). If you are Christian, Shaw leads you through instructions from the Bible that are relevant.

The college selection process is complicated! Whether you like this book or not, never depend on one source of information. Read as much as you can, and make sure you visit those potential colleges. College Bound is one step in this journey.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Son or daughter looking at colleges? BUY THIS BOOK!, June 12, 2006

By 

Dan Panetti "Worldview Director" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping their Kids Choose a College (Paperback)

This is an outstanding book that begins with the philosophical considerations that parents need to help their students think through regarding the decision about life after high school and ends with very practical advice about options on how to pay for college. The intended audience for this book is the parent themselves, not the student; and the advice is solid, well-research and presented in a easy-to-understand manner that parents will appreciate. One caveat about the book, it ends when the student goes off to college - it is not a book about parenting through the challenges of college, only the decision-making process of selecting a college and the work necessary to get a student to that right next step. But, in what it does present, College Bound is really a very good read.

Shaw begins with helping parents think about the various options for their soon-to-be-graduating student - including presenting the option of taking a year off of school to mature, work, travel, etc., which is excellent advice and needs to be presented as a viable option to parents today. However, if college is in the future for a student, Shaw makes sure that parents help think through the various options of community vs. four-year college, and Christian vs. secular. Not every school fits every student and sometimes the choice that parents made isn't going to be the same as their children - a good reminder that Shaw drives home early and often.

College Bound is full of useful and practical wisdom for narrowing down the college choice as well as tips for admission, financing the college experience and the transition from high school to college. It's like having a college guidance counselor at your fingertips! Shaw ends with an encouragement to Christian students to make sure they plug into a good church home in their new community as soon as they settle down and then gives a few pages of valuable Internet resources as a final parting gift for those who still need more information. I found the book to be easy to read, very informative, and written with a sound Biblical foundation and would suggest this book to any Christian parent of high school-aged students.

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, December 1, 2011

By 

Reid Mccormick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping their Kids Choose a College (Paperback)

For a parent who is completely new to the college search process, this book is perfect for you. "College Bound" offers a lot of tips and advice on finding the right college for your son or daughter, paying for it, and coping with sending your child off.

If you know about the process then this book won't give you any new information.