Why aren't teenagers choosing the right college? ACT research shows about one-third of freshmen college students don't return for a second year at the same school. College administrator and author, Thomas Shaw suggests one of the reasons students do not persist is because the school is a bad fit for them. Based on his 20 years of college admissions experience, Shaw has written the new book, College Bound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping Their Kids Choose a College. (Moody Publishers).

Shaw's oldest son Andrew is in the process of finalizing his own college decision. Kara Miller, a freelance writer and TV producer in Chicago spoke with Dr. Shaw.

One of the easiest ways to narrow down the decision is to have in mind some criteria—features that you feel would be a good match for your son or daughter. Those can include things like vocational interests for the future, extracurricular interests, or location of the institution. Is your child more inclined towards a small town, or do they really like the big city? It could be the size of the institution. Cost is certainly something most parents are interested in knowing. That's a deciding factor for many families.

A teen's faith foundation needs to be a primary consideration when determining where he or she goes to college. I think Christian parents would be very comfortable sending their teen to a Christian college or university. But it's important to make sure that's the right place for their particular child. One of the editors of my book noted that a former boyfriend of hers went to a Christian college, but that school wasn't a good fit for him. So he switched to a well-known private university and thrived there. He's a strong Christian and it challenged him and gave him the opportunity to use what he knew.

A Christian college is a place I think every Christian parent should explore with their kids because faith flourishes in these settings.

One of the main things is that all the administrators, the board of trustees, and faculty at all Christ-centered colleges are believers. They affirm the statement of faith of their institution annually. The spiritual dimension is taken seriously at these schools. Students will encounter these faculty members in class, and it has a wonderful, positive effect on their faith… . You have an atmosphere in the residence halls, in life around campus, where you're regularly worshipping together as a body. You hear great speakers, and are exposed to lots of things that build up faith.

In most cases I'd say that's true. Research was done in the past decade, and recently replicated again by Railsback and Henderson, and it showed about half to two-thirds of Christian students that go to a public university or non-Christian institution, struggle with their faith. Whereas among students that go to Christian colleges, only about 6 percent struggle with their faith.

Think about it. If you're going to take your automobile in for repair, and there's only a 25 percent to 50 percent chance that transmission fix is going to work, would you really invest three or four thousand dollars to have it fixed by that mechanic? Or if you're having heart surgery, if your surgeon has only a 25 percent to 50 percent success rate, would you place your life in that person's hands?

Well, think of it in the spiritual dimension. If you send your kids to the wrong kind of school, what kind of damage does that do to them spiritually? However, I don't want to cast an overly negative shadow on public universities, because there are some Christians that do very well there.

I think you should start thinking about colleges when they're in elementary school. It's easy for me to say that because I'm sold on higher education. Carolyn and I took our kids to visit the institutions we attended as they were growing up. On summer vacations we'd drop into colleges and visit and look around a bit.

But for most families the right time is middle school to be considering and assessing "How has God gifted them? Are they artistic? Are they intellectual? Are they more sports oriented? What type of personality has God given them?"

College mail that comes in through the postal service grows into a mountain, it just builds and builds. In many cases, teens will receive mail from colleges you've never heard of. Many are just as good as some of the name brand institutions. So it's really important for parents to sit down and talk with their kids about some of these schools. It's hard to do that on a daily basis. But if you can set aside a time maybe once a week, have the college mail in a pile and go through it together.

I'd encourage parents first of all to help their kids establish an e-mail address that's just for their college mail. Colleges aren't using the postal service as much anymore, as they're doing a lot through e-mail.

There are also some really helpful websites that are like central depositories of information. They have links to all types of colleges. I used one with my son Andrew. We plugged in his interests: engineering, running track, and it being a Christian college.

We found 12 different colleges that fit all our criteria. That was one way to narrow down the list quickly. And some of those institutions we actually went to visit.

Also, most schools have online applications. Some schools will not charge application fees if you use their online application process, or they will offer a discount.

I think its definitely safe, and I would encourage it. Plus, it's a lot faster.

Most colleges use systems that will send you an automatic reply, letting you know the application was received. Typically admissions counselors from those colleges will also send you an e-mail or give you a phone call, and try to connect with your student. Those counselors will let applicants know the next step in the process.

If a teen hasn't heard anything, either through a phone call or through e-mail within a week after submitting the application online, call the admissions office and make sure it was received. Occasionally there are technical glitches, so that would be a good backup plan.

Let me start with two terms: exploratory visits and determinative visits.

Exploratory are the schools that, after you narrow down your college choices to maybe a half-dozen or so, those are the places you want to visit and get an overview. Usually a one-day visit is sufficient. If you can include an overnight at that campus, that enables your child to spend a night in a residence hall, get a better picture of what life is like after class, and have a few meals in the dining facilities. You should also plan to go to class and meet some professors. Parents should accompany their kids on those exploratory visits.

When you're narrowing the list to two or three, then visits become determinative. You're looking closer at the details, spending more time looking at the curriculum and talking to the professors. During these visits, spend time with an advisor, or if your student is interested in a sport, try-out for an athletic team.

Yes. It's common for students to visit more than once. In certain cases if it's a very distant institution you may only be able to visit once. But if it's within a day's driving distance some people will visit two or three times.

Call in advance to make sure you get the best possible visit. That will enable the college to help get your kids into the classes they're most interested in and experience residence life overnight with a student in their major.

There have been rare cases in places I've worked where people will come and spend the night, and say "I've seen enough, I'm done." Something turned them off. That's why visits are important to help narrow things down. Sometimes looking at brochures and websites isn't enough. To have the whole sensory experience, to meet the people, to see the sites and hear the sounds. All of that is pretty important in the college choice.

In our visits with Andrew, we checked out the local churches on the internet before we went to visit. Then we drove by and made a connection. Parents can say, "This is a church you might connect with."

Also talk to the personnel at the college. Ask which churches their students attend. Also talk to students and find out where they fellowship while they're in college. That helps students to connect, to have a local body of believers outside the university community which can be a source of spiritual nourishment. Many college students get tied to a church through teaching Sunday school, Awana clubs, or community projects.

For most families there's a drive or a flight back home. Talk about what each person saw on the visit. It's okay if the family is split in their opinions. What's not unusual is everywhere the teen visits he or she will say "Ooh that's really nice. I like that college. This is where I want to go." Then you visit another one and the teen says, "Oh that's even better. I like that one even better." And so it keeps building. Then, if you can, allow a little bit of time after the campus visits are over to let it all settle. Talk to your teen and say, "Okay, you've had a few weeks to think about all the different places. Let's chart out what are some of the strengths of each campus and let's see how that fits our criteria and see what might emerge as our favorite college."

There are a lot of dynamics when your kids are teenagers. We all remember what that was like. For parents, the right kind of position to take while working with your kids in the high school years is one of being a shepherd or a nurturer.

I think parents shouldn't take a hardline approach regarding the college search. Wait for those opportunities, those teachable moments.

An everyday occurrence at our house is when we get college mail from institutions. And those are opportunities to talk, "Hey what do you think about this school? Have you ever heard of this one before?" Just take the moments that come along when your teen is interested in talking about colleges. Take advantage of it. Don't let it pass by because you are busy.

They really should. For many kids, they're so sharp they could just make this decision on their own. And parents say, "Okay, we'll write the checks for school. You're on your own." But, I think if parents would partner with their kids on this decision, it has a lot of value in the transition from home life to college life and later to adult life. It helps us keep a strong relationship with our kids.

I think parents have to be aware of the cost. Here are some averages. For a community college, tuition costs about $5,000 a year, if you're taking a full load of classes. If they went to a public university as an in-state student, the cost would be about $11,000 or $12,000, including tuition and room and board. At private colleges the average is $26,000 per year. Christian colleges tend to try to keep costs down compared to regular private colleges. So the average at private Christian colleges is $22,000.

That's the sticker price, that's not the cost most families will pay. Most families will have some savings, scholarships from civic organizations, federal and state financial aid, and scholarships from the schools they'll actually attend.

The value added at the Christ-centered Christian college is the fact it does have that spiritual dimension programmed in to the education. The whole experience is enriched with a spiritual component. That would be the primary advantage. Also, one of the things about Christian colleges is the majority of professors have earned doctorates and those professors are in the classroom teaching. At a large state school there usually graduate assistants and teaching assistants covering a lot of the freshman and sophomore courses. Only in the junior and senior years do regular professors teach classes.

So, access to Christian professors in the classroom is important. These professors invest themselves in the students. It's the reason they are there. They're kind of like missionaries to college students in investing themselves in their lives.

I've seen some really neat things happen through the years with families' finances. There was one family from Athens, Georgia, with two boys. They weren't twins but they were starting college at the same time.They didn't have enough in their savings to pay for both boys going to a private Christian college all at one time. So, they took out a second mortgage on their home to ensure their boys could go to the same college at the same time, and to proceed as they felt God called them to do.

In another case there was a family that had a 24-foot sailboat. They sold it, because they didn't want to go into debt from student loans. Those are a couple of the neat things that I've seen happen. God does provide in many cases. It is a faith walk even if parents have saved in advance and have done their best.

The faith foundation of your teen should be the primary consideration, and the college decision is a family decision.

Where is the student in relation to Christ? Do they have the background, the biblical basis to be able to articulate and defend their faith? Can they share their faith with someone and lead someone to Christ? Also, what is the depth of their understanding of the Scriptures and their ability to use it? I think these should help determine the type of institution.

The other thing Christian parents need to consider is the relational aspect of walking through this journey together.

Parents should shepherd their child's heart and use the college search as an opportunity to interact. This is one of the closing chapters of their teen's time at home, helping him or her work through this decision and placing them in the best possible environment.

Once a student applies for admission to the various schools usually there are three to four acceptances. Then there comes that point where you say, "Okay, which one is it?" You visit those institutions, and you take in all that they have to offer. You look at their costs, their financial aid, the scholarships they'll be offering. Then it comes down to your final decision. And to do that as a family, as parents and a college bound student, is a great process.

You can learn more about Dr. Shaw and his book College Bound, at www.collegedecision.org.