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6 Hudson Valley Parent n November 2019 F all is here and for many of you that means the college-se- lection process is well underway. With so much infor- mation at our disposal it's easy to become over- whelmed in your attempt to find the ideal (and let's face it, affordable) fit. As the proud father of five and a new college presi- dent, I'm here to offer you four tips to help make the process a bit more manageable. 1. It pays to shop around. Starting your search by casting a wide net throughout the region will help you get a better sense of the overall landscape and make you a more informed consumer when it comes time to narrow your choices. 2. Price matters. A college education is a significant investment, and families want to make sure their dollars are spent wisely. With so many numbers flying around (financial aid, scholarships, tuition discounts, institutional aid, etc.), it is easy to lose sight of the bottom line. With this in mind, I encourage families to pay attention to the net price of a college education. 3. Understand the institu- tion's program profile. While you want to find a college or uni- versity that offers the degree pro- gram your child intends to pursue, it is also important to have a clear understanding of the full range of program options available at the school. Flexibility matters, if for no other reason than that your child may choose to change majors after a semester or two at the school. Knowing what oth- options are available at the institution can save you time, energy, headaches, and money if your child purses a different course. 4. Obsess about outcomes. Sometimes a place just feels like the right fit and I've met hundreds of happy alumni who explain their col- lege choice in just those terms. That being said, it is also critical to pay attention to an institution's outcomes, including whether the in- stitutional and/or program-level are nationally accredited, plus rates for the four- and six-year degree com- pletions, job and graduate school placements, first-career earnings ver- sus total career earnings for a given major, and debt-loads and student loan default rates. These objective outcomes are pub- lished through federal sites like The College Scorecard and the National Center for Education Statistics' Col- lege Navigator, plus state sites, and independent organizations. Hopefully, these tips will help you manage some of that the stress. Editor's note: See Jason Adsit's full column at hvparent.com/col- lege-selection Jason N. Adsit is president of Mount Saint Mary College in New- burgh, (845) 569-3202 Tips and Tricks for Maximizing the College-Selection Process JASON N. ADSIT Guest Columnist Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor KAREN MASERJIAN SHAN kshan@excitingread.com Dir. of Business Development KATHLEEN MERZ kmerz@excitingread.com Executive Assistant LESLIE CORTES lcortes@excitingread.com Media Advisor MARY ZAK mzak@excitingread.com Cover Photography MICHAEL BLOOM michaelbloomphoto.com Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication.