If you're the parent of a high school junior or senior, you know the feeling. The college mailers, the campus tours, the financial aid calculations—and underneath all of it, a quiet but persistent worry: What if we get this wrong?
The anxiety families carry during the college search is real. But Doug Hutchinson, LMFT, director of the Counseling Center at Vanguard University, thinks the most helpful thing a parent can do is challenge that question altogether.
"I would begin with reframing from one big decision to the fact that life is a series of decisions," Hutchinson said. "It is impossible to avoid a 'wrong' decision. The reality is that some things work out how we intended and others do not."
That reframe matters. When families treat college selection as a single make-or-break moment, the stakes feel unbearable, and every difficulty after enrollment feels like proof of a mistake. Hutchinson addresses this directly: "I suggest staying away from the idea that if you choose the 'right' school then everything works out great. Then when any adversity hits, we assume it was the wrong decision."
Adversity isn't a sign of a wrong turn. It's part of growing up, at any school, in any major.
Hutchinson offers a framework that reframes the search entirely. "I feel it is helpful to envision the Spirit of the Lord like your GPS on your phone or car. You are on a journey and if you make a wrong turn, you make a corrective turn and get back on track. The journey is not easy if you 'make the right decision.' The journey is the process that the Lord uses to refine us. The main goal is to tune in better to the voice of the Lord."
In other words, the goal isn't a perfect choice; it's staying on the journey.
Vanguard University is designed to walk with students every step of that journey. VU's mission is to "pursue knowledge, cultivate character, deepen faith, and equip each student for a Spirit-empowered life of Christ-centered leadership and service." With small classes, a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio, chapel, pastoral care, and a counseling center staffed by professionals like Hutchinson, VU is built for the whole journey—not just the decision that starts it.
As you navigate this season, listen more than you advise, let fit, faith, and community lead, and trust that a corrective turn is still a turn in the right direction.
