Product Description "The College Solution helps readers look beyond over-hyped admission rankings to discover schools that offer a quality education at affordable prices. Taking the guesswork out of saving and finding money for college, this is a practical and insightful must-have guide for every parent!" --Jaye J. Fenderson, Seventeen's College Columnist and Author, Seventeen's Guide to Getting into College "This book is a must read in an era of rising tuition and falling admission rates. O'Shaughnessy offers good advice with blessed clarity and brevity." --Jay Mathews, WashingtonPost Education Writer and Columnist "I would recommend any parent of a college-bound student read The College Solution." --Kal Chany, Author, The Princeton Review's Paying for College Without Going Broke "The College Solution goes beyond other guidebooks in providing an abundance of information about how to afford college, in addition to how to approach the selection process by putting the student first."--Martha "Marty" O'Connell, Executive Director, Colleges That Change Lives "Lynn O'Shaughnessy always focuses on what's in the consumer's best interest, telling families how to save money and avoid making costly mistakes. " --Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, FinAid.org and Author, FastWebCollegeGold "An antidote to the hype and hysteria about getting in and paying for college! O'Shaughnessy has produced an excellent overview that demystifies the college planning process for students and families." --Barmak Nassirian, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers For millions of families, the college planning experience has become extremely stressful. And, unless your child is an elite student in the academic top 1%, most books on the subject won't help you. Now, however, there's a college guide for everyone. In The College Solution, top personal finance journalist Lynn O'Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use roadmap to finding the right college program (not just the most hyped) and dramatically reducing the cost of college, too. Forget the rankings! Discover what really matters: the quality and value of the programs your child wants and deserves.O'Shaughnessy uncovers "industry secrets" on how colleges actually parcel out financial aid--and how even "average" students can maximize their share. Learn how to send your kids to expensive private schools for virtually the cost of an in-state public college...and how promising students can pay significantly less than the "sticker price" even at the best state universities. No other book offers this much practical guidance on choosing a college...and no other book will save you as much money! / Secrets your school's guidance counselor doesn't know yet The surprising ways colleges have changed how they do business / Get every dime of financial aid that's out there for you Be a "fly on the wall" inside the college financial aid office / U.S. News & World Report: clueless about your child Beyond one-size-fits-all rankings: finding the right program for your teenager / The best bargains in higher education Overlooked academic choices that just might be perfect for you
Useful Information for the College Selection Process November 13, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book contains useful information for selecting and paying for college. It follows the belief that small private liberal arts colleges generally provide a superior undergraduate education when compared to large universities. It is, of course, not the only book to follow that reasoning. In this book, however, there is a strong emphasis on the issue of minimizing costs and paying the bill. The book covers such topics as financial aid, merit money, scholarships, student and parent loans, education investment accounts, and other sources of funding.
The writer is somewhat critical of the well-known college rating guides. She exposes the weaknesses of such guides, reminding the reader that the ratings are based upon responses to questionaires, the colleges' entry standards, and the opinions of those associated with the colleges rather than on actual knowledge of the colleges. As noted in the book, it would be impossible when evaluating hundreds of colleges and univerities to become intimately acquainted with all of them.
The writer commends the well-known and popular book "Colleges That Change Lives", but notes that even that book has its flaws. For example, she accurately points out that Antioch College is among the 40 colleges covered in the book. Yet, Antioch College is now closed. She does not attempt to tackle the underlying reasons for the declining enrollment that eventually forced its closure, but she provides us with a reminder that there are more issues to consider when choosing a college than just its ability to change lives.
Overall, I definitely feel that this is a book that those who are beginning their college search should read.
This book was just what I needed. September 20, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My oldest child is a high school senior, and we felt so clueless about how to go about starting "the college thing". This book told me everything I wanted to know and much more. Now, I feel so much more informed and confident about the process, espicially the financial aspects.
A must-have for every parent with a (hopefully) college-bound kid August 17, 2008 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a mother of a HS junior who attends a local school in France, I have to take a more active role with the US college search since his school has no guidance counselor and there are no college road shows in the vicinity. I find myself reliant on word of mouth and written sources : guidebooks, blogs ,, newspaper articles, books /websites & advice and have invested the better part of son's junior year compiling information for the college search. I ordered this book after reading a reference on a college admissions blog. I finished it during a train ride - and found it so riveting that I missed my stop. Based on the title, I had expected to find just tips for affording college education but was pleasantly surprised by the author's insistence on quality -how to get your money's worth. So often the writers authoring these books report from the hallowed halls of academia. This author is a parent - and bases her experience as a mother of a college freshman while wearing her financial reporter thinking cap. How many college admission books are written from this point of view? One innovation is that the book reverses the criteria for the college search by starting with match schools , not reach, where the student has more chance of obtaining scholarship money. The bottom up approach also instructs on how to find the best fit academically with several chapters on grading academic departments and discussions on professor ratings. Not stopping with the college admissions process, she addresses another under looked category - undergraduate research. And thanks to the author's chapter on freebies & best buys, I have added another school to the list. The book closes with a list of informational websites, helpful cheat sheets and timelines in the appendix. The author has packed an enormous amount of information here but has addressed the most salient points in a practical college admissions and quality education search. I could have saved a considerable amount of time and money had I read this book first and feel more empowered now for the final year of the search.
A must read for teen-age parents of collegebound students! August 5, 2008 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am a college counselor at a large, racially diverse, urban high school. I am going to recommend "The College Solution" to my student's parents beginning at Freshman orientation. There is so much useful information contained within the book's pages,of which most lay people are not aware. It is also time to look away from US News and World Report rankings. There are many other ways to search for colleges, and Ms. Lynn Shaughnessy points out many!! There is also great advice, and strategies for maximizing financial aid. Kudos to you , Ms. Shaughnessy for condensing everything a parent needs to know between two bookcovers.
Sharon Drell College Counselor Cleveland HS Reseda. CA 91335
The College Solution August 2, 2008 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a most helpful guide. As we make college videos, I was particularly interested in what you had to say in chapter 36, Visiting Campuses. You made two excellent points: one is usually wrong in newspaper articles and the other is almost never mentioned. First, I hate being told that summer is a great time to visit the colleges. Yes, the students may be off from school, but small colleges are deserted and even the large state universities have only limited students on campus. The campus itself, however, will look better than at any time during the academic year. Very important too is the need to have the college build a file on the student. The best way is to visit the college itself. It shows real interest. Admissions counselors say that all things being equal, a "stealth" candidate (one where the college first learns about your interest when the application arrives) has a lower chance of acceptance than one who has shown previous contact with the college. You are a realist in saying that because of financial and time consideration, an actual visit may not be possible, and you urge your readers to show their early interest "through a request for literature, a call to the financial aid office, or a conversation during a college fair." That advice alone could justify the cost of the book.
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