“I was the first person in my family to go to college. I was able to do this because I had the help of scholarships, loans, and jobs along the way. My education gave me opportunity, confidence, and hope for my future. I am committed to inspiring more young people to attend and finish college. My Foundation, along with many fine public and private institutions, is working to spread the word that the cost of tuition should not be an obstacle to attending college.
The good news is that there is more help than ever before for college-bound students and their families. Paying for College without Going Broke is a comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of financing a college education. This straight-talk guide gives much-needed direction to students and the families who love and support them.” – Excerpted from the Foreword by former President Bill Clinton
Getting into college is one thing, being able to pay for it is quite another. The average annual cost of tuition and fees at a private university is currently over $30,000. So it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyhow, that most folks can’t afford that sticker price. And while most schools do offer their students some sort of financial aid package, typically, the amount of that assistance has not kept pace with the skyrocketing cost of a higher education, which was reportedly up 6.3% just this past year.
Furthermore, because so many well-meaning counselors are apparently ill informed about this aspect of the application process, nowadays, “The most aid, whether it be in grants, scholarships or loans – goes to those who are savviest. not necessarily the neediest.” This is the surprising assertion of Kalman Chany, author of Paying for College without Going Broke, a comprehensive guide comprised of sure-fire techniques for finding help footing the anticipated bill.
Broken down into five parts, the book begins with an overview of the subject matter before launching right into practical advice on short and long term financial strategies, on picking colleges, on finding state aid, and on the importance of your kid’s maintaining good grades. Part Three offers line-by-line help with filling out some of the most commonly used financial aid forms, while Part Four teaches you how to compare the money packages ultimately offered your child by different colleges. The final section contains valuable worksheets, a glossary explaining the meaning of some less familiar terms, and sample forms, such as the ubiquitously-used Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA. Succinctly-written in a clear, matter-of-fact tone and chock full of priceless tidbits of information, a handbook like Paying for College without Going Broke is crucial for anyone intending to enter the complex, cutthroat competition for a cut of available college aid.
Paying for College without Going Broke 2007 Edition
by Kalman A. Chany with Geoff Martz
Foreword by Bill Clinton
Random House/Princeton Review Books
Paperback, 352 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 0375765670
