How to Go to College on a Shoe String: The Insider’s Guide to Grants, Scholarships, Cheap Books, Fellowships, and Other Financial Aid Secrets
Once again in 2006 the cost to attend college was double the inflation rate, according to the report “Trends in College Pricing 2006″. The average rate of tuition at four-year private colleges was about $21,235; four-year public universities average $5,491. Tuition costs, of course, are just the beginning now add room and board, the cost of attending a private college is $29,026 per year on average, and $12,127 at four-year public universities. Take a look at IVY league universities such as Princeton and the total fees will climb to nearly $37,000.
An 8% college inflation rate means that the cost of college doubles every nine years. For a baby born today, this means that college costs will be more than three times current rates when the child is ready for college. The average debt for graduating college seniors who borrow to finance their undergraduate degree is just under $20,000.
But there is good news. There is more financial aid available than ever before—over $134 billion. And, despite all of these college cost increases, a college education remains an affordable choice for most families. Armed with the information detailed in this comprehensive new book you will be privy to the more than 2,200 programs that offer scholarships, internships, or loans to more than 1.7 million students each year. These are scholarships, grants, and loan programs that you have never heard of for example:
The Millennium Scholarship Offers $10,000 to students who have lived in Nevada for at least two years before they graduate from high school. State-funded by Nevada’s portion of the lawsuit settlement against national tobacco companies. Or Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship One $5,000 and three $1,000 scholarships to students who promote skateboarding. Created by a Philadelphia mother after her 15-year-old son was killed while skateboarding. Are you tall ? Then apply for the Tall Clubs International Scholarship, Males 6′2″ or taller and females 5′10″ or higher qualify for a $1000.00 scholarship.
In addition to scholarships and grants you will learn hundreds of innovative ways to slash your college cost including: calculating your college budget, Ways to Reduce your college budget, buy your text books & supplies cheap, Earn college credit on an accelerated basis, CLEP, Earn college credit outside the traditional classroom, Make use of payment alternatives, Tax credits, Combine higher education and course-related employment, National and community service, Tuition prepayment plans, Federal Funds, State Aid, credit card use, Private Sector Aid, College Funds. How to apply for loans, grants and scholarships, Preparing the financial Aid Packages, Saving for college, retirement funds, what to do when you are parents are divorced, getting awards, Private Scholarships, The Military, National Service, working while going to school, inexpensive dating ideas, medical & dental coverage, your car, your cell phone, your computer, your dorm room, spring break, entertainment, transportation. Maybe saving money to you does not matter, perhaps you won the lottery, but if you want to learn hundreds of innovative ways to save thousands on your college costs than this book is for you.
Please visit our web site http://www.atlantic-pub.com/ .
Happy to be featured as an expert opinion in this book. It came out amazing and is a great source of information for both parents and students looking to head into college.
Comment by Greg Rollett — May 12, 2008 @ 9:10 am
Ann Marie O’Phelan gives money-saving tips to the average college student in her new book How to Go to College on a Shoe String. O’Phelan has a Masters in fine arts, and knows a number of ways to utilize the resources provided to college students, and get an education without a lot of money.
In her book, O’Phelan shows that reader that there are a number of ways to help fund a college education, regardless of your financial status. She systematically goes through the processes required to obtain the grants, scholarships, and fellowships to cover costs. She also offers a number of tips for reducing the amount of money spent on expensive items such as books and supplies.
I would highly recommend this book to any student preparing for college. Even if you have already obtained all of the loans you need, O’Phelan will show you how to keep your cost of living low so that you can focus all of your time and energy on school. How to Go to College on Shoe String is well-written, easy to read, and definitely worth the time and money.
Rating: 4 Stars ****
Comment by sunrisepink — June 2, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
The first thing that jumped out at me when I looked at this book is the cutsey, curlie-q text used for the table of contents and chapter headings, and I must admit I was a bit put off. However, cutsey-ness aside, I found this book to be loaded with great information. There’s a lot of good common sense information, and there is a lot of detailed information such as web sites and addresses where a student can go to find help, money, jobs, etc.
For anyone looking for ways to afford college, this book is a great resource. A lot of things are covered that the average student might not consider. Not only finding money to go to school, like scholarships and grants and loans, but also ways to cut costs, such as gas-saving tips, ways to save on food expense, health-care costs, and living expenses. There is also a great section on how to avoid scams, which is something I think most college students seeking money need to watch out for.
I also really found the appendices listing a variety of resources to be quite helpful. I would have liked to have seen some of the resource lists by state, but I still felt that the representative sampling given was enough to at least help me to know certain services exist, so I could search for them in my area. The bottom line is that anyone who is looking for any kind of financial assistance for college is going to be helped by this book. It’s loaded with information.
4 stars ****
Comment by Cindy Nichols — June 3, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
How to Go to College on a Shoe String is a very timely and much needed book. I would rate it a very firm five. This book holds information that everyone needs to read. The book offered practical suggestions to helping with the costs of higher education. I would suggests this book to anyone and use it as a graduation gift. The fact that in the first chapters it offers a “how to read this book” section, for those of us that are short on time, shows just how user friendly this book is. This book is very useful and informative on the financial aid crisis that we all face.
Comment by Abigail Terry — June 10, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
Such a brilliant, informative and insightful book, I would almost encourage everyone to read it, regardless of your study plans or time in life. But you expect college to be about a lot more than the education, you expect to learn life lessons, have new experiences and do a lot of growing up, so if your parent’s haven’t taught you to be financially and socially responsible (or even if they have), this book will act as your guide to life, a jumping off point – much like college itself.
From the outset you are advised to read the book either cover to cover, or by the chapters which are relevant to your situation, and this is a claim which the book manages to live up to with independent chapters, a summary at the end of each chapter and a summary of the entire book at the end. Written to appeal to students the language is casual and at times grammatically not as good as it could be, but the humour in suggestions that your parents spent your college money on a trip to the Bahamas, or that they’re off ‘finding themselves’ makes up for this.
And while we’re talking about your parents, this book not only shows you how to get the most out of your college experience, it would also be a good read to share with your parents who are offered advice on savings plans and how they can help you out. There’s so much more good advice than this little review can hold but if you think you’re not entitled to grants or scholarships, or you’ve realised your parents really did spend your college fund on a holiday, then this book will open your eyes with realistic information and advice, not to mention pointing out many of the hard lessons of life, like discovering the difference between luxuries and necessities, and the fact that ‘fun often costs money’.
Rating - 5 Stars!
Comment by Vanessa — June 11, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
4 out of 5 stars
The high point of this book is that it employs case studies to illustrate the diverse college-going experiences available to prospective students. This serves to de-mystify what is, for high school students, terra incognita, while also providing them with some practical options that may be relevant to their specific circumstances. This book is not an adult’s guide to sending a child off to college, though, as it’s written in a casual style that will appeal to the late teen and does not provide the authoritative voice that his parents might expect. But for the young person planning his or her college career, it provides a broad, useful overview of the various challenges of financing a college education these days, and offers a generous list of resources and tangible advice.
Comment by Rick Stein — June 16, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
As a parent of four children who are all of college age or recently graduated, I found this book to be jam-packed with information. The author has done a great job of listing and organizing all the areas that influence how much a college education will cost. There is in-depth analysis of such things as choosing the right college, filling out applications, applying for financial aid, filing a FAFSA, and searching for scholarships and grants. There are lists of useful websites and books that are good sources of information for students and their parents alike. The book has a full appendix, so that it can be used as a reference guide both before and during a student’s college career.
I particularly appreciated the cautionary information in the book. Students are warned about the dangers of getting more loans for school than what is absolutely necessary, the overuse of credit cards, and the possibility of identity theft from so called “easy money” or scholarship search companies. Young people are infamous for not listening to their parents who try to warn them about such things. The fact that they read the very same things in a well-researched book can only help to reinforce the advice they get from home.
If you or your child will be heading off to school any time in the next three years, I recommend How to Go to College on a Shoe String. You will glean knowledge that can make higher education more affordable and less stressful than you thought possible.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Comment by D Iverson — June 19, 2008 @ 10:17 am
O’Phelan offers students and their parents a variety of tips on finding out what college funds are available for financing a college education and reducing out-of-pocket costs. In addition to providing information about how to find scholarships, grants, and fellowships from a variety of sources that look at more than just a student’s GPA, O’Phelan explains innovative ways to save money on other items while in college, including books, entertainment, and travel. O’Phelan previously worked as an advertising copywriter for agencies in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Los Angeles; she is currently an independent journalist and teaches online courses for several universities.
Comment by Shannon Hendrickson — June 26, 2008 @ 9:50 am
This is a useful, informative guide and an invaluable resource for both parents and students. It is very detailed and covers everything you need know and provides a lot of information that I haven’t seen in other books.
The sections about the ins and outs of financial aid and forms were very useful. The author even talks about how divorced or separated parents should fill out financial aid forms. Other sections discuss grants, scholarships, loans and the pros and cons of working while attending school. I like how he outlines student loan and credit card debt pitfalls and warns about the numerous scams that parents and students encounter. The chapter on living cheap is not only incredibly thorough and realistic, but it’s also got some excellent resources for saving on textbooks as well as studying, living and traveling frugally.
I recommend this book. It’s well organized and is written in a casual, easy-to-follow style. I especially like his use of case studies that give real-world examples and the Appendix section, which includes six pages of handy, useful links that cover all of the topics discussed in the book. I give it 5 stars.
Comment by Ron — June 26, 2008 @ 2:25 pm
Many parents, including myself, are starting to question if they will be able to send their child to college. In my area, a year of college at the state university tops $25,000, a little less if room and board is eliminated. With four years of college costing what many of us paid for our first houses, not to mention rising fuel costs and soaring heating and electricity bills, college savings have been sidelined in lieu of paying for necessary bills. There are still transportation costs, books and school supplies to consider. How are we going to send our children to college when there is no money in our already tight budgets?
Ann Marie O’Phelan’s book can help any family figure out how to make college affordable. In many fields, a college degree is not an option it’s a requirement. A recent scan of job postings in my area of Vermont found that even a city bus dispatcher is required to have a minimum of an associate’s degree. Without a degree, salaries are much lower and jobs can be hard to find.
How to Go to College on a Shoestring offers sage advice to both student and parent. Besides the handy “Case Studies” that offer tips from those who have been there, the book is divided into ten chapters:
· How Am I Going to Pay for College?
· Applications
· The Numbers Game
· Grants
· Learn Now, Pay Later
· Work It Out!
· The Scholarship Jungle
· Bringing It Home
· Avoiding Trouble
· Living Cheap
What I like most about this handy guide is that it goes beyond finding college loans or grants. You’ll find tips on getting into the college of your choice, the pros and cons of getting a job in high school to pay for college and tops on saving money while in college. Students learn how to shop wisely for things like groceries and textbooks.
The author’s put a lot of work into her book. She includes a thorough listing of college funding programs for every state and pages of information on financial aid programs available in the U.S., as well as common scams that are circulating.
HOW TO GO TO COLLEGE ON A SHOESTRING is a must-read for every parent and high school aged child. It’s packed with important information and handy tips to help keep college costs down and to ensure your child/children are able to attend college.
I definitely give this handy guide a five out of five!
Comment by Tracy — July 14, 2008 @ 11:31 am