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 le… More >>
#1 by Jennifer Hale on July 1, 2010 - 8:04 pm
According to experts a college degree can nearly double your annual salary, but the road to acquiring one can be expensive. How To Go To College On A Shoe String offers several ways to pay for college while attending, and offers suggestions on how to decrease the amount of student loans that will need to be paid back after graduation. This educational book does a great job of exploring the advantages and disadvantages of student loans, local community colleges, cooperative education, work study programs, and working while attending college. It emphasizes the importance of taking your SAT’s, when to send out applications for financial aid and scholarships, how to organize application paperwork, and how to keep everyday expenses such as textbooks, meals, and transportation to a minimum. In this book you will find countless informative websites, some of which include worksheets to calculate the amount needed for financial aid, and others for lis ts of organizations and the sc holarships they offer. This invaluable reference manual is detailed, organized and reader friendly. After reading How To Go To College On A Shoe String, you will have a better understanding of the college application process and can concentrate on your education and enjoying your college years. I give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by Tracy F. on July 1, 2010 - 9:47 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.
As a side note, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Humane Society of the United States.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Cynthia J. Nichols on July 2, 2010 - 12:28 am
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.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Midwest Book Review on July 2, 2010 - 2:38 am
Ann Marie O’Phelan, MFA’s HOW TO GO TO COLLEGE ON A SHOE STRING is a key acquisition for any collection catering to college-bound students. It provides all the details on how to get scholarships, grants and fellowships to reduce out-of-pocket expenses, covers new alternative ways of financing college, and provides all kinds of tips on how to save money on everything from books to entertainment while in school. Will appeal to general-interest novices.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Ronald Flavin on July 2, 2010 - 3:30 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 out of 5 stars.
Rating: 5 / 5