In the last 20 years, tuition has increased by a factor of more than 200 percent, which is 3 times the increase in earned income of the average family. It takes from 25 to 30 percent of a family’s yearly after tax earnings to pay for a single child’s college education. Utilizing their access to college counseling, admissions, and financial aid professionals at colleges and universities across the country, this father and son team have developed a program to mak… More >>
#1 by Paul on July 1, 2010 - 7:34 pm
This is not a Good News book, but it will introduce you to all the standard vanilla ways you can approach the subject. But it’s unusually weak on suggesting real ways to lower your out-of-pocket costs. Most people come to the issue of financial aid in the last minute. This book is totally irrelevant to them. It will have merit for parents whose kids are in diapers, but hardly addresses the reality show of parents in panic mode in their child’s senior year of high school. Even their EFC chart on pages 102-103 confuses: there’s no explanation as to how to assess the household income and the assets at the same time. It’s a metaphor for the entire book: You have to figure it out yourself.
The discussion on financial aid officers at colleges is almost humorous, if not ludicrous. The authors’ first observation is to remark on what a tough job these people have, and conclude with this incredulous remark (p 109): “They know how complicated the tax laws are…and how expensive college seems.”
SEEMS? Hello!
The authors make the financial aid counselors look like guadian angels when, in fact, they are not in their positions to help parents. They work as guardians of the school’s endowment, and you’d better know how to squeeze every dime out of these counselors that you can (Of course, the Greenes don’t tell you how). By their incredible remarks about these guardians of the colleges’ treasuries, the authors would have you believe that asking these people for help in getting more aid is like calling the IRS who will be more than happy to tell you all the loopholes you can use to pay less taxes.
This took the cake for me: “They are concerned,” write the Greenes, “about how much you might take out in loans.”
Reality check: Financial aid counselors don’t give a wit about what you do with loans. Why would a complete stranger give a hoot about what you do with loans? The more loans you take out, the less FREE money they have to give you. How simple is that? Their job is to get the best students into their schools, and if your student is not in the top 20% of what they normally accept, expect to get courteous, but look-warm treatment. And if they accept your average student, they are going to give you more loans and less FREE money. Period. Only the top 20% get more FREE money and less loans.
The authors don’t even address the new reality that is driving parents crazy. They don’t mention that there are 8 states violating federal law by allowing illegal immigrants to get the same in-state tuition fees as US citizens. New York, California, and Texas are a few.
There’s a lot of reality missing here. This book gives you a picture of the battle before you, but instead of telling you where to get the real ammunition to win the battle, all you get is a bunch of arrows – with blunt tips – and a lot of good luck.
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Ben on July 1, 2010 - 7:54 pm
As a satisfied client of Howard Greene and Associates, I can highly recommend this book. As an admissions officer at a small, independent school, I sincerely appreciate the advice that Howard and Matthew Greene give to prospective applicants and their families. Part of the challenge to applicants today is understanding that there is a logic and a system to the financial aid process and, although it can be stressful and overwhelming, there are many things that students and parents can do to de-mystify the experience. The point of the book is not to give the reader a list of insider “tips and tricks” to fool admissions and financial aid officers in the short term. It is, instead, to help parents begin planning for their childs’ financial future early so that they end up well-positioned when the time comes to apply. _Paying for College_ is a necessary addition to the library of anyone applying to college and in need of financial support.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Zachary Goodyear on July 1, 2010 - 8:41 pm
With impressive clarity, the Greenes have de-mystified one of the denser elements of going to college. As a counselor to a group of college-bound students who require substantial financial aid, I have rarely seen a guide that packs as much useful information into such a short space. Especially helpful at the book’s end is a calendar with the critical deadlines for applying for aid. The Greenes, with decades of experience in educational counseling, have provided a public service. I recommend this book with highest enthusiasm!
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Chris C on July 1, 2010 - 11:13 pm
Some bookstore around my area was going out of business, so I decided to check it out for anything useful. I found two books that were going for two dollars each, but I only wanted to buy one. It was either a history book about Ford, in which I can read and later brag to my friends of all the trivia and dirty secrets I’ve learned about our favorite overly large truck company. Or some book about paying for college. For the sake of my precious dollar bills, I decided to go with the latter. Two days later I learned one thing.
I should have bought the Ford book.
I’ve never seen so much material put into a book that was so obvious and just plain common sense. Like the advice about getting good grades, so that scholarships can be more easily obtained.
“Hey, I never knew that!”
Naturally, you would expect some advice like this in any college finance book, but they just kept repeating this message over and over again. It’s what this book is all about. Endless examples of Perfect Bob who not only volunteered at the animal shelter, but enjoyed visiting the retirement home, playing the ukulele to the enjoyment of the elderly crowd. And judging by his essays, also had elementary writing abilities, but so do I, so I’ll let that pass. And guess what? He went to college with a full scholarship! Good for him! Never mind that most people don’t do anything of this sort (We’re too lazy. I’m too lazy, but I do donate. A lot actually. Did Perfect Bob pay for that dog food in the food shelter? No, I did!)
Point being? That anyone with this sort of academic and hard working ability will not need this book, nor will have ever read it. Most people who will buy this book probably had above average, but not stellar grades. And I bet few of them volunteered full time. In other words, the information provided in this book will be useless to them. So in the end, this book is just a summary of all the lousy information you get fed in high school by your teachers. Without the humor of seeing them sit on a whoopee cushion afterwards.
There is also some information about loans, but it’s nothing new. I couldn’t even finish the book, it just got too boring and predictable. I definitely wouldn’t call it an engaging read. I understand that it’s not supposed to be, but for the love of me, they should make it somewhat enjoyable so that I don’t collapse into REM sleep within 10 minutes of reading.
I gave this book 2 stars instead of one because no book is ever a one star book as long as it does what the title says it will, no matter how badly it accomplishes it. And it has some useful internet links to state programs. But why not get the How to Go to College Almost for Free book by that nerdy kid? Not only does it have a cheesy tabloid title, but it wants me to get a higher education for free (almost)! And with bad grades to boot! Which means more money for Wendy’s bacon cheeseburgers! And if anything else, buy it for that cover, where it has the author apparently too busy to put down his checklist of the book’s targeted demographics.
If you have the basic knowledge of loans and scholarships, look elsewhere…
Rating: 2 / 5