College Planning for Dummies [Paperback]

Pat Ordovensky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1568843828 | ISBN-13: 978-1568843827 | Publication Date: August 1995

This complete handbook takes a detailed look at the things that can be done, from birth to the 12th grade, to make it easier to plan and pay for college. All the pertinent areas are covered, from finding the best school--academically, financially, and personally--to paying for it with other people's money, through grants, loans, and scholarships. Illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Getting into college is easy. In the United States, there's no problem finding some institute of higher learning that will admit you, in exchange for some amount of money. Getting into the right college, however, the college that is best suited to you, your academic abilities, your goals, and your personality--that's a little more of a challenge. It's a challenge well worth all the effort you can put into it, however, as college is one of the formative experiences of your life.

The college search is a kind of a game, with preestablished rules and institutional expectations. To find the right college requires knowledge about how the game works. Anyone can play, however, so long as he or she has access to the relevant information. And that's where Pat Ordovensky's College Planning for Dummies comes in. There's a chapter devoted to what exists out there in higher education, explaining the options of private, public, single-sex, and religion-affiliated schools, as well as tuition-free, two-year colleges, and colleges in other countries, and another chapter on what plans and decisions you can make, way before it's time to select a school, with suggestions for 4th graders, 10th graders, and, of course, the last-minute 11th graders. There are also chapters on campus visits, interviews, how many applications to send off, and how colleges look at you, followed by bottom-line chapters on paying for college, describing all your financial aid options in clear, understandable English.

It's organized so nicely that just checking out the table of contents goes a long way toward quelling the panic of an overwhelmed high school junior. It also allows you easily to reference the sections that apply, and to skip those that don't. Despite the title, this is one smart book, intended for people (students, parents, teachers, etc.) who are keen enough to know they could use some guidance through the college maze. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

College Planning For Dummies does a sly and cheerful good job of easing us through the process of preparing for, applying to, and paying for college. -- Ted O'Neill, Dean of Admissions, University of Chicago --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: IDG Books (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568843828
• ISBN-13: 978-1568843827
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Rounded and Informative Book, April 17, 2000

By 

Holly (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: College Planning for Dummies (For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback)) (Paperback)

I found the book to be very informative. It covers everything from what courses admission officers' like to see on transcripts, to tips on how to save money for college without having it deducted from, if your applying for it, financial aid.

The book doesn't contain anything about specific schools (like admissions, GPAs, etc..), it is more of a overview on things like deciding location, size, and other factors involved in choosing a college.

One thing I found really interesting was that the book gave all sorts of hints,tips, and facts on colleges. It also proved and disproved many myths surrounding college entrance.

Overall, being a highschool sophomore, I found it well worth the price. This book takes you from beginning to end on the ABCs of college and gives steps on how to prepare no matter what age or level you're at. It really helped me, and I would highly reccomend it to anyone who is planning to go to college and doesn't know where to start.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal birthday gift for a 15 year old bright grandchild., May 19, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Connecticut, , recipient in New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: College Planning for Dummies (For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback)) (Paperback)

My about-to be 15 year old, only child grand-daughter is very very bright, but her parents have fairly minimal experience at college choice-making, and we all want for her to be able to leave no stone unturned in the continuingly more complex, but sometimes generous options available to the college-bound. I plan to send it to her for her June birthday. Not much glitz or teen appeal, but she has more than a modicum of tolerance for delayed gratification, and loves schools and achievement. I think this book is excellent in its approach, its readableness (neologism ?), and the broadness of its' scope. I have read a library copy and can't wait for her to own one.