How To Go To College Almost For Free [Paperback]

Benjamin R. Kaplan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

Uncertain about how you're going to pay for college? Afraid of drowning in a sea of student debt? Well fear not--Benjamin Kaplan once felt that way too. But that was before he discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarship prizes are waiting to be won. After winning nearly $90,000 in unrestricted merit-based scholarship money (which covered virtually the entire cost of attending Harvard), Kaplan has come storming back with a no-holds-barred guide showing how you can do it too. In How To Go To College Almost For Free, Kaplan builds upon his own experiences, and adds insights from interviews with other scholarship winners--revealing insider secrets that put scholarship money within the reach of all students, regardless of their GPAs. The result is an "indispensable resource for high school and college students, as well as for families caught in the middle-income financial aid crunch."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While still in high school, Ben Kaplan won more than two dozen merit-based scholarships amounting to more than $90,000 in funds for use at any school. After graduating from Harvard magna cum laude in 2001, he self-published How to Go to College Almost for Free: The Secrets of Winning Scholarship Money, selling more than 65,000 copies out of a custom tour bus dedicated to raising awareness about scholarships. Now reissued, his book offers advice on how to find and win money for college, delivered in an energetic and inspiring voice with broad appeal.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Kaplan parlayed intelligence, hard work, and creativity into $90,000 of scholarship money, then graduated from Harvard to write a book designed to help others negotiate their way to unencumbered college cash. His guide, self-published in 2000 by Waggle Dancer Press, is now available, totally revised and updated, in this trade paperback edition. Although loosely organized and sometimes repetitive, the book is filled with useful information, beginning with the happy news that merit awards aren't the sole province of gifted athletes and top students. There's also plenty on how scholarships affect college-aid packages, locating and applying for coveted cash, and even handling telephone interviews. Scattered throughout are references to awards and Web sites, including Kaplan's own. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Waggle Dancer Books (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933094302
• ISBN-13: 978-0933094307
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > College Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only scholarship book you need., April 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Go to College Almost for Free (Paperback)

I'm a college student who doesn't qaulify for a lot of financial aid from my school, so I've basically seen every type of scholarship book out there. I can tell you that "How to Go to College Almost for Free" is the ONLY scholarship book you need to get. The book has everything you need, including how to find scholarships, how to fill out winning applications, and how to avoid the common pitfalls. Before I got this book I thought I was going to have to take a term off from school to earn money. But after following its step by step instructions, I won 4 scholarships in a matter of months and not only paid for my tuition but had money left over to cover my books and fees.

90 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have Book, January 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Go To College Almost For Free (Paperback)

I got this book and a few others off Amazon a few weeks ago, and this book was clearly the best. It wasn't even close. The other books on scholarships I bought didn't offer much advice beyond common sense. But this book is full of strategies, tactics, tips, and advice that is really useful. Plus, the book's scholarship directory gave me bunches of scholarships to apply for right away (none of those obscure scholarships no one can apply for). How To Go To College Almost For Free should be on the shelf of any prospective college student.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars $16,000 in scholarships and climbing!, January 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Go To College Almost For Free (Paperback)

This book helped me win $16,000 in scholarships, and the scholarship winnings continue to build. Yeah, I probably could have won some of these scholarships without reading the book, but the book made everything so much simpler and showed me exactly what I needed to do. The essay section itself is worth many times the cover price as it helped me turn unsuccessful scholarship essays into ones that seem to be getting results. That section was also really useful for writing college essays and school papers as well. Overall, you can't go wrong by getting this book.