Customer Reviews

How to Go to College Almost for Free

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Well, umm...This is a pretty good book with some good advice. The best part of the book is probably the first chapter, in which Ben Kaplan does a good job explaining the differences between the types of sources of funding for college students. Some of the other tips he gives on searching for scholarships are pretty good too. And he really seems like a great guy- he's really professional and sweet and funny, plus he's good-looking. Hmm, I wonder if he's still single. (You can just sense the "however" coming, can't you?)

However, a lot of the advice he gives is just common sense. Such as: be sure to apply for a large number of scholarships instead of just a few; construct one essay and adjust it slightly for several scholarship essays; don't pay for an online scholarship service, ask your teachers for help. There are a few innovative "Guerrilla Tactics" he points out, though, such as you can go to a high school/college other than your own and look on their scholarship database. I guess I'm just giving the whole book away here, aren't I? My point is, you don't necessarily need to read this book to help you find good scholarships. You can just go to a good online schol search engine, such as FastWeb or Mach 25, which are 100 percent free. FastWeb is especially good b/c it features articles that contain much of the same advice that is found in this book. Don't forget to fill out the FAFSA every year, which is also free.

So it would be best to save the 19.99 that you would have spent on this book (or 7.95 if you're buying it used, etc.) and just do scholarship research on your own and be sure to get crackin.

When I saw the title of this book, I began salivating uncontrollably. Imagine, having someone else pay to send your kids to college. That may have been an overreaction. Surely anyone else that has college-bound kids should sympathize.

The book is well organized and written on a level that will not challenge a high school student. However, there are tips for a wider audience including the very young, older returning students, graduate students, and students that fit into special groups.

Clearly, the competition for scholarships can be intense, but with a logical game plan engaged in consistently, an applicant's effectiveness can be increased. The one consistent theme in the book is that a steady approach will lead to success.

I will take issue with a combination of techniques mentioned in the book. Kaplan suggests that students get their recommendations in electronic format so that they can print them out as needed. He also suggests that you solicit "small" changes to recommendation letters to make them "great" letters. I feel this may present many an ethical challenge to some applicants. To be clear, he does not suggest manufacturing recommendation letters.

He also provides access to his companion web site to add extra punch to the process.

In the final analysis, it is hard to argue with his success, and Kaplan was very successful on his own behalf. He interviewed many of the people involved as applicant and administrators and their tips appear in the book.

I am a Certified College Planner and recommend this book especially for high school freshmen and sophomores. With the elite schools costing over $200,000 for 4 years, a student's family needs to tap all sources of college funding. This book is a well written guide that helps by 'holding your hand' through the process of finding and winning private scholarships. Anyone can have a stash of college money at the ready when they begin college. Ben Kaplan shows you how.

If you have finished high school, I wouldn't suggest you get this book. It is mainly aimed for students who are just about to start a life in high school and have their lives ahead. It talks about what students can do to improve their grades and participate in activities so that they would have something to write in their scholarship applications. Furthermore, it also promotes ideas in ways you can get recommendation letters. In high school, there are a lot of ways to do that, but when you have already graduated from HS, it is very limited. The book does have a few good pointers, which is why I made it a 2 star, but you have probably haver heard it before. It's just said in another way. I can only wish that there was a place I could have borrowed this book. It wasn't worth my money being spent on. Maybe if it had cost me 3-5 bucks, then we're talking.

I got this book and went through it. It was great. I didn't know how many opportunities were available for my kids. I recommend "How To Go To College..." by Benjamin R. Kaplan if you are interested in an ALMOST FREE college education. I also recommend that you read "West Point: Character, Leadership,.." by Norman Thomas Remick if you are interested in a TOTALLY FREE college education.

I have done some extensive research and Ben Kaplan hits it right on the head. He shows you what you need to do to get money for college in the form of scholarships. He is the scholarship coach. I also have a very reliable source for students who are looking for money for college, realmoneyforcollege.com
Ben also talks about the mystery of financial aid and how it works. This specific aspect of college is often feared by many students and parents. How to go to college almost for free can also be titled: How to attend college with money in your pocket.
Make no mistake about it. If you are going looking for money look in this book first.

How To Go To College Almost For Free is really a terrific book. I had no idea that so many college scholarships are out there, let alone how to win them. The book is especially well organized. It's like you're learning a sport, and the author takes you through the "rules" of the game, the key strategies, and the details of how the game is played by scholarship winners. It also has tons of examples from actual winning entries. I totally recommend it!