Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition (College Admissions Guides) [Paperback]

Princeton Review (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009 | Series: College Admissions Guides

Are you concerned about college financing? Could you use expert advice and tips to help you with tuition? As the price of college tuition steadily increases, paying for it requires strategies to maximize financial aid and minimize costs. Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition is thoroughly revised and updated to reflect current economic uncertainties and to take the stress, confusion, and guess-work out of applying for financial aid.

This is the only book to include the latest financial aid forms and lists of annual changes in tax laws. It also shows students and parents how to improve their chances of receiving aid by planning ahead and calculating their aid eligibility before applying to college. Additionally, Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition includes advice on how to negotiate with financial aid offices, handle special circumstances (for single parents or independent students), and receive educational tax breaks. It is a must-have for anyone concerned about the soaring costs of college tuition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; Original edition (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375429425
• ISBN-13: 978-0375429422
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 0.8 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paying for College Without Going Broke, December 8, 2009

By 

Kristen P. Bregani (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition (College Admissions Guides) (Paperback)

I have been buying this for over 10 years now.

It has saved us 1,000's of dollars no doubt!

Can't say enough good things about it.

The colleges' best friends are the uneducated consumers, those parents who don't bother to learn HOW the process works! Putting 4 children through college in 11 consecutive years, this book helps!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped us improve our financial aid package, July 2, 2010

By 

Daniel G. Lebryk (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition (College Admissions Guides) (Paperback)

How much do you hate filling out the FASFA? I hate it every year. It is a mystery and almost worse than doing my taxes.

I dove into the FASFA two years ago, all on my own, no instructions for my son's freshman year at a fairly expensive private college. We did reasonably well on financial aid. This past year, I purchased this book and used the section by section guide to fill in the FASFA, and like magic, we qualified for $1,000 more financial aid this year. Now this is remarkable, the college cost went up a fair amount, and my wife and I both made more money over last year. I credit this book to receiving more financial aid. There are some counter-intuitive things you need to include in the FASFA that you might consider money that would reduce aid, but in fact does the opposite. The author does a fantastic job of explaining the ins and outs of that form. They were things I missed by not fully understanding the FASFA instructions.

Frankly, I wish we had bought this book during my son's Junior year in High School. There is some fantastic advice on financial choices you can make to improve the financial aid package. The book is very easy to read. It provides very practical solid advice on affording your child's college education. There is no assumption that parents will pay for 100% of your child's schooling.

The guide we found invaluable for the college search: Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. The book is getting just a little bit old, but the philosophy is still fantastic for how to look for a college.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well organized with a lot of good information, January 9, 2011

By 

M. Everton "yakmaster" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2010 Edition (College Admissions Guides) (Paperback)

I found the book to be useful, and it did introduce me to a few subjects I have not considered previously. However, a good deal of the information was not new to me and seemed pretty simplistic. Maybe I am better prepared than average, but I suspect the book is oriented toward the lowest common denominator. I will probably purchase the new version once I get a couple of years closer to paying the college bills for my first child. My main take-away from the book is that middle-class families will struggle to pay for college pretty much no matter what we do, we can only reduce the pain a little by planning.