College Planning for Dummies Book

Introduction

About This Book
How to Use This Book
Who Are You?
Who Should Read This Book?

Fourth-graders
Eighth-graders
High school students
Mom and/or Dad
Grandparents
Adults thinking about college
Anyone accepted to college

Who Should Not Read This Book

Anyone with a Ph.D.
College admission officers

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Ready
Part II: Finding the Right Colleges
Part III: Getting In
Part IV: Paying for College
Part V: The Rest of the Story
Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Ready

Chapter 1: What You Need to Know
What If You're Older
The Many Kinds of Colleges

Public versus private
Picky versus unpicky
Single-sex colleges
Religion-affiliated colleges
Tuition-free colleges
Specialty colleges
Proprietary colleges
Two-year colleges
Colleges in other countries

Who's Looking?
Where to Go First -- Information Sources

Directories
Computer programs
College literature
Multimedia
The Internet
Counselors
Teachers
Friends

Money Isn't Important -- Yet
Chapter 2: Setting the Stage
College Is Four Years, Not Your Whole Life
Read This Book in Fourth Grade
If You're Not in Fourth Grade, Just Read Faster
If You're Out of High School
Steps to Take Early On

Stay awake in fourth-grade math
Unplug the TV
Take the toughest courses
Learn to play the tuba
Become fluent in Russian
Keep a diary
See whether the homeless shelter needs help

Your First Decisions

Do you want to leave home?
Large or small campus?
Big city or little town?
Your major
Where do you want to live?
With whom do you want to live?
Why are you going to college?

Money Is Not Important -- Yet
Early Steps to Get More College Money

Find a work-free income source
Tell Grandma what to do with her birthday presents
Tell your parents they need an IRA

Part II: Finding the Right Colleges

Chapter 3: What You're Doing And Not Doing
You're Looking for Places Where You Can Thrive
You're Making Lists
You're Checking Personalities
You're Looking for Colleges
Why You're Not Choosing a College

Someone else likes the college
The college has prestige
The college is tough to get into
Your parents want you to go to the college
The college ranks high in magazines

Chapter 4: Tenth Grade -- Starting Early
The First List -- What's Important

Distance
Size
Location
Major
Housing
Students
The test score factor

The First Cut -- Eliminating 3,100
Make Another List
Take the PSAT
Surf the Net
How to Fair Well
Open All That Mail
Talk to People

Friends
Parents' friends
Internet friends
Teachers
Counselors

Take a Stroll on a Campus
Take Time to Think
Chapter 5: Eleventh Grade -- Starting Later
Keep Thinking about a Major
Refine Your List Further
What You're Not Worrying About

Money
Personality
Selectivity
National rankings

Actively Seeking Information
Tests Don't Have to Be Painful

Take a trial run
PSAT
SAT
ACT
SAT II

Keep Opening the Mail
Revisit a Fair
To Pay or Not to Pay for Help?
What about Test Help?
The Final Cut Think of It as Spring-Cleaning
Chapter 6: The Campus Visit
You Won't Know Until You Go
Personality Check
Set Your Visit for Spring or Fall
Cover the Four Essentials

The admission office
The financial aid office
The students
The overnight stay

You Can Do Even More

Visit a professor
Sit in on classes
Display your talent
Read the paper

Do Mom and Dad Really Have to Come Along?
If You're Older
Follow Up When You Get Home
Chapter 7: The Interview
A Two-Way Street
Relax and Enjoy Your Interview
Do You Really Need an Interview?
Your Two Goals

What to bring
Your questions
High school transcript
A smile
What to wear
What to ask
What to tell
And for best supporting role...your parents

Colleges Have Goals, Too
Whew, the Interview Is Over, What Now?
Chapter 8: Decision Time
How Many Applications?

Should you go for the reach?
Everyone needs a safety valve

Is an Early Decision a Good Idea?
And Now...You Begin a Whole New Ball Game

Part III: Getting In

Chapter 9: How Colleges Look at You
The Stuff Colleges Look For
First Things First -- Your Academic Record

A tough B or a snap A?
Even your GPA should weigh less
Does your class rank matter?
How to help yourself

Your Test Scores -- How Much Do They Matter?
Sign on -- and Stick to -- Activities

How to help yourself

Getting Recommendations That Count
The Essay Made Easy

The whys have it
The big don'ts
How to help yourself

How Does Your High School Measure Up?

How do colleges know?
What does this mean to you?

Scoring System Stuff
Yes, You're Special, but Will Colleges Think So?
The Diversity Goal

Minorities
Kids of alumni
Tuba players
Athletes
Kids from North Dakota
Kids of plumbers
Kids with cash

If You're Over 25
Chapter 10: How to Look Your Best
When and How to Apply

The early bird gets the edge
Should you shoot for an Early Decision?
The advantages of applying by computer

What a Break! A Common Application

Vital statistics
Family stuff
School stuff
Awards
Activities
Jobs
You get to talk
The essay needs to answer why

About Those Recommendation Letters

The teacher's role
The counselor's role

Be Sure You Don't...
Now, the Wait

Part IV: Paying for College

Chapter 11: Shake Off the Sticker Shock
How Many Students Pay Less?
When Will You Know the Exact Price?
Financial Aid -- What's It All About?

We're talking billions here
Are those horror stories and myths for real?
The trauma myth
The too hard myth
The too rich myth
The just another loan myth
If you're older

Need with a Capital N

Different needs for different schools
Fine-tuning the formulas
Go figure
The tools you'll need

Dependent or Independent?

Your answer makes a difference
Some yes/no questions

Let the Calculations Begin

Cost of attendance
Your contribution, a.k.a. EFC
What's a FAFSA?
Can you use estimates?

Filling Out the Worksheet

Wake-up call for independents
Finally, here's your need
When it pays not to marry

What? You Need Another Need, Too?

Why are they doing this?
The good news and the bad news

How Much You Really Will Pay

Suppose that you have no need
And, still another formula

Chapter 12: Money You Get Because You Need It
Aid Based on Need
What's in the Package?
Grants: Where Plain and Old Look Pretty Good

Pell Grants
Supplemental grants

Subsidized Jobs

No strings whatsoever
There's the rub

Low-Interest Loans

What makes them ugly
It takes all kinds
Perkins Loans
Stafford Loans
Subsidized Staffords
Unsubsidized Staffords -- where you don't need a need
PLUS Loans
All loans can be direct

If Your Credit Isn't Good
Other Need-Based Goodies
That's Not All, Folks
Chapter 13: Money You Get Because You're You
Lots of Money Is Available

Tuition discounts and scholarships
Well, they don't exactly give the money to you

A Logical Look at Tuition Discounts

Who pays full price?
Which schools offer discounts?
A need for this, a need for that
How colleges meet your need
What's the difference?
Need versus merit

Private Scholarships

The successful scholarship search
The money's there, go look for it
Aid searching is really pretty easy

Chapter 14: Getting Financial Aid
One Form for All
This Won't Hurt a Bit
When to Apply

Start the New Year right
Get to the money before it runs out

The One-Size-Fits-All Form

How the application process works
From estimates to actuals

Filling Out the FAFSA

Your vital statistics
Your education
Your plans
Your status
Your household
Your money
No need to mention your home
Where the information all goes
Don't fall into the signature trap

Picky Colleges Want More

They want a PROFILE
And you have to apply for it
What next?
Some schools want their own form

If Your Parents Are Split

Stepparents
Noncustodial parents
They get another form
What if they don't want to fill out the form?

Negotiating a Better Deal the First Time

Professional judgment plays a part
When to ask for financial aid

If You're Thinking of Lying, Know This

One-third randomly get verified
And some are checked for good reason

Chapter 15: Easing the Pain
Planning Is Key
Save or Borrow?

The less you have, the more your need, but...
There are other considerations, too
A dollar saved means a dollar not borrowed

How Much Money Will You Need?

There is good news
The forecast formula
Which colleges charge what today
What they'll charge ten years from now

How Much Must You Save?

Some mulling numbers
A work-free income source

Juggling for Money

Put the money in the right place
Say no thanks to gifts
Tell the family to go to class
Sell stocks early
Pay the doctor early
Pay extra on the mortgage
Give the max to IRAs
And get some good advice

Part V: The Rest of the Story

Chapter 16: You're Accepted, Now What?
And Now the Fun Begins
The News Starts to Arrive

The safety valve works
A good news flash
One you didn't make...yet
At last! Hooray!

The Missing Piece

When you hear about financial aid
Why the aid letter takes so long

Recheck Your Choices

Accept the invitations
Even if you're not invited, go

The Wait List

What Wait List means
Why they use the Wait List

The Deposit Dilemma
Wait for the Other Shoe
Chapter 17: Evaluating the Money Offers
Five Colleges, Five Costs
Your Contribution
Your Need Five Ways
The Jargon of Award Letters
Is This an Offer You Can't Refuse?

Safety State
Threebie Tech
Fourmost U.
Equal College
Topchoice U.

Comparing the Offers
Selecting the One That's Best

Consider the cost of loans
Should you borrow?

Negotiating a Better Deal the Second Time
The Choice Is Up to You
Chapter 18: What If You're Coming to the U.S.?
Canadians Read This, Too
You're Welcome
Where Do You Start?
Information Sources
Your Three Musts

Documents
English
Money

Financial Aid Is Available
Other Different Stuff

Questions
Tests
Recommendations
Transcripts

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Essays Heading for the Circular File
I Learned Self-Confidence as Homecoming Queen
I Knew I Would Get a 4.0 GPA
My Busy High School Life
I Made Who's Who as a Sophomore
My Trip to Europe
I Learned Leadership as a Drum Major
My Struggle to Be Valedictorian
My Summer at the Beach
I Don't Know What to Write About, So...
I Won't Tell You about My...
Okay, Now What?
Chapter 20: Ten Terms Colleges Hope You Never Know
Admit-Deny
Application Score
Bidding War
Building a Class
Buying Freshmen
Flag
Gender Balance
Legacy Rating
Need-Based Admission
Preferential Packaging
Chapter 21: Ten Abbreviations You Wish You Never Saw
ACT
CSS
EFC
ETS
FAFSA
FFEL
FWS
PLUS
SAR
SAT
A Bonus for Students from Abroad: TOEFL
Chapter 22: Ten Big Mistakes in College Planning
Applying to a College That You Haven't Visited
Visiting a Campus without an Appointment
Ruling Out a College Because You Can't Afford It
Thinking That You Won't Get Financial Aid
Making Up Information
Missing Deadlines
Submitting a Messy Application
Kissing Off Recommendations
Choosing a College for Its Reputation
Putting Parents in Charge
Chapter 23: Ten Questions to Ask about a College
Are These My Kind of Students?
Can I Get a Degree in Four Years?
Can I Live on Campus? If Not, Where?
Do Faculty Advisers Really Advise?
Do Professors Teach Most of the Classes?
What About My AP Courses?
How Large or Small Are Classes?
How Often Can I Get Home?
How Safe Is the Campus?
Is Merit Money Available?
Chapter 24: Ten Reasons Why a Two-Year College Is Worth a Look
Convenience
Low, Low Cost
Varied Curriculum
Undistracted Faculty
A Way to Overcome the Bad Times
Easy Access to Four-Year Colleges
One Way to Enter a Step at a Time
Financial Aid
Glossary: Words You Should Know
Appendix: The Mull List
Questions to Ask Before Picking a College

Index