The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price Book

Foreword     xv
Introduction     xix
Capturing Financial Aid     1
Where Is the {dollar}{dollar}{dollar}?     2
Looking for Cash in the Right Places     5
Using Financial Aid Tools     9
Financial Aid in the Real World     13
A Peek Inside a Financial Aid Office     17
Winning the Financial Aid Lottery     20
Maximizing Financial Aid     25
Maximizing Financial Aid, Part II     30
Appealing the Verdict     34
Capturing Tuition Discounts     39
The Race for Cash     40
The Inside Scoop on Merit Money     44
Academic Freebies     49
Creating a Buzz     53
Playing the Gender Card     59
Finding Great Academic Fits     63
The Hidden Truth     64
The Knock Against U.S. News & World Report     67
The Rankings Antidote     71
Research Made Easy     77
Grading Academic Departments     83
Grading Academic Departments, Part II     91
The Value of Undergraduate Research     97
Grading Professors     101
Overlooked Academic Choices     105
Stop Hyperventilating     106
The Allure of Liberal Arts Colleges     109
What Makes Public Liberal Arts Colleges Special     114
Teaching Versus Research     118
Learning in a Crowd     121
Exploring Community Colleges     127
Considering a Community College     128
Why Community Colleges Are Popular     130
Is Your Local Community College Any Good?     134
Getting Credit for Your Work     139
College Admissions Nuts & Bolts     143
Knowing When to Do What     144
Grading College Counselors     150
Ditching the SAT     156
Writing Your Way into College     162
Visiting Campuses     167
Acing the College Interview     170
Getting In at the Last Minute     173
College Diversity     175
Diversity Blueprint     176
Economizing for College     183
Shrinking the College Tab     184
Shrinking the College Tab, Part II     188
Freebies and Best Buys     191
Capturing Private Scholarships     196
Navigating the Student Loan Maze     201
The Student Loan Fiasco      202
Student Loan Primer     206
Disappearing Discounts     211
Private Loan Perils     213
Default Debacles     218
Maximizing College Accounts     221
A 529 Primer     222
College Investing Cheat Sheet     228
The Perils of Cashing Out College Accounts     233
Grading Financial Advisers     237
The Folks Back Home     243
Parents Behaving Badly     244
Getting Grandma to Help     250
The College Solution Chest Sheet     253
Resource Guide     259
Index     267