Making College Pay: Strategies for Choosing Wisely, Doing Well & Maximizing Your Return

Comments

1. Guest says

   April 21, 2014 at 12:00 am

   A lot of common sense but well written. Takes a lot of the emotion out of making the college decision because it is a business decision after all

2. Guest says

   April 17, 2013 at 12:00 am

   I have highlighted this book to death and passed it on to others. Very worthwhile information and the tools to help you and your student make wise, balanced decisions.

3. Guest says

   August 15, 2011 at 12:00 am

   First of all, let me echo the above reviewers in saying that this book is easy to read–so high school students can get tips even if just flipping through it. But it is also written for the parents who are looking at a huge expense for getting one or more kids through college. If we thought of college admissions officials more as salesmen rather than as counselors on our child’s side, we’d probably be more careful in letting ourselves and our newly-majority-aged kids buy into the financial fast talk that colleges put out. In every section, from choosing a major to choosing a college to choosing how to pay, there is a back story with information that most parents (and probably all students) are not aware of. For example–many students and parents take on much higher debt burdens to pay for college than is reported by official sources. Student loan debts of $40,000 or more are not unusual, and that does not include parent debt–such as through home equity loans and credit cards. This book gives parents and students the tools to avoid unnecessary debt and still get a good college value. In addition, there is a discussion for students in how to manage their time productively, in spite of all the attractions and distractions that college offers. Other options for financing education–including two-year degrees, certificate options, apprenticeships, and other opportunities, are also discussed. This book is valuable for students and parents who are trying to navigate the perplexities of college choice and financing.

4. Guest says

   August 14, 2011 at 12:00 am

   This book should be required reading for all high school students planning to go to college (and for their parents, too). I am sorry I didn’t have the guidance offered here to help my three older children make wise college choices. But I am very glad that my husband and I have this resource in time for our last child. The book’s practical advice, current data and statistics, and common sense approach will make the college application process a very different experience for our whole family the next time around. In the meantime, we have learned some of these lessons the hard way, as our older children transferred and/or changed majors. It would have saved us a lot of trouble and heartache had we read Making College Pay beforehand. The main thrust is that choosing a college and a major is a business decision, but is rarely treated as such. Most students (and as a high school teacher I can say this with some authority) choose a college based on a vague idea of its reputation, on the selectivity of its admissions, on a short visit (where they are often more interested in the quality of the dorms and the cafeteria food than in the classes) and on other unhelpful or downright misleading criteria. Stewart and Stewart point out the similarity in programs offered by an ivy league university or a local community college (in many cases). They suggest looking at the debt one will incur versus the expected starting salary of the average graduate, as well as the effectiveness of the school’s job placement and career services programs. The book is entertaining, easy to read, and will hold your interest from start to finish. This would be a great gift for any student gearing up for the college application process.

5. Guest says

   August 11, 2011 at 12:00 am

   This book has great information for parents with high school students. Not only does it help you prepare you for those college visits, it also makes you think about the decisison on more than an emotional level. With college being such a huge investment, I wanted to do more research in how to make that investment. This book gave great suggestions for my sons and will help greatly in making the decision for college. I was shocked to read that not finishing college is more costly to a child’s future than not going at all. I also loved the worksheets, which make a lot of sense. It made me realize, we really need to do more logical research on college and this book provides a guide to do that. College is a huge decision and this book will help our family make our decision more easily.

6. Guest says

   June 27, 2011 at 12:00 am

   For years I have been worried about the rising costs of college and the difficult decisions our family would face when the time came to choose a college. Fortunately, we found Making College Pay. Making College Pay by Stewart & Stewart has the information our family needs to make the tough choices. Making College Pay addresses the cost of college, while providing facts necessary to asses the value of a degree and dept ratio. This book has valuable statistics I have not seen anywhere else, it cuts through all the hype and offers choices that we did not know existed. Making College Pay asks the questions that help you find the answers that are right for your student and the family. This book is a must read for both parents and students!