Yesterday’s post, which explored the school options of a brilliant teenager from Wisconsin, generated many insightful comments from parents. Here is the post: Should a Kid Borrow $80,000 for a Brand-Name University? If you missed the post or the comments, I’d urge you to check both out. To summarize, the teenager managed to get admitted [...]
When Two Children Head to College
on April 20, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Student Loans
Should a Kid Borrow $80,000 for a Brand Name University?
on April 19, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, Financial aid, Money, Parents, Student Loans
I am sharing an email that I received Tuesday from a Wisconsin mom, who is stressed about the admission decision that her teenage son must make by May 1. What follows is a cautionary tale for any families which have not been through the college admission process yet. Read on to discover how to avoid [...]
An Inside Look at Financial Aid Appeals
on March 19, 2012 in College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships, Student Loans
When you appeal a college’s financial aid award what happens to your request? During the last admission season, The Chronicle of Higher Education provided an inside glimpse into how a financial aid appeal is handled internally in a fascinating article entitled: When Families Ask Colleges for More Money A Chronicle reporter observed financial aid deliberations [...]
An End to Bad Financial Aid Award Letters
on March 12, 2012 in College Costs, Financial aid, Scholarships, Student Loans
Last week I wrote two college blog posts that included examples of confusing financial aid letters. If you missed them, here they are: Are These Financial Aid Letters Misleading? What’s Missing From This Financial Aid Letter? I received a couple of notes from independent college counselors saying that they were going to use the awards [...]
Are These Financial Aid Letters Misleading?
on March 9, 2012 in College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships, Student Loans
If you didn’t see my college blog post from yesterday, I’d urge you to take a peek. I wrote about misleading financial aid awards, which can cause parents to think that a school is going to be more affordable than it really is. Here is the post: What’s Missing From This Financial Aid Letter? Today [...]
What’s Missing From This Financial Aid Letter?
on March 8, 2012 in College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships, Student Loans
Many financial aid letters — heck almost all of them – are confusing. I’ve always wondered why award letters are so difficult to understand. Perhaps the staffers generating these letters in the bowels of universities have been conversing in financial-aid speak for so long that they have lost their ability to communicate in standard English. [...]
About Lynn
In addition to writing her nationally known blog here on TheCollegeSolution.com, Lynn O’Shaughnessy is an author, higher-ed journalist, speaker and college consultant. Lynn writes about college strategies for CBSMoneyWatch and US News & World Report. She's the author of The College Solution, an Amazon.com bestseller and... Continue Reading...




