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| How to Go to College Almost for Free | 
 enlarge | Author: Ben Kaplan
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: $22.00
Buy New: $4.25
You Save: $17.75 (81%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $4.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  (78 reviews)
Sales Rank: 10328
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 6.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060937653
Dewey Decimal Number: 378.340973
EAN: 9780060937652
ASIN: 0060937653
Publication Date: September 1, 2001
Release Date: September 18, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great resource if you are starting early February 17, 2005
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
I am a Certified College Planner and recommend this book especially for high school freshmen and sophomores. With the elite schools costing over $200,000 for 4 years, a student's family needs to tap all sources of college funding. This book is a well written guide that helps by 'holding your hand' through the process of finding and winning private scholarships. Anyone can have a stash of college money at the ready when they begin college. Ben Kaplan shows you how.
From A-Z, a battle plan for getting scholarships October 5, 2003
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
When I saw the title of this book, I began salivating uncontrollably. Imagine, having someone else pay to send your kids to college. That may have been an overreaction. Surely anyone else that has college-bound kids should sympathize. The book is well organized and written on a level that will not challenge a high school student. However, there are tips for a wider audience including the very young, older returning students, graduate students, and students that fit into special groups. Clearly, the competition for scholarships can be intense, but with a logical game plan engaged in consistently, an applicant's effectiveness can be increased. The one consistent theme in the book is that a steady approach will lead to success. I will take issue with a combination of techniques mentioned in the book. Kaplan suggests that students get their recommendations in electronic format so that they can print them out as needed. He also suggests that you solicit "small" changes to recommendation letters to make them "great" letters. I feel this may present many an ethical challenge to some applicants. To be clear, he does not suggest manufacturing recommendation letters. He also provides access to his companion web site to add extra punch to the process. In the final analysis, it is hard to argue with his success, and Kaplan was very successful on his own behalf. He interviewed many of the people involved as applicant and administrators and their tips appear in the book.
 Not bad...It's a pretty good book. May 20, 2003
126 out of 136 found this review helpful
Well, umm...This is a pretty good book with some good advice. The best part of the book is probably the first chapter, in which Ben Kaplan does a good job explaining the differences between the types of sources of funding for college students. Some of the other tips he gives on searching for scholarships are pretty good too. And he really seems like a great guy- he's really professional and sweet and funny, plus he's good-looking. Hmm, I wonder if he's still single. (You can just sense the "however" coming, can't you?) However, a lot of the advice he gives is just common sense. Such as: be sure to apply for a large number of scholarships instead of just a few; construct one essay and adjust it slightly for several scholarship essays; don't pay for an online scholarship service, ask your teachers for help. There are a few innovative "Guerrilla Tactics" he points out, though, such as you can go to a high school/college other than your own and look on their scholarship database. I guess I'm just giving the whole book away here, aren't I? My point is, you don't necessarily need to read this book to help you find good scholarships. You can just go to a good online schol search engine, such as FastWeb or Mach 25, which are 100 percent free. FastWeb is especially good b/c it features articles that contain much of the same advice that is found in this book. Don't forget to fill out the FAFSA every year, which is also free. So it would be best to save the 19.99 that you would have spent on this book (or 7.95 if you're buying it used, etc.) and just do scholarship research on your own and be sure to get crackin.
Could I give it TEN stars? April 16, 2003
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is really a great strategy book. It helps you get your thoughts in order, takes the mystery out of financial aid and puts it in your hands where you feel like you have more control. I went ahead and applied for financial aid for my community college...and I got awarded "money"! :O I can pay for the summer semester without having to work!... Every night I read through this book, I make notes in pencil, I put yellow sticky notes on the most important pages for myself. Tonight I went to an office store and bought some materials for organizing my financial aid plans for the future. I am really MOTIVATED! This book is worth every penny. As they say: If you think going to college is expensive, try ignorance! LOL! I am planning on going all way - Ph.D or Psy.D. The book has many pages in it, but it's light-speed reading, not intimidating in the least, and is frequently illustrated with humourous cartoons. I recommend it to anyone interested in empowering themselves better in seeking financial aid, no matter what your socio-economic status. ;)
Could I give it TEN stars? April 16, 2003
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
This is really a great strategy book. It helps you get your thoughts in order, takes the mystery out of financial aid and puts it in your hands where you feel like you have more control. I went ahead and applied for financial aid for my community college...and I got awarded $2600! :O I can pay for the summer semester without having to work! I currently go to school full-time and work part-time at $7hr. But now, I have money for tuition, books, and other school expenses -and - I have been awarded $900 in work-study. None of these are loans! I can't believe it!! Every night I read through this book, I make notes in pencil, I put yellow sticky notes on the most important pages for myself. Tonight I went to an office store and bought some materials for organizing my financial aid plans for the future. I am really MOTIVATED! This book is worth every penny. As they say: If you think going to college is expensive, try ignorance! LOL! I am planning on going all way - Ph.D or Psy.D. The book has many pages in it, but it's light-speed reading, not intimidating in the least, and is frequently illustrated with humourous cartoons. I recommend it to anyone interested in empowering themselves better in seeking financial aid, no matter what your socio-economic status. ;)
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