The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make

My husband and I listened to this on Audible anfld there were so may resources referenced that we had to buy it.

Thank you, Ron Lieber! I was excited to read this book after hearing an interview in which he discussed some of the highlights of the book. But I was not prepared for the absolute treasure trove of riches he shared with us. Though the book purports to be about the complex financial aid calculations that go on behind the scenes, instead what he gives us is that, and so much more. I think this is a guidebook for parents and counselors about how to help students determine what is truly of value. Where will they learn best? It forces parents to wrestle with what they are actually looking for in an education for their students? A social experience? A intellect-enriching one? A professional pathway? Different goals are best suited for different institutions. He also asks families to wrestle with the difficult and emotional questions of what they are able/willing to pay, long before the admissions letters arrive. These are difficult questions in our culture, which shies away from transparent conversations about finances with children, but he encourages us to dig deep and do this work. Finally, it is a tremendous, almost encyclopedic resources of so many of the books, articles, websites and organizations that our out there with data accessible to us! Most people just don't know where to look. In every single chapter, there are mentions of specific places the reader can go to dig deeper into the areas that interest them. He digs plenty deep for all but the most curious among us, but if you want more, he tells you where to get it. Thank you, Ron Lieber, for this generous work.

A great resource for anyone wanting to know more about the cost and VALUE of college. This book was very informative and contains a great deal of information about many aspects of paying for college that I never knew about. The merit aid information is incredibly useful. If you're more set on a trade or community college it's good info to have but if you want to save time just web search something like "how does merit aid work?".He also goes into some very good discussions about not just the cost of college, but the "value" of both the education and the experience. I've always hated the term "The College Experience" because I've never known anyone who really had a "life-changing" or "transformative" experience from their time at a 4-year institution. Growing up lower-middle class, I worked full time, was married, and began raising a child while attending a University part-time for 7 years. I graduated with no debt at the beginning of the Great Recession. I cannot imagine coming out with $100k of debt for an "experience".However, from this book I did learn that some students have professors, mentors, courses, and classmates who truly put them on a life-changing path. It might just be that my local Universities (where almost everyone I know went) don't have that same affect on most of their student body, but that doesn't mean that those types of places don't exist and knowing about how merit aid works it's certainly something to consider.I'd give it 5-stars if there was more info about Trade/Tech/Community College. Maybe because those schools don't offer merit aid or compete for students the way a private or state school does, but the author spends so much time talking about the value of college and the college experience it seems like he could have devoted at least a chapter to learning a trade rather than just touching on Community College as a path to a 4-year degree. As the parent of a student who is mostly leaning towards a trade, but has the grades and test score to probably be accepted and receive aid at one of the better schools, this book kind of makes it seem like I should be pressuring him into searching for that transformative "college experience". The author does play both sides of the argument so he doesn't suggest you need to attend a 4-year school, but you can tell he leans that way. After reading this book though I know that it's at least worth applying to see if the cost of a degree is worth the investment since it's possible it may cost less than we had expected.Obviously there is no right answer for every student and he makes that clear several times. We're all trying to reach that same goal of a satisfying career that pays well enough to support a comfortable lifestyle, and for a $100k+ investment I would think College should in many ways be a means to that end.Unfortunately it's impossible to know going in what that right path is. And in this new economy with the median cost of a home in the U.S. at around $250k, the average new car price is $40k, and average student loan debt of $30k, it seems that salary might need to start playing a much higher part in deciding how to invest your higher education dollars.Either way, the author sums it up greatly in the last chapter so read the whole book and keep an open mind. He seems to lean towards the value of many of the better schools being worth the investment if you can save some, pay-as-they-go some, borrow some, and get some merit aid. But the investment might not be worth borrowing so much that paying it back would be a burden either the student or their parents. Ultimately it depends on the student, school, and total cost; and he makes it clear that you'll need to do some assessment for yourself and your specific situation.

I started on the journey of understanding the college process for my nephew. As an educator, this is the hardest topic I've researched so far in my career. I take this book review very seriously.Why 5 Stars:- It's a phenomenal overview from middle school to senior year of high school must knows about paying for college.- It covers money, types of schools (not just college) success, types of students, types of school, type of parents and types of loans.- What schools different experts/researchers say are "worth it"- Actionable steps everyone can/needs to take if money is a part of your college planning process- Older teenagers and adults can follow along with this book- The book ends with an aspiring call to action for everyone who has and will attend collegeThis book in 3 sentences:1. How to start thinking, planning and paying for college right now2. An in-depth look into the truth about and the scholarships, grants loans and the lustrous "merit aid"3. What college are/are not doing to help people understand the value of their schools, what you should pay them, how you should pay them and why you should pay them.How this book changed me:I always thought, but now I am for certain – it's all a game and if you don't have money, you better have time to learn the (unwritten) rules.3 quotes that stood out to me:1. "You have to have money to save money2. Ask this question, "compared to your competitors, who's alumni of [insert major] are earning the most 1 year removed from graduation?"3. "Merit aid is a tactic used by colleges to influence a student's enrollment decision [and they aren't interested in the swaying the very smart poor kids].Fun Facts:Less than 2% of extremely talented athletes get full-rides or even 50% of their tuition covered.EVERYONE should appeal their financial aid "award" letter