The College Solutions Blog

March 31, 2011

Note: Yesterday I promised that I’d share this post that I wrote last year when my son, who is currently finishing up his freshman year in college, was awaiting his financial aid awards. It’s a timely subject since so many families are routinely disappointed at the financial aid awards they are receiving. Student aid letters are hitting mailboxes across the...

March 30, 2011

I’ve been hearing from parents of high school seniors lately who are either elated by their financial aid awards or utterly depressed. Here are some examples: A dear friend of mine is thrilled because her son Geoffrey received a very large need-based aid package to Macalester College, which is where he is heading in the fall. (Gosh, I just love...

March 25, 2011

Are you a parent looking for a college loan? Most of the press attention is focused on college loans that students take out, but there are parent loans as well. Today, I’m going to focus on  PLUS Loans and home equity lines. PLUS Loan For  parents, the federal government offers PLUS Loans. At first blush, the terms won’t look so...

March 22, 2011

It’s that time of year when parents, as well as new and returning college students, start thinking about college loans. Consequently, today I want to answer a few questions about Stafford Loans, which are the most popular federal student loans. Here are the questions: Question No. 1: Are there different kinds of Stafford Loans?   Yes. There are unsubsidized Stafford...

March 18, 2011

Today I wanted to share with you a Q&A about college issues that I did with a well-respected financial advisory firm in St. Louis, which is my home town. The firm’s director of communications interviewed me and published the answers this month in the firm’s client newsletter. I thought you might appreciate seeing what I said: Q: What prompted you...

March 16, 2011

My husband and I reached a milestone yesterday. We made our last payment for our daughter’s bachelors degree. Caitlin is graduating from Juniata College in May and we’ve managed to pay for her degree — she double majored in business and Spanish — without taking out loans.  I should have bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate, but my husband...

March 10, 2011

Yesterday I wrote about college coop programs that link students up with jobs while they are still students. Here is the post: Do You Need a Coop Program To Get a Job? What I am far more interested in sharing is what these and other private universities, many of which are located on the East Coast, cost. I’m going to...

March 2, 2011

In my last post, I explained what kind of federal financial assistance you might find in a financial aid award.  Here it is: Deciperhing a Financial Aid Package Today, I’m going to cover the types of college grants that parents typically find in a student financial aid letter. College Grants Many families believe that the biggest source of cash is...

March 1, 2011

It’s the college financial aid season. Some parents are still struggling to complete their financial aid application, while others are receiving their financial aid packages in the mail. Once you receive a financial aid award, the challenge is to decipher it. I’m going to help you master these financial aid letters by looking at the scholarships, grants and loans you’ll...

February 28, 2011

If your family will need significant financial aid, you will increase your chances of receiving a lot of outside help if you get accepted to schools with Cadillac financial aid packages. These schools meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need. Here’s an example: Let’s say that the financial aid methodology says your family can afford to pay $20,000 for...