Getting Ready for College

Our mission is to leave no stone unturned when it comes to helping students and families find their best-fit college at the lowest possible price. So in addition to helping our clients optimize their finances to increase need-based aid and improving test scores to increase merit aid, we recommend these resources to help families save money on college.

Books

Purchase Paying for College, 2023: Everything you need to maximize Financial Aid and Afford College.

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

Purchase What Color Is Your Parachute? for Teens, Fourth Edition: Discover Yourself, Design Your Future, and Plan for Your Dream Job.

Purchase Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions.

Purchase The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us.

Purchase The Complete Book of Colleges, 2021: The Mega-Guide to 1,349 Colleges and Universities.

Purchase The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price.

Purchase Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.

Freshman Year for Free

Offered by the nonprofit Modern States Education Alliance, the Freshman Year for Free program allows students to earn free college credits. Here’s how it works:

Students take free online classes created by Modern States. The courses are taught by professors from top colleges and universities and prepare students to test out of introductory courses via CLEP exams.
After completing each course, students take the corresponding CLEP exam for free via a voucher provided by Modern States.
Students send their CLEP scores to their college or university to receive credit. More than 2,900 institutions accept CLEP credits.

» LEARN MORE: Watch our interview with the executive director of Modern States