"I'm a 21 year old student at a large public university. What do I know? Maybe I'm just rationalizing the fact that I'm attending a so-so public college! You'd have to be out of your mind to take my word for anything! But what you should do is look at the data and draw your own conclusions. I will show you the results of some little-known studies that are likely to change the way you think about paying for college forever.I'll offer guidance and practical tips for ways to secure a better, more enjoyable, less stressful, and saner college experience for everyone involved. "A large portion of the advice in this book is hugely counterintuitive, but guess what? I'm living it. I'm not some ivory tower admissions guru spewing advice about how people should make one of the most important decisions of their lives, with no stake in the outcome." (from College on a Dime ) College costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation-and much of that increase is being financed by parents looting retirement accounts and students burdening themselves with debt loads that will change the course of their financial lives. It doesn't have to be that way.

Armed with data, experience, and a stiff dose of rational analysis Zac Bissonnette explains why so much of the "wisdom" about choosing and financing college is not only wrong but dangerous. In this book, he explains: -Why the name on your child's diploma means less for his future than you think it does. -Why student loans are the next great consumer crisis in America-and how to avoid it. -Why the myth of "fit" won't lead your child to a superior college experience. -Why scholarships and financial aid won't alleviate spiraling college costs-and what will. With a fresh approach to selecting, maximizing, and paying for college, Bissonnette gives parents practical, and often surprising, advice on how to help their kids get a champagne education on a beer budget. The do's and don'ts of college: Do recognize that the amount your kids' friends' parents will be contributing to their educational expenses is likely far higher than it should be. Don't let someone tell you that student loans are not that big of a deal.

Yes, they're normal, but so is being broke. Don't fall in love with a college or let your child fall in love with one. Every college is a combination of great professors and lousy ones, cool students and not-so-cool ones. Most of all, do look at college as a rational investment, not some silly coming of age ritual where money is no object.