The College Funding Coach

We Read it For You! - Who Gets In and Why by Jeffrey Selingo
2024-05-28 13:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom – VA, VA
Who Gets In and Why, by Jeffrey Selingo
From award-winning higher education journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo comes a revealing look from inside the admissions office—one that identifies surprising strategies that will aid in the college search.
Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets In and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a “good college.” Hint: it’s not all about the sticker on the car window.
Selingo, who was embedded in three different admissions offices—a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus—closely observed gatekeepers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions. He also followed select students and their parents, and he traveled around the country meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes consultants, and college rankers.
While many have long believed that admissions is merit-based, rewarding the best students, Who Gets In and Why presents a more complicated truth, showing that “who gets in” is frequently more about the college’s agenda than the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors—like diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted.
One of the most insightful books ever about “getting in” and what higher education has become, Who Gets In and Why not only provides an unusually intimate look at how admissions decisions get made, but guides prospective students on how to honestly assess their strengths and match with the schools that will best serve their interests.

We Read it For You! - The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber
2024-06-27 13:00 - 14:00
The Price You Pay for College, by Ron Lieber
The hugely popular New York Times Your Money columnist and author of the bestselling The Opposite of Spoiled offers a deeply reported and emotionally honest approach to the biggest financial decision families will ever make: what to pay for college—a decision made even more confusing because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sending a teenager to a flagship state university for four years of on-campus living costs more than $100,000 in many parts of the United States. Meanwhile, many families of freshmen attending selective private colleges will spend triple—over $300,000. With the same passion, smarts, and humor that infuse his personal finance column, Ron Lieber offers a much-needed roadmap to help families navigate this difficult and often confusing journey.
Lieber begins by explaining who pays what and why and how the financial aid system got so complicated. He also pulls the curtain back on merit aid, an entirely new form of discounting that most colleges now use to compete with peers.
While price is essential, value is paramount. So what is worth paying extra for, and how do you know when it exists in abundance at any particular school? Is a small college better than a big one? Who actually does the teaching? Given that every college claims to have reinvented its career center, who should we actually believe? He asks the tough questions of college presidents and financial aid gatekeepers that parents don’t know (or are afraid) to ask and summarizes the research about what matters and what doesn’t.
Finally, Lieber calmly walks families through the process of setting financial goals, explaining the system to their children and figuring out the right ways to save, borrow, and bargain for a better deal.
The Price You Pay for College gives parents the clarity they need to make informed choices and helps restore the joy and wonder the college experience is supposed to represent.

We Read it For You! - Pay for College Without Blowing up Retirement by Peter Lampert
2024-07-23 13:30 - 14:30
Pay for College Without Blowing up Retirement
by Peter Lampert
As parents, we want our children to find a great-fit college. But all too often, we permit our college-bound student(s) to begin the college search process by falling in love with one choice. As a result, we end up finding a way to make them happy no matter what it takes—even if that means sacrificing our dreams for retirement. There has to be a better way. Peter M. Lampert explores how to pay for college without blowing up retirement in this guide. Learn how to: • make selecting a college a less stressful process; • preserve your nest egg while giving children a chance to succeed; • avoid overpaying for college. The author also focuses on key topics, such as financial aid, scholarships, and combining retirement planning with college planning. Approach your future—and help plot the future of your children—with wisdom, discretion, and savviness with the lessons in this life-changing guide.

We Read it For You! - The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2025 by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
2024-09-12 13:00 - 14:00
The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2025, by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
Information on 1.5 million scholarships, grants, and prizes is easily accessible in this revised directory with more than 300 new listings that feature awards indexed by career goal, major, academics, public service, talent, athletics, religion, ethnicity, and more.
Each entry contains all the necessary information for students and parents to complete the application process, including eligibility requirements, how to obtain an application, how to get more information about each award, sponsor website listings, award amounts, and key deadlines. With scholarships for high school, college, graduate, and adult students, this guide also includes tips on how to conduct the most effective search, how to write a winning application, and how to avoid scams.

We Read it For You! - Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope
2025-06-24 13:00 - 13:45
What if the college that transforms your child’s future isn’t a brand-name school? Why stress over getting into highly selective schools when there are so many schools out there that could be a better fit for your child?
In this 45-minute webinar, we’ll unpack groundbreaking insights from Loren Pope’s classic “Colleges That Change Lives” and explore the flaws in college rankings, the essential qualities of life-changing colleges, and examples of colleges known for developing average students.
We Read It for You is a summer book webinar series for parents who want to better understand the college planning process without having to read every book on the shelf. Each session includes:
• A summary of one relevant college planning book
• Key insights and how they apply to your student’s journey
• A live Q&A with an advisor
• Real-world context from those working with families every day

We Read it For You! - The Ultimate College Financial Aid Guide
2025-08-05 15:00 - 15:45
You’re doing everything right in the college application process–researching school fit, crafting the perfect essays, and tracking deadlines. But there’s one major factor that remains opaque: financial aid.
You’re staring at a confusing maze of acronyms, numbers, and fine print that could determine whether your dream education becomes a reality or a financial nightmare.
Here’s a sobering truth: only 40% of students who start college actually graduate in four years, and finances play a crucial role in that statistic. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t often comes down to one critical factor – truly understanding how to navigate the financial aid system.
We Read It for You is a summer book webinar series for parents who want to better understand the college planning process without having to read every book on the shelf. Each session includes:
• A summary of one relevant college planning book
• Key insights and how they apply to your student’s journey
• A live Q&A with an advisor
• Real-world context from those working with families every day

We Read it For You! - Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni
2025-08-26 13:00 - 13:45
What if everything you’ve heard about the life-changing power of an Ivy League education is just wrong? Frank Bruni shatters the illusion that only elite colleges can unlock success, offering a refreshing antidote to the anxiety and frenzy that dominate today’s college admissions landscape.
Drawing on anecdotes, statistics, and profiles of accomplished individuals who did not attend elite schools, Bruni exposes the flaws in the college admissions mania and the rankings that fuel it. He argues that a student’s effort, passion, and resilience matter far more than the name on their diploma, and that a fulfilling, successful life can be achieved at a wide range of colleges, not just the most selective ones. The book reassures students and parents that true achievement is shaped by character and determination, not by the prestige of an alma mater.
We Read It for You is a summer book webinar series for parents who want to better understand the college planning process without having to read every book on the shelf. Each session includes:
• A summary of one relevant college planning book
• Key insights and how they apply to your student’s journey
• A live Q&A with an advisor
• Real-world context from those working with families every day
