Investing in College

the long version

Walks readers through the opportunities, risks, and rewards of heading off to college. Warning against the pitfalls of numerical rankings, poses questions to guide a student toward not necessarily the best college but the right one. Famous professors suggest quality, but do they teach undergraduates? Are smaller classes always better? When is a state university the best deal around? Reviews findings on the long-term returns of college education in different careers, from law to engineering, from nursing to financial management. Sorting through personal, professional, and institutional variables, helps families determine when paying $40,000 a year might make sense, and when it merely buys an expensive rear window decal. Breaks down the formidable admissions game into strategies to improve the odds of acceptance, and offers tips on tax breaks, subsidized loans, federal grants, 529 accounts, merit scholarships, and much more. From publisher description.