Financial Aid & Scholarships
Colleges are great at saying, “We have hundreds of scholarships available!” But that just provokes more questions: What is need-based financial aid? How do scholarships work?
Melissa Brock
Writer & Blogger
My name is Melissa and I’m a longtime admission professional, personal finance writer, editor and parent of two (very!) busy kiddos. I couldn’t make it all happen without my husband, Steve.
I hatched my site because I’ve heard so many head-scratching questions from parents. I’ve journeyed in the footsteps of hundreds of families, trekked to dozens of college fairs and even weighed the (billions?) of college savings options for my own two kiddos.
6 Powerful Ways to Combat Financial Stress When Your Child’s College-Bound
When your child is college-bound, financial stress is a very real thing. In fact, the financial part of sending a child off to college can be overwhelming. I spent 12 years working in college admission at my alma mater. Every so often, parents would break down...
Why Ask, “How to Get Rid of Student Loans?” 6 Reasons Why They Might Be What Your Kiddo Needs
I posted an article on social media a few days ago about student loans (How Do Student Loans Work?). Then I started thinking some more about them. About the feelings they stir up. About their purpose. And gah, how can something so boring drum up so many emotions?...
6 Ways to Handle a Disappointing Financial Aid Award
You’ve gone on a dozen college visits with your son or daughter and watched as he or she applied to just as many schools. You’ve waited months for the financial aid award from his or her first-choice school to land in your inbox. You open it nervously and your eyes...
Top Tips: How Do Student Loans Work?
Student loans stir up a media frenzy all the time. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they still enable your son or daughter to get a degree that can increase his or her earnings way, way into the future. So, how do student loans work in the easiest language possible? (Key words,...
How to Apply for a Parent PLUS Loan in 6 Easy Steps
Calling all parents! Want to help your kiddo(s) pay for college by learning how to apply for a parent PLUS loan? (It's technically called a Direct PLUS Loan. We're using the commonly-used term "parent PLUS loan" for this post.) Lots of parents get parent PLUS...