The Book Sections

People often ask me what my book is about. And it's tough to give them a short answer, because my book covers so many topics. So I thought I'd post a list of some of the section titles and topics from my book, to give you an idea of what's included. If any of this sounds interesting to you, click here to learn more about my book.

SELECTED SECTION TITLES:

Looking Inside Colleges’ Piggy Banks
How Colleges Get Away With It
Twisting the Ratings System
Marketing Madness
Aid as Theft: The Tricks Colleges Use to “Help” Students Pay for Their Education
The “Four-Year” Trap
Donations and Deceptions
Room and Gored: The College Housing Scam
Unhappy Meals: The College Food Scam
You Call This a College Education?
“Real Professors Don’t Teach”
Who Teaches the Students?
The Coursework “Bait and Switch” Trap
Colleges to Students: We Don’t Care How Much You Paid Us for an Education—You’re On Your Own
Rating the Skills of College Grads
Putting Colleges to the Test
The Future of College Education
Expensive College Costs That Are Often Hidden
The Real Cost of the College Investment
The Real Financial Value of College
Stuck at the Starting Gate
Overeducated and Underpaid
The Future Value of College
The College Overspending Trap
Managing Other Important Investments and Expenses
Evaluating the College Investment Like a Financial Pro
Free College Classes
The Most Common Kinds of Financial Aid
Applying for Financial Aid
Avoiding Financial Aid Scams
How Colleges Decide the Price Each Student Should Pay
How Saving Up for College Can Create Extra Costs for Students
“Financial Aid”…or “Costs in Disguise”?
Evaluating Financial Aid Offers
Managing the College Pricing “Bait and Switch” Trap
Negotiating Better College Deals
The Future of College Costs
Generation Debt
Taking an Interest: How “Interest Charges” Make Colleges and Banks Rich at Students’ Expense
Students’ Actual Debt Costs
Lenders Gone Wild
How Much Money Should Students Borrow?
Ignoring Financial Positive Illusions
The Best and Worst Loans
Choosing a Student Loan Lender
Brighten the Future by Avoiding the Credit Debt Trap
Looking Beyond the Myth of Prestige in the Search for Quality and Value
The “Major” College Payoff Factor
Exploring College Options
A Matter of Degree
Deciding Where to Apply
Winning the College Admissions Game
Responding to Rejection
Deciding Which College to Attend
Tuition Tips
Exploring Housing Options
Frugal Food Strategies
Avoiding Extra Fees
Avoiding Internship Fees
The Need for Speed
Customer Service Sources
Sidestepping the Other Sharks
Loan Forgiveness
The Benefits and Dangers of the “Loan Grace Period”
Loan Consolidation Benefits and Dangers
Picking a Consolidation Lender
Student Loan Repayment Strategy
Fixing Debt Problems
Avoiding the Debt Counseling Scam
The Most Important Resource of All?
Graduate School Pitfalls
The Grad School Dropout Disaster
The Riskiest Grad School Investments
Psyched Out: Why the “Doctor of Psychology” (PsyD) Degree May be the Worst Grad School Investment
Winning the Grad School Gamble
Suckers No More
Career Success Without College
A Map for the Non-college Path