Ben Kaplan's City Of College Dreams

We took the boys to see Ben Kaplan talk about getting into college at the Schaumburg Convention Center. We visited the booths and then listened to Ben Kaplan talk about how he won over $90,000 in scholarships which allowed him to attend Harvard. He had a one page worksheet to make notes on "20 Things I Learned Today." They are:

1. Never rule out a school because of the sticker price.

2. Students of any age and background can win college scholarships.

3. I will be like froggie and apply for at least one dozen awards.

4. In addition to big awards, I won't neglect smaller local awards.

5. For financial aid purposes, the base year begins on January 1st of a student's junior year in high school.

6. Families with special circumstances, should speak the language of professional judgement.

7. Don't believe the college rankings hype. Find a school with a great personal fit.

8. When applying to college, demonstrate that you deserve a preferential package.

9. To leverage my time with new applications, I will bridge multiple applications and recycle prior work. Remember the clipper ship.

10. To enhance my credentials, I will expand upon my strong points.

11. Learn to manage energy, instead of time to balance student life.

12. I will parlay each experience into something bigger and better. Remember the red paper clip.

13. Each dollar I save on related college expenses frees up more cash for paying tuition.

14. To craft a truly memorable essay, I will show not tell.

15. Because college savings is the anti-loan, I will save 8 to 10% of monthly income.

16. To reduce the cost of college loans, climb the student loan ladder.

17. Each free tuition credit I earn now is one less I have to pay for later.

18. To succeed in school become your own best advocate.

19. To learn any subject or skill more efficiently and effectively make brilliant mistakes.

20. The common link among all scholarship winners is that they apply.

Some other notes: One myth is most families pay the full college price. Tuition discount is about 1/3 if $30,000 paying $20,000. The discount for public schools is not as big about 15%. The amount is relative to the cost of the school. Look at all types of scholarships. For merit based take action by using school resources, other school's resources if necessary and colleges. Ask counselors, teachers what scholarships are available for specific fields of study. There is no national clearing house for scholarships. Two good websites: Scholarship.com and FastWeb. The harder they are to find the lower number of applicants. Illinois Student Assistance Commission available for the state of Illinois. Think strategically, pay off credit card debt. Find out what college's professional judgement policies are. For related expenses like textbooks, computers - do online searches for best prices. Understand the types of student loans available - Perkins, Stafford, private. Earn college credits by taking advanced placement courses. Challenge your personal comfort zone. Pick a college that feels like home - don't discount being part of a caring community. When applying write persuasively. Recycle, re-use, re-think, repackage. You want to make a good first impression in a short time. Use anectdotes that demonstrate great character. Emphasize your truly standout talents. Remember bigger and better so you can have the future you didn't imagine was possible.