Gen Tanabe - 1001 Ways to Pay for College: Practical Strategies to Make Any College Affordable

Critical Acclaim for Books by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
Authors of Get Free Cash for College, The Ultimate Scholarship Book and How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay

Upbeat, well-organized and engaging, this comprehensive tool is an exceptional investment for the college-bound.
Publishers Weekly

A present for anxious parents.
Mary Kaye Ritz, The Honolulu Advertiser

Helpful, well-organized guide, with copies of actual letters and essays and practical tips. A good resource for all students.
KLIATT

Upbeat tone and clear, practical advice.
Book News

Unlike other authors, the Tanabes use their experiences and those of other students to guide high school and college students and their parents through the scholarship and financial aid process.
Palo Alto Daily News

Whats even better than all the top-notch tips is that the book is written in a cool, conversational way.
College Bound Magazine

A must for any prospective college student.
Midwest Book Review

Invaluable information ranging from the elimination of admission myths to successfully tapping into scholarship funds.
Leonard Banks, The Journal Press

The Tanabes literally wrote the book on the topic.
Bull & Bear Financial Report

Offers advice on writing a good entrance essay, taking exams and applying for scholarships and other information on the college experiencestart to finish.
Town & Country Magazine

Tanabe, an expert on the application process, can discuss such topics as how to get into the college of your choice, ways to finance your college education, applying online and what universities are looking for in a student.
Asbury Park Press

Filled with student-tested strategies.
Pam Costa, Santa Clara Vision

The first book to feature the strategies and stories of real students.
New Jersey Spectator Leader

1001 Ways to Pay for College (Fifth Edition)
By Gen and Kelly Tanabe

Published by SuperCollege, LLC
3286 Oak Court
Belmont, CA 94002
650-618-2221
www.supercollege.com

Copyright 2011 by SuperCollege, LLC. Previous editions 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of SuperCollege. This book is protected under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Credits: Cover design by TLC Graphics, www.TLCGraphics.com. Design: Monica Thomas. Cover image istockphoto.com/Alex Slobodkin. Illustrations by Terry Smith (www.t-smith.org). Back cover photograph by Alvin Gee (www.alvingee.com).

Trademarks: All brand names, product names and services used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks or tradenames of their respective holders. SuperCollege is not associated with any college, university, product or vendor.

Disclaimers: The authors and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not rendering legal, accounting, investment, tax or other professional advice. The reader must seek the services of a qualified professional for such advice. The authors and publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred as a result of specific financial, tax or investment planning decisions made by the reader. The authors and publisher make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of the book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided herein and the opinions stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular results. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

ISBN 13: 978-1-932662-97-9

Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tanabe, Gen S.

1001 ways to pay for college / Gen and Kelly Tanabe. -- 5th ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-932662-97-9 (alk. paper)

1. College costs--United States. 2. Student aid--United States. 3. Scholarships--United States. 4. Student loans-United States. I. Tanabe, Kelly Y. II. Title.

LB2337.4.T357 2011 378.3--dc23

2011026678

This book is the culmination of more than 11 years of research and work. It has benefited from countless students, parents, financial aid officers and scholarship judges that we have met. Their insight and knowledge were invaluable.

We would like to dedicate this book to these people. And to you, our dear reader, we hope you will use the lessons in this book to make your college dreams possible.

T he acceptance letter that youve been waiting for finally arrives. You tear it open and jump up and down with excitementyouve been accepted! All those months of hard work filling out applications and writing essays have paid off. Youre ready to pack your bags and head for your future. Theres just one thing stopping you.

The tuition bill.

When we got into college, we thought the only way to pay for it was from our (and our parents) own wallets. Unfortunately, we learned that these wallets werent as fat as we imagined and so we were forced to look elsewhere. What we found amazed us. It turned out there were a lot of ways to pay for college besides from our own pocket.

We focused most of our energies on finding and winning scholarships. Together we won over $100,000 in scholarships, which went a long way toward paying for Harvard. Unfortunately, even that amount of money only covered half of what it would cost for four years of college. In addition to scholarships, we also turned to campus jobs, summer internships, tax breaks, asking the college for more money, creative savings strategies and careful budgeting. It was through a combination of these efforts that we were able to ultimately graduate from Harvard debt-free.

Our experience was just one of 1,000 possible ways that enterprising students pay for college. From lucrative dorm room enterprises to taking advantage of loan repayment programs to volunteer work that pays for college, there are literally thousands of ways that you can make college affordable.

In this book we present what we consider to be the top 1001 ways to pay for college. In our experience, the reason most families feel so stressed about paying for school is not so much a lack of money but rather a lack of knowledge of the resources available. So in the following pages we present the best ways to pay for school. Some of the ways you may have heard of but never really understood, while others may be totally new.