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Elizabeth Walter and Debra Thro are two moms who were concerned about the abundance of confusing, conflicting, and misleading college financial aid information that exists; how stressful college financial planning can be; and how so many families are blindsided by the amount of money they must come up with when college financial aid letters arrive. There had to be a better way.
After extensive research, Walter and Thro sifted out the most meaningful and relevant, but often hidden, financial aid information that is invaluable to every college-bound family. They launched collegeadmissionshq.org, a website providing free resources to guide students in the college admissions process to get the best results academically, socially, and financially.
Elizabeth Walter and Debra Thro are American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Certified College Admissions Specialists and members of Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC). Elizabeth holds a PhD in Experimental Pathology from Case Western Reserve University. Debra holds a BA in Communications and Social Science from the University of South Florida.
Reviewed by Joe Wisinski for Readers' Favorite
Pay Less for College: The Must-Have Guide to Affording your Degree explains how college-bound students, as well as current students, can slash the cost of getting their degree. Authors Elizabeth Walter and Debra Thro provide many strategies to help readers make college more affordable. They include reducing the amount that families are expected to pay, finding scholarships, getting loans, accessing grants, and more. There are literally hundreds of tips. As anyone who has waded through financial information knows, it can be complex and confusing. So Walter and Thro wisely use bullet points, numbered lists, charts, tables, and graphs to explain the information. All the terminology is explained in simple terms. Furthermore, they provide many real-life examples. In short, Walter and Thro break difficult-to-understand information down and make it easy to digest. The book concludes with five appendices that provide valuable additional information and a financial aid glossary specifically targeted to the topic of finding money for college.
I wish this book had been available when I started applying to colleges! It literally would have saved me thousands of dollars. It’s not too much to say that Pay Less for College: The Must-Have Guide to Affording your Degree would have changed my life. Although the book pulls no punches about the cost of college and the difficulty of navigating the financial aid system, Elizabeth Walter and Debra Thro approach the subject with a positive attitude. They say, “You can do this.” The book is not light reading because the subject matter precludes that, but Walter and Thro did a masterful job in making it as easy to understand as possible. One fact to be aware of: just reading this excellent book isn’t going to save you money. You’re going to have to put the advice into practice. But if students and their families read this book and follow its guidance they could save thousands of dollars on college costs. I highly recommend this book.
