Affording College: Top 5 Articles of the Week – April 26, 2013

Welcome to another edition of our weekly roundup! Many students have already received their acceptance letters, and are making their final decisions on where they’ll be attending college next year. That makes the problem of figuring out how to pay for it all even more of a reality. With that in mind, here are some of the best articles of the week on affording college.

College Value

• The value of college is in the experience, not just the degree. College is so expensive, that it’s not surprising to see people questioning its value in the first place. We here at YesCollege.com certainly fall on the side that champions the value of a college degree. So does Chelsea Phipps at The Daily Tar Heel, who writes about all of the value you get from college in addition to a degree.

Financial Aid

• Financial Aid Help for First-Gen College Students. Kelsey Sheehy at U.S. News touches on an important subject in this article. First generation college students often have a tougher time navigating the financial aid landscape simply because their parents didn’t go to college and therefore don’t have the experience of figuring out how to pay for it all. This informative articles provides links to some fantastic financial aid resources any first-gen college student could benefit from.

Affording College

• Six Great Ways to Save on College Costs. Jodi Okun over at College Financial Aid Advisors offers up 6 great ways to save on college costs. Making college affordable isn’t just about getting financial aid, loans, and scholarships; it can also involve smart planning and making informed financial decisions about your education.
• The 4 best and 4 worst 529 college plans. 529 Savings Plans are increasing rapidly in popularity as more parents and future students look to offset the costs of college. Lynn O’Shaughnessy at Moneywatch writes a critique of the 4 best, and 4 worst 529 College Plans to consider.
• Loan Forgiveness Options for Popular Majors. Doug Schantz at CheapScholar.org makes another appearance in our top 5 list this week with his great article on lone forgiveness options. If you have to take loans out, you have many options for paying them back, including consolidation. However, too few people look into lone forgiveness options. For example, did you know if you work in the medical field you can receive up to $4,725 in loan forgiveness for a Stafford Loan for volunteering with AmeriCorps or VISTA?

That’s all we have for this week. We’ll be continuing to add onto our site in the coming days, so check back for more updates, and have a great weekend!