Debt Free Degree

It took me less than 1 hour to read it (it's that light) and although he states he will walk you through a step-by-step plan for a deft free degree - I saw no such plan. It's full of basic information, entry-level knowledge. It recommends dual enrolling/CLEP/AP's, getting good grades, getting high test scores, going to community college first, doing Work Study, applying for scholarships, and filling out a FAFSA. There is literally no plan, no step-by-step on how to "pay cash for college". It's just another book to throw on the heap of other generic and fairly useless books. The only one who could use this book is someone who has zero knowledge of the entire high school to college process, but even then I would recommend doing a few searches online instead of paying for this book. I am sad to see Dave Ramsey backing this and boasting it will teach you how to pay cash for college. There's nothing to see here that hasn't been said a million other places in a much better format. I didn't ever catch how one could pay "cash for college" with his generic advice.

I bought this book looking for some real advice on how to help my daughter pay for graduate school. She already made it through undergrad debt free by getting academic scholarships, living at home, and commuting to the state school in our town - which we managed without a book to guide us. Graduate school is a whole different ballgame since there are very limited scholarships geared for the degree she is pursuing and the cost ranges from 65,000 up to 130,000 just for tuition - but this book offered nothing. Maybe helpful to someone with absolutely no knowledge of the college process, but seemed like just fluff to me - I can sum it up for you: go to community college, apply for scholarships, start focusing on grades at a young age, don’t buy a new car. There, save your $13 and put it into a college fund.

Do not buy this piece of crap!An absolute waste of money. It is filled with information and cliches that everyone knows. I am so mad at myself that I fell into the trap of advertising and bogus promises!!!

I guess this is for parents who didn't go to college and get financial aid? Most of the book I have already lived through. I will make my high school age kids read it so they know I am not making this stuff up. A quick read and nice that each chapter has a summary. Can get 100% of this information online but its here in once source. Advice such as go to a community college, get work study, keep up your grades in high school. I was hoping it would have a section on what ACT scores are needed for full rides, etc. Maybe that's in the last 2 chapters for current high school students I didn't read. It mentions Duke Tip program but students are invited to that you can't choose to join?

Eh. I bought this book in the hopes that I'd learn something I had not yet read or heard before. Nope. I don't know if I know more than your average bear about this topic because I've been doing my own research on college costs the last couple of years or what. I homeschool my kids so I get to not only wear the hat of teacher and principal but also counselor. The only thing I found truly useful in this book is the author's website. He does have great reference material and I do appreciate the list of scholarships available on his website.My biggest complaint about this book is that Mr. O'Neal recommends you start talking to your kids about college and money in middle school. Yes, they need to know what is coming up and the reality of the economics of college. I certainly don't recommend that you wait and blindside your child in 10th grade with the announcement of yes, grades really do matter and oh honey, we don't have any money for you to become an engineer-figure this out for your self. However, I don't see the need to put pressure on them to start looking for scholarships and decide on a major at such an early age. MIddle school is hard enough. Yes, good grades will help you attain scholarships but if you have to put that much pressure on your kid to make good grades to get a scholarship....well....I feel that opens a HUGE can of worms. I feel like we as a society are putting so much pressure on our kids to excel in school no matter the cost-financial, well being, etc. I think the Varsity Blues scandal speaks to this.Anyway, if you truly are lost in the world of college applications, admissions and finances and don't have a good school counselor to depend on, this book could be a could jumping off point for you. But most of this information is easily found for free on the internet and at your local library.

Many thanks to Anthony ONeal and the Dave Ramsey organization! Filled with practical, sensible, and actionable advice for not only getting a college degree, debt-free, but also for a teen to get the most out of their high school years, and to successfully get into college. To the busy parent, it’s a clear and surprisingly quick read —- there’s brilliance in brevity. Do not be fooled by how fast you get through this book. There isn’t a lot of filler and, more than not, every sentence is a statement that matters. Know that you don’t have to go it alone, nor reinvent the wheel...get a highlighter or pen, find a comfortable chair, and read this book. The depth of practical knowledge is impressive, and the real-life stories are engaging. I wholeheartedly recommend reading Debt-Free Degree by Anthony ONeal. Ps I volunteer in my community, providing college application advice, and I am the parent of a college senior who will be graduating debt-free and education-rich, this spring.

I'm sure there is an audience for this book, perhaps someone who doesn't know where to start in finding information about classes to take in high school, the SAT/ACT tests, dual enrollment, or going to community college for the first two years. But you could get this same info from a high school guidance counselor for free. However, if you've done any research about college, you know all of this. There is no new information here and no secrets to going to college w/out debt.

I was expecting more methods to earn money, save money and search for and gain scholarships. This book has a lot of good info for a lot of people, but was more of a transition from high school to college.