This project started out as a book, but in the end the internet seemed the more available format for my audience of high schoolers. Feel free to jump around from topic to topic, post to post, as it suits you, but if you want to read through the posts as you would a book, the following outline-format guide may help you in this.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Affordology 101
Chapter 1: Ignorance is Bleak
Commentary: Faces of Devasation: Hurt and Hope Beyond the Statistics
- Chart: 20 Years of Tuition Increases
- Chart: More Aid = More Pain
- Chart: The Job Outlook for Young Graduates
- Chart: The Correlation Between Smarts, Income, and Graduation
- Chart: Graduate Debt Load vs Wage Growth
- Chart: Net College Costs vs. Household Incomes
- Chart: Long Term Unemployment by Educational Level
- Chart: Wage Declines by Educational Level
- Chart: Graduation Success and Failure by Family Income Level
Chapter 2: Affordology to the Rescue
Chapter 3: The Three Rs of Affordology
Commentary: OK, But What Does “Afford” Mean?
Chapter 4: When Purchases (Including Educations) Flunk You
Commentary: Let’s Not Assume
- Chart: Managing Disappointment
- Chart: The Total Costs of College
- Chart: College Is a No-Brainer, Right?
Section 2: Degrees of Success
Chapter 5: A Prioritized Pursuit
Chapter 6: Plotting Resources
Chapter 7: Projecting Payoffs
- Chart: Assessing a More Probable ROI
- Chart: The Value of Experience by Degree
- Chart: Where Majors End Up by Industry
- Chart: The Sliding Scale(s) of Graduate Earnings
- Chart: Why the Widening Wage Gap by Education Level?
- Chart: The Relationship Between College Costs and Benefits
- Chart: Lifetime Earnings by Major
Chapter 8: Let the Filtration Begin
Section 3: Income
Chapter 9: Prayer
Chapter 10: College Loans
School Loans 101 (And a Little Wisdom Thrown In)
The Particular Dangers of School Loans
Commentary: Getting Stuck- Of SUVs and Bills
- Chart: Clueless About Debt Loads
Chapter 11: Grants
Avoid Penalties on Your Savings
Chapter 12: Scholarships
On Body Slams and Scholarship Clues
Find Money for Certain Studies
Chapter 13: Family Resources
Moving Beyond Just Giving Fish To Kids
Hack Your Brain and Save Your Money
Put Your Taxes Back in Your Pocket
- Chart: Tax Benefits Compared
- Chart: Can you Claim It?
- Chart: The Increasing Role of Parental Help
- Chart: Savings Rates by Educational Level
Chapter 14: Military Programs
Military Aid: Three Critical Questions
Military Aid: Understanding the Options
Chapter 15: W-O-R-K
- Chart: Can You Still Work Your Way Through College?
- Chart: What we Can Learn from Billionaires
- Chart: Number of Hours at Minimum Wage Needed to Cover Tuition
Section 4: Outgo
Chapter 16: Exploring the Alternatives
16A: Alternative Schools
The Other Reason to Start at a JuCo
Apply to a Free or Cheap School
Resident, Non-Resident, and In-Between
Cut the Fat and Save: The Extension Campus
Come Up Short? Explore the Reverse Transfer
¡Universidad Gratis! (Translation: Free College!)
- Chart: The Growing Trend of Tuition Discounts
- Chart: Lowest Out of State Tuitions
- Chart: The Value of a Buck by State
- Chart: The Disappearing Male
- Chart: Expensive Stated Tuition ≠ Unaffordable Education
- Chart: Social Mobility
16B: Alternatives To School
Certifications for Better Employment
Chapter 17: Credit Hour Waivers
How To Kill Two Birds with One Stone
A.P. Credits (With or Without the Classes)
Chapter 18: Efficient Scheduling
Use School Breaks To Get a Clue
- Chart: The Costs of Excess Credits
Chapter 19: Non-Tuition Breaks
Addressing Textbook Pain (1 of 3)
Addressing Textbook Pain (2 of 3)
Addressing Textbook Pain (3 of 3)
Section 5: Wrap-Up
Commentary: Because Freedom
Commentary: The Big Ts and College Outcomes
Commentary: The UNC Cheating Scandal and Why it Matters to You
Resources for Further Exploration