Is it a Good Idea to Tell Your Kids They’re SMART? The Surprising, Important Answer Parents Need to Know Here
Have you ever told your kids or teens that they’re “smart?” Would you be surprised to learn that you should strike the word “smart” from your vocabulary? To explain why, I'm turning to my friend Toni Schutta M.A. L.P. as my guest blogger for today. Toni is an...
It’s True: Even Middle Schoolers Can Earn Real College Credit Through CLEP
Imagine your 7th grader earning real transferable college credit for the knowledge she just gained in her middle school history class. Are you astounded that this is possible? Students of all ages can turn their regular school learning into real college credit in 34...
Got an 8th Grader? Plan A Very Special Meeting With Him or Her for This Summer
Researchers tell us that the brains of middle schoolers are growing at an explosive rate, faster than at any time since infancy. New connections are being formed, less-used pathways in the brain are being pruned away, and new experiences are imprinting deeply, in...
Must Watch Video for Parents
Are you a parent wondering if student loan debt is really that big a deal? Watch this powerful, entertaining video by Adam Carroll at TEDx UWMilwaukee. It'll be the best 15 minutes you'll spend on your kid this year.
Sprint—Then Rest. 9 Surprising Ways to Achieve More by DOING LESS
We've all had those days. You have a mountain of work in front of you that you genuinely want to get done, but you find yourself procrastinating. Struggling to focus. Failing to get tasks completed. What's the problem? It's probably not that your time management...
Your Kid Just LOVES That Expensive Out-of-State College? Here’s What it Takes to Get In-State Tuition in All 50 States
You and your 10th grader are researching colleges, and all at once you're both about to jump out of your chairs. You've found a college that sounds absolutely perfect. There's only one problem. It's out-of-state and so extra expensive. This college is a fantastic...
The 5 Ways INTERNSHIPS Increase Post-College Earning Power
That fancy name on your kid’s college diploma? It hardly matters. So sorry if this is hard to hear. In the 21st century, paid internships are the crown jewel of the college education. Top college students aim to find, apply for, and work at one, two, or three paid...
“Well, Highly Paid Professionals Don’t Struggle with Student Debt — Do They?”
Many parents mistakenly believe that if their children will just become highly paid professionals, such as doctors or a lawyers, “they’ll be able to easily pay back their student loan debt.” Is this true? No — it’s not true. Increasingly, even highly paid medical...
THE FREE RIDE: 10 Elite Universities Where Middle Class Kids Don’t Pay Any Tuition
Every year I have parents tell me: "I'm not letting my kid apply THERE. Do you have any idea how much that school costs?!?!" OK: let's all just calm down a minute. I know what the elite school sticker price appears to be, but I also know this: that sometimes, the...
“We Can’t Save Any Money for College. Are We Doomed?” 7 Clever Strategies That’ll Make You Feel Better Immediately
You know that it’s a good idea to start early to save for your kids’ college, but what if your budget just doesn’t allow for that right now? Are there other things you can do so that you’re ready when dormitory move-in day comes? Yes. This week I’m hugely honored to...
Put Down the Scholarship Applications; Let’s Jump Up and Help the Children in the Nepal Earthquake First.
A devastating earthquake slammed into Nepal on Saturday, killing over 4,000 people. That's hard to wrap your head around I know. It's such devastation, it's such tragedy -- it's overwhelming. We want to close our eyes. We want to look the other way. We want to...
Want Great Material for a Scholarship Application Essay? Host a Japanese Student in Your Home for 3 Weeks!
Imagine your child writing a scholarship application essay where she writes in detail about what it was like to have a Japanese college student living in her home for three weeks. There are so many interesting ways to go with this kind of material -- I can't even...
Education and Career? Fine; OK. But Here’s the REAL ROUTE to Building Long Term Financial Security
When I was a child, my mother said to me: "Jeannie, do you know why many old people have barely enough to get by, but Grandma and Grandpa have enough money to take nice trips? It's because Grandma reuses her aluminum foil." I laughed at the time, but it was true....
Today is the LAST DAY to get my April 11th classes at a reduced cost. PLEASE SHARE.
My classes cost only $39 each, but that's still unaffordable for some families. Families who desperately need help getting their kids through college debt-free. Here's help. Families with documented financial need can get reduced rates on my classes. But they have...
Think “Community Service” is Just Another Dull Chore? This Inspiring 2 Minute Video About WE ACT Will Change Your Mind Forever
On some middle school and high school campuses, parents form an organization where they meet together monthly to strategize how they can get their kids through college debt-free. (The free, step-by-step resources on my website make great discussion material for a...
12 Ways to Help Kids Rake In More College Scholarships (Starting in 8th Grade)
The dad waited in a long line to get to shake my hand. He was beaming. "We squeezed into a packed high school auditorium to hear you speak about scholarships last year," he told me. "You inspired my son to go home and apply for 20 scholarships he thought he'd never...
Applying For Financial Aid Takes Strategy. Here’s Your First Move.
Applying for financial aid for college takes strategy. Here's your first move. Mark this date in RED on your calendar: January 1st of your child's senior year of high school. That's the date you'll want to fill out your child's FAFSA financial aid form so she'll be...
12th Grader’s Got No Career Direction? Do This—Right Now.
Your 12th grader hasn't yet figured out "what he wants to do with his life," and it's making you nervous. You absolutely don't want him living in your basement next year—partially for fear he'll turn into one of those 20-something kids floundering through their 20s...
One Sentence That’ll Keep Your Kids From Living At Home in Their 20s
Parents, I know you’ve heard the horror stories. You’ve heard of loving mothers and fathers who sacrifice for years only to find themselves in their 50s, stressed and anxious over unkempt twenty-something children still living in their childhood bedrooms, sleeping in...
“I’ll Just Let My Kid Figure Out All His Own College Financing.” Good Idea? Bad Idea?
This article has been updated. You’ll find my most current information about whether to let your kid figure out their college financing here. (See you over there!) —Jeannie Burlowski It’s a reference book, so nobody reads the whole thing cover to cover. Pick out what...
About
Hi, I’m Jeannie Burlowski.
I am a full-time academic strategist, conference speaker, and author of the book “LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.”
My writing and speaking provide parents a clear, step-by-step checklist so they can set their kids up to succeed brilliantly in college, graduate debt-free, and move directly into careers they excel at and love.
For more than 20 years, I’ve helped students apply to highly competitive law, medical, business, and grad schools. I still do that from my website GetIntoMedSchool.com.
I am married, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. We live in Minneapolis.
Hi, I'm Jeannie Burlowski.
My background as an academic strategist provides ideal foundation for me to help parents of kids ages 12–26 set those kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love.
I do this primarily through my book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward. LAUNCH provides parents clear, step-by-step instructions for this journey.
Regular readers of my free email newsletter get additional help from me. Gentle reminding about what to do when, and first access to my live and online sessions, strategy updates, and TRIBE Membership.
My team and I are leading a debt-free college revolution. We hope you'll join us!
Hi, I'm Jeannie Burlowski.
My background as an academic strategist provides ideal foundation for me to help parents of kids ages 12–26 set those kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love.
I do this primarily through my book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward. LAUNCH provides parents clear, step-by-step instructions for this journey.
Regular readers of my free email newsletter get additional help from me. Gentle reminding about what to do when, and first access to my live and online sessions, strategy updates, and TRIBE membership.