Community colleges tend to be a GREAT bargain for students. (Do you wonder what gives me the credential to say that? Click here.) But what about 4-year state universities? Are they smart choices for students who want to keep college costs low? At first glance the...
What are the chances that you could get your high schooler excited about saving in a Roth IRA? Better than you think—if you refuse to do it the old-fashioned way, using lectures and deprivation and drudgery. This post is designed to help you inspire your child to...
Wouldn't it be great if your child age 13–22 would apply for 10 different scholarships before starting school this coming fall? Yep, that's what I said. Kids age 13–22. Ten different scholarships each summer. It's a myth that students should only apply for college...
In recent months I've been reimagining everything I do when it comes to helping parents and students. Like a determined mom cleaning out a closet, a purse, or an office desk, I dumped everything I had been doing professionally out onto the floor. "If I had a chance...
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 33...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) gets your student consideration for nine separate federal student-aid programs, over 600 state aid programs, and most of the college-based (institutional) aid available in the United States. When’s the best time to...
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...
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.