You'd love to get free college money as soon as possible—but the glitchy rollout of the new FAFSA financial aid form is slowing everything way down. Here's a possible solution. Want free college money ASAP? Scholarship America can help. Scholarship America (which...
I wrote this article on creating a strong med school application at the request of the Harvard Crimson. You'd love to put together a med school application so strong that it both gets you in, and gets you money to help pay for med school. Other students are...
This month I'm making applying for scholarships easier than ever. Join me for a free webinar designed to whet your kid's appetite for applying for scholarships. In just one hour, you and your kids will hear me teach a short-cut, two-step strategy that helps students...
Most of my writing and speaking is about getting kids through college debt-free without scholarships—but people have been asking me lately, "Can kids apply for scholarships well before 12th grade—and then all the way through college?" Yes! Here, 4 great resources for...
Watch just one of the short, succinct video trainings below, and you'll be on the fast track to getting the kids you love through college debt-free. If you've got a bright, capable middle schooler or high schooler headed for college—you're probably wondering, "How...
If you're currently in college—or if you're a parent who's taken out dreaded Parent PLUS loans—you'd love for a hero in a red cape to swoop down and tell you how to slash your student loan debt. The hero is here. 1. Slash your student loan debt by applying for...
So, your kid just got into law school, medical school, or graduate school. That's great! Now you're wondering, "What can students do to get these programs paid for?" Here are the 12 ways I give to my clients at GetIntoMedSchool.com. Share this article with a student...
Parents of athletes fork out thousands to cover sports expenses over the years. Many wonder, "Is all this time, effort, and money going to pay off big when this kid gets to college?" Here, the sweaty truth about sports scholarships. 1. The truth about sports...
To listen to my best debt-free college interview yet, click here. Listen while you're driving or getting ready in the morning, and you just might change the life of a student you love. In March of 2018 I was interviewed by Andy Earle, a Loyola Marymount University...
Many parents have only one strategy for lowering college costs. Send the kid to the local state university. But is your local state university actually your bargain option—considering all the factors involved? The hidden costs of state university nobody talks about At...
This article has been updated. You’ll find my most current information about the FAFSA financial aid form here. (See you over there!) —Jeannie Burlowski It’s a reference book, so nobody reads the whole thing cover to cover. Pick out what you need to read in it using...
In 2017, 12-year-old singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer wowed the audience and the judges on America's Got Talent. Before the 7-minute video was over I laughed, and I cried. Real tears. I am not kidding. And then I thought... What if Darci Lynne had never...
You already understand why college students and grad students need a high-quality college study skills class. You can even see why it makes sense for high school students to take one. (Especially if they'll be taking dual enrollment college classes in 11th and 12th...
Ben and his parents sat up late at their dining room table, combing through all of Ben's college financial aid numbers one more time. Ben's dad ran his fingers nervously through his hair. The problem? It was already summer, and every college that had accepted Ben for...
I recently read an article by a well-meaning man pushing kids to apply for more college scholarships. "Give up all your free time!" he said. "Come home every day and put in an hour or two applying for scholarships!" This sounds good in theory, but in reality--no kid...
A 10th grader writes to tell me that his parents are worried that if he takes dual enrollment college classes in high school, he might be prevented from having "the full high school experience." Here's his email to me: "Jeannie, I know you strongly recommend dual...
If you've got a child between the ages of 12 and 26, you know how difficult it can be to motivate him or her to want to apply for college scholarships. Try this entertaining strategy, one that other parents are using with great success. 1. Give your son a meager...
Your kid's in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade? It's time to set him or her free to feel jazzed and excited about college. Plus -- as a parent-- learn 8 things you can do right now to keep that kid's future college costs low. I'll be covering all this in this free live...
Today I'm announcing the extra bonuses your family will receive if you purchase LAUNCH by January 11, 2017. Bonus #1 You and your immediate family will be invited to attend an online MasterClass with live Q&A with me, the author -- at no charge to you. This online...
I was recently interviewed by Krista Gilbert on her "Hey Sister!" podcast. It was a great conversation, almost an hour, full of practical tips for anyone who loves a kid age 12 - 22. To listen to the podcast, click on Episode 19 here. Some of the topics we covered...
You'd love for your college-bound teen to get more scholarships, but you worry that his GPA just isn't high enough. Am I right? Well, worry no more. Good news. There are thousands of college scholarships available to students with GPAs as low as 2.50. I'll give you...
Parents and students ask me all the time, "Where can we find scholarships to apply for?" Here are some places to look for scholarships—starting right now. Remember, students can apply for scholarships in 8th–12th grades, plus all the way through college, and all the...
Military service isn't for everyone. But before you disregard the help that the U.S. military provides to college students, let's look at a few details about it. The U.S. military awards generous four-year college scholarships to students who: Are U.S. citizens...
In June of 2016 I received this email from a mom: "Jeannie, I've been to 3 of your classes and love hearing you as well as reading your information. I value your opinion. We have recently met with a person who we could pay to help our daughter navigate sophomore...
A 35-year-old father of two recently contacted me in desperation, looking for help getting out from under $40,000 in student loan debt. "I've been paying $475 a month payments on this debt for years," he said, "but because of interest piling up, I've hardly made a...
This post is a scary one. But read all the way down to the red print at the bottom and I'll give you a boatload of hope about college. 1. "If you don't get into a good college, you won't be able to get a good job when you graduate." This statement is completely and...
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...
In 2015 I wrote about how some students could end up wealthier and happier by not going to four-year college after high school. It was a life-changing post for many. If you missed it, be sure to read it here. But what about this great idea? Your kid could go to...
"Jeannie, are you serious? We need to talk to 6th graders about career?" Yes. And if not in 6th grade, then as soon as possible after that. Why? Because when your child is in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, his or her brain is growing faster than at any time since...
On January 4th, 2016 I announced exciting news about my upcoming book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward. If you missed that exciting post, you can read it here. In that post I asked my readers to complete a short...
Two weeks ago on this blog I talked about what I do to get high school and college students excited about applying for college scholarships. (That post included a great list of excellent scholarships students can apply for, so if you missed that one—be sure to go back...
A few months ago I posed the question: "Could your child end up wealthier and happier by not going to college?" This question has sparked a national conversation that's helping many students choose good-fitting, well-paying, minimal debt career paths they might not...
A massive number of parents have read my free PDF "12 Ways to Save $10,000 on College." This was heroic on their part, because it was little more than a Word document with a nice letterhead at the top. Now this free PDF has been made into a full color e-book --...
About a month ago I filled a room to overflowing with teens and parents eager to learn how to write a scholarship application essay that would "Make Them Say WOW." 17-year-old boys ran around setting up more tables for me, even though it meant that their long legs had...
Want a shortcut to getting your kid through college debt-free? If one of these colleges is a good fit for your son or daughter, you may have just struck gold. The 11 colleges and universities below are known for lavishing astounding amounts of financial aid and...
Parents nationwide are worried about how standardized tests for college entrance are changing. If your child is taking the PSAT exam this coming October 14th, you may be wondering how it will be different from the old PSAT, and what your child should be doing in order...
I know, I know. You have a lot of people telling you that the local state university is your kid's bargain basement choice. Well... Unless your child is able to become a part of the honors program at that state university, this is not likely to be true. For the...
Hillary Clinton caused an unexpected dustup recently when she tweeted on August 12th: "How does your student loan debt make you feel? Tell us in 3 emojis or less." The angry responses from students and others were blistering. My personal favorite response to this...
About a month ago I wrote about how some students could end up wealthier and happier by not going to four-year college after high school. It was a life-changing post for many. If you missed it, be sure to read it here. Today's huge news is that starting next year,...
The answer? As long as your child meets the LinkedIn.com minimum age limit of 14, it’s absolutely true. Your child needs one place to keep track of all of her accomplishments, achievements, work experiences, school and scouting awards, scholarship awards, job...
Today I'm featuring a 16 minute TEDx talk on student loan debt by Adam Carroll. This is a must-listen for every parent. Listen while you're getting ready for work in the morning, commuting, or cooking dinner. It'll change everything you've ever believed about...
Would you like your child to have a Harvard education, but without the nerve-wracking admissions pressure or astronomical tuition cost? If this sounds good to you, you might seriously consider the Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) degree at the Harvard Extension School...
Imagine your 19-year-old daughter walking into an enormous 10-story library. She chooses four books at random, and then walks up to the checkout desk and pays $25,000 for the chance to check them out. It sounds unthinkable, but this is the exact method many students...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.