If you as a parent can get out of debt by the day your kid starts college, you'll have more cash on hand to help pay college bills. Boom. Less debt for your kid at college graduation! If you can get out of debt years before your kid starts college, the process will be...
Melanie Lockert of Los Angeles, California tells about the jolting student loan debt wake-up call she had right after completing grad school. Lockert's jolting student loan debt wake-up call Lockert had wisely worked multiple part-time jobs throughout school, and for...
I got this email from a mom of an 11-year-old today. Her son carved this hilarious pumpkin, and she wanted me to see it. "Hi Jeannie, My son was at your study skills class a few weeks back and will be at your scholarship writing seminar on Saturday, November 2nd,...
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...
If you're a parent and you've just found this, you're probably thinking: "Oh, wow—seriously? There's help for getting my kids through college debt-free, and into great jobs after college? I had no idea this kind of help was available! Am I late starting this? Yikes, I...
Most of my articles are for parents of students age 12—26. This article is for parents, yes, but it's also for any student thinking of becoming a veterinarian. One of my clients at GetIntoMedSchool.com wrote me this week, asking my advice for a friend who's thinking...
I recently read a fantastic John Grisham novel that contained a surprise for me that made my hair stand on end. What was it? The principal characters were all coping with horrific law school debt. I've spent my entire professional life getting college students and...
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...
If your spouse has student loan debt, what does that mean for your financial future? What can you do now that will keep you safe throughout the decades ahead, even if something bad happens? Immediately address the biggest thing you must worry about when your spouse...
No parent wants to consider this—but what happens if one of your children runs up $80,000 in student loan debt, and then perishes in a car accident or dies of cancer? Will your grief be compounded by having to make years (decades!) of student loan payments, until the...
If you as a parent are out of debt by the day your kid starts college, you'll have more cash on hand to help with college bills. If you start the process of getting out of debt years before your kid starts college, you'll have more cash on hand to save for college....
There's no question about it—the ability to focus and concentrate for extended periods is absolutely critical to college academic performance. The problem is—college debt can actually hurt focus and concentration. In this article by college student Ashley Bulchandani...
Today I'm featuring a 5-minute video clip from the TV show Adam Ruins Everything. This 5-minute clip is titled, "How College Loans Got So Evil." It's funny! But then again, it's not funny at all—because it's true. Please share this post with every parent, teacher,...
Parent, I urge you: DO NOT cosign a student loan for your child. Today I'm featuring information from an article by nationally syndicated radio host and author Clark Howard. I consider this to be must-read info for every parent. After you read below, you can find...
Parents, you feel a lot of pressure to get your kids into a "good" college after high school. An "Ivy League" university would be ideal! But is all the work and stress really worth it? Probably not, honestly. William Deresiewicz, former Yale professor and author of...
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...
I love Dave Ramsey's video rant about student loan debt, which you can watch at the link I've provided below. (Listen for my favorite Dave line in this rant: "I missed where the lady got helped.") If you've got 9 minutes to listen to this while getting ready for work...
Could you one day have your social security checks garnished to pay for your kids' college? Yes. You may be in danger of having your social security checks garnished and not even realize it. Parents duped into taking out Parent PLUS loans to pay for their kids'...
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 event...
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...
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 article is part 3 of a 3-part series on what students can do if they've left college with student loan debt. You can find the first two (very important) articles in this series here and here. Every year, frightening numbers of students finish college with massive...
This article is part 2 of a 3-part series on what students can do if they already have student loan debt. To read the very important article that was part 1 of this series, click here. To read part 3 of this series (the one about student loan forgiveness), click here....
This article is part 1 of a 3-part series on what students can do if they already have student loan debt. To see parts 2 and 3 of this series, click here and here. You recently left college for the working world, and the freedom feels great. But wait. Have you left...
What would you do—if you found out your son or daughter was failing college and dropping out? Today I'm sharing the frantic email I received from the mother of a South Carolina college freshman in 2016. (Read on to hear the update on what happened to this girl in the...
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...
Your 12th grader is in tears, desperate for you to give him the go-ahead to attend an elite university that’ll cost him $950 per month for 10 years after college. You want him to be happy. Do you say yes? Before you respond, you’ll need to be clear on the answer to...
I'm always most able to inspire people when I talk to them face-to-face. The video above gives me the chance to do that, for you, right now. Click the play button above now; watch for just two minutes. And let this excited, hopeful feeling wash over you: Kids at all...
Wow. Wow! The best way I can describe how I feel right now is – overwhelmed with gratitude. Just a four days ago, on Dec 5, 2016, I announced that my book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward is wrapping up and is...
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...
Today I have a big announcement to make! And a quick favor to ask. First, an exciting update For the last year, I've been on a beeline to having my book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward out in December of...
Parents, if your child is in 10th grade right now, you have just a matter of days or hours left to do this very important thing. Note to my email newsletter subscribers: Did you not receive an email newsletter from me on Monday, December 28? On that date gmail...
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...
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post for parents who erroneously believe that if they'll just refuse to put their financial info on their child's FAFSA form, their child will get additional financial aid for college. Student, if your parents are refusing to help...
Is it possible for a struggling 20-something to get completely out of debt (including student loan debt) using a one-year shopping ban and living on 51% of her income? Today I'm featuring an outstanding article written by Laura Shin for Forbes. As you read it, give...
"We need to see you right away," the anxious mom told me on the phone, her voice shaking. "Our son is $40,000 in debt from a history degree he's not going to complete, and now he's changing his major to music performance. At this rate, it's going to take him seven...
I know that your child has barely started high school, and I know that his dorm move-in day is three whole years away. I know it might seem like the last thing you need to be thinking about right now is college, but this is not true. Because of changes to the college...
You may want to start reducing your family income right away. Now. Today. Read on and I'll explain why. On January 1, 2016, a photographer is going to show up at your house. Not an actual photographer, but that's a good way to think of it. On January 1, 2016, the...
As a parent, you're hoping that your kid gets maximum financial aid to help pay for college. Well . . . the timing on how parents apply for financial aid changed radically with an announcement by President Obama on September 13th, 2015. The date to submit the FAFSA...
Note to parents: The September 13th, 2015 announcement by President Obama which I blogged about here has made this post obsolete. Parents of students who are in 11th grade during the 2015-2016 school year are no longer able to take advantage of the strategies...
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...
“Why the big emphasis on avoiding student debt?” some parents and school administrators wonder. “Everyone gets student loans, don’t they? That’s what my guidance counselor told me when I was in high school. Isn’t that just the way it is?” Is that just the way it...
Over the past five months I've been stunned by how many people without kids are repeatedly, every week, liking, sharing, and commenting on my blog posts. Why are so many people without kids clicking and sharing? One older lady put it to me this way: "There are a lot...
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...
Your son or daughter has started looking at colleges, and at this point the discussion is pretty much centered around how pretty the buildings are, what kind of sports they have, and "the quality of the business program." But are there even more important questions...
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...
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.