Here’s the lede from the article:

You meant it when you said, “Study hard in high school, and we’ll send you to the best college you get into.” But now you’re looking at the cost of Dream U — and panicking.

I was quoted in a couple places in the article, which also appears on the CNN/Money website.

“Ideally, parents would have the affordability conversation when the child is starting high school so he or she can be realistic,” says Mark Montgomery, a college-admissions adviser in Denver.

And also here:

Make a game plan: “Let’s figure out what our options are.”

Why this works: “You’re getting the family working together as a team” while nudging the child to take responsibility for charting his own future, says Montgomery. Offer help with options that won’t harm the family’s finances, such as applying for more aid, starting out at a lower-cost school, or deferring for a year to allow Junior to work and save.

It was fun to be interviewed for this important article.  It’s true that too many families don’t think about financing a higher education before the admissions process starts. In fact, I’ve had a number of phone calls this month from families who are panicked about how to pay for the “dream school” to which Junior has happily been accepted.

Some of the greatest pain I feel as a counselor is when I observe students and families taking on way more debt than they can afford to finance.  They mistakenly believe that they are providing their progeny with opportunity; but that huge debt load is more likely to be come the anvil that will weigh the kid down for a lifetime.
Great College Advice
 

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Before you lunge at that offer that seems to be good to be true, make sure you check out the Federal Trade Commission’s Scholarship Scams website.

What are the best external scholarship resources for high school seniors?

The most effective scholarship search starts closer to home than most families expect. Sarah Farbman, Senior Admissions Consultant at Great College Advice, advises families to begin with their high school guidance counselor: “Your guidance counselor is a resource many families underuse. They often know about local scholarships that never appear on any website, and those awards typically have far fewer applicants.”

Once you have explored local options, move to the major aggregator platforms. These are the expert-vetted scholarship search engines that our team recommends:

• Fastweb — One of the largest and longest-running scholarship databases, listing both traditional academic awards and niche scholarships. Great College Advice has highlighted Fastweb as a comprehensive resource for finding everything from conventional merit awards to unusual opportunities.
• Big Future (College Board) — The College Board’s scholarship search tool connects students with awards based on their academic profile, intended major, and personal background. Because Big Future draws from College Board data, it can surface opportunities matched to your PSAT, SAT, or AP performance.
• Going Merry — A modern platform that streamlines the application process, allowing students to apply to multiple scholarships through a single profile.
• Scholarships.com — A free, well-organized search engine that categorizes awards by deadline, award amount, and eligibility criteria.
• Appily (formerly Cappex) — Particularly useful for matching students with colleges that offer merit aid in addition to listing external scholarships.
• College Xpress — Offers scholarship searches alongside college matching tools, useful for families building a strategic college list.
• Unigo — Known for curating unique and niche scholarship opportunities that students may not find elsewhere.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

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