Hosted by College Planning Author & Authority Phillip Anthony Lew

1. How to Send Your Kids to the Best, Most Expensive Colleges In America for Pennies on the Dollar!Glendale High School College Night 2011 “How To Legally Arrange Your Financial Situation To Pay For College With As Little Out Of Pocket As Possible” Hosted by College Planning Author & Authority Phillip Anthony Lew

2. What to expect: • Not information about (GPA, SAT scores, financial aid forms, deadlines, scholarship application tips) RATHER: • Complete overhaul of the entire admissions and financial aid process • The “business side” behind the process • The stuff behind the stuff that will maximize your college chances and financial aid awards • Important steps to save thousands of dollars

3. 3 Pillars to College PlanningHigher Education Act • How to Find Your Dream College &“Market” & “Position” Your Student for Acceptance • How to cut the costs, regardless of your income, asset or student’s grades • How to pay for college without using all your savings, sacrificing your current lifestyle or going plain broke

4. Who is Phillip Lew? • Graduated AV High School in top 3% of my class (GPA 4.1, SAT 1510 “Math & Verbal”) • Applied to UC Berkley, UCLA, Georgetown • Denied Financial Aid at ALL 3 Colleges • Mom was denied loans • Considered a career at Cinemark Theaters

5. It’s Expensive No Matter Where Your Kids Go! Average Cost Of Private Versus State Schools! • Not just tuition – includes books, room, and board, living expenses, etc. • 4 years can cost $40,000 to $250,000… or more! • Multiply by # of kids! • Keeps going up by 7–8%, every year!

6. How Is A Family Supposed To Pay For All That? • Savings? • Borrow? • Scholarship? • Go To Lesser School? • Not Go At All?

7. Financial Aid Who Is Eligible? Myths vs. Reality- • Income too high. • Grades too low. • Own a home. • Aid is only for special groups. • It’s an easy process. • Financial aid office will help

8. EFC Case Study 1 Mistakes: • Family listed $180,000 of Gross Income (vs. $130,000 of AGI) • Listed 1 student in college (vs. 2 that they had in reality) • Before EFC= $36,000/year • After EFC= $13,000/year • Got additional $23,000 in aid at Dartmouth

9. How Do They Determine If I’m Eligible? COA – EFC = Need • COA stands for Cost Of Attendance. - (Includes tuition, books, room/board, etc.) • EFC stands for Family Contribution. - (Based on parent’s and student’s income, assets, ages, number of people in school.) • Need is how much aid the family is eligible for.

10. Case Studies: School B: Cost- $20,000 EFC - $10,000 Need - $10,000 School B: Meets 60% need = $6,000 ($4,000 short!) Gift aid – 50% Self help – 50% School A: Cost- $40,000 EFC - $10,000 Need - $30,000 School A: Meets 100% need. Gift aid – 80% Self help – 20% What you actually pay at each school: School A: Total EFC = $10,000 Total Gift = $24,000 Total Self = $6,000 School B: EFC = $10,000 + Unmet Need = $4,000 Total EFC = $14,000 Total Gift = $3,000 Total Self = $3,000 Family actually pays $1,000 more out of pocket to send their child to the “cheaper” school! Don’t make the huge mistake of picking schools based on cost of attendance only! Your family may not get the best education…because you didn’t know the inside secrets of college funding!

11. Rapid Guerilla Scholarship Strategies • Ask local banks about “community fund” program • Ask local newspaper editors if they will barter free coverage and advertising of a small business in return for scholarship funds for the student • Use (International Study and Travel Center) istc.umn.edu/study/scholarships.html to get full scholarships to study abroad • Call the college centers of highly ranked, prestigious private high schools • Cold call local, community-based foundations and organizations and asked if they have specialized scholarship program

12. **9 Winning Themes for Admissions Success** • The Do-Gooder • The Creative Talent • The Survivor • The Brainiac • The Activist • The Entrepreneur • The Leader • The Scientist • The Athlete

13. Think Like a Admission’s Director • USC in 2010 read over 35k essays • The average officer reads over 50 essays a day • Admissions officers are human beings • Your essay will probably receive less than 6 minutes of actual human attention (less if it sucks) • Most College Essays are the same, redundant or just plain boring Phillip’s Analysis of Why Most Essays Fail: • Try to hard to impress • Topics, themes, point behind essay to vague • To intellectual, logical • To rushed

14. Worst College Essays EVER…YES EVER... • I think high school has been a growing experience for everyone, but me mostly. I think I stand out from everyone else because I'm smart and intelligent. I am difficult, diligent and hardworking. Here is a story about one time at lunch that I think relates really well to my hard-working characteristics. • I really feel like this separates me from every other person who is applying at the same time as I am. I'm really hungry and running out of room. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look foreword to meeting you in the fall. Oh, is there any way I could have two dorms? I have a lot of stuff to bring. Are there any horse friendly dorms? I'm really going to miss Nelly if she can't come too.

15. Real Purpose Behind College Essays Window into your individuality Better understanding of your personality Discover your personal growth and motivations Learn about defining moments in your life Your aspirations & personal drive Determine your level of social skills Create a more well-rounded student body **SEE HOW MUCH YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT THEIR UNIVERSITY AND WHY YOU’RE EVEN APPLYING**

16. Irresistible Essays Revealed…. While the World Sleeps • When I wake up to the ear-splitting sound of my alarm clock, and blindly search for the snooze button, a sudden thought dawns: "What am I doing?" The time is 5:30 AM; all is dark and hushed. My weary body feels completely drained of energy. While straining to open my eyes, still warm and snug in my comfortable bed, I am overcome with a feeling of lethargy. "Perhaps I should call in sick." Despite all my musing, and my bed's magnetic pull, I still manage to rise each morning at this ungodly hour to join the cross-country running team in rigorous training.

17. Important Questions • Am I starting to early? • Am I starting to late? • What if my kids are not motivated? • What if we are only looking at state colleges? • Is EFC to the only way to reduce the costs for college?

18. 29 Ways to Cut the Costs for College • Reducing EFC • Reducing Taxes • Non-Need Based Aid • Scholarships • Fundraising • Dual Enrollment • AP/IB • CLEP • Summer School • In-State Tuition • Loan Forgiveness • Independent Status • Get around NCP rules • Filing Separate • Targeting Gift Aid • National Merit Scholarship • California State Incentives/(Cal-Grant) • Purchase student’s house near campus & rent out property • Find Schools to commute to • Co-op Progress • Overloading • Summer School at less expensive school • ROTC program • Service Academy Scholarships • 3 yr/ Combined Progress • Siblings Discounts • College Newspaper • Transferability