Understanding the Common Data Set

On this episode Jeff and I discuss this rad resource on which schools are most generous with financial aid and after he shares with us his story, we discuss:

• Three huge myths that students and parents have about financially planning for college
• Why parents should ignore the school’s sticker price
• Which schools meet 100% of demonstrated need (and what that means)
• A tool for figuring out how much money schools offer
• What Jeff believes is the biggest problem with the financial aid process
• Why Jeff created this resource in the first place and, most importantly…
• How to use this tool (along with a few other resources) to decide where to attend

Links:

• Jeffy Levy’s website

• The excel sheet of universities sorted by financial aid generosity (domestic students)

• How to sort an excel sheet by column

• Common Data Set

• Podcast Episode 108: Demonstrated Interest: How to Build Authentic Relationships with Colleges (and Why It's a Good Idea)

• FAFSA Forecaster

• College Board Net Price Calculator

• CollegeData.org

• We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates