How to Go to College Almost for Free

From Publishers Weekly
While still in high school, Ben Kaplan won more than two dozen merit-based scholarships amounting to more than $90,000 in funds for use at any school. After graduating from Harvard magna cum laude in 2001, he self-published How to Go to College Almost for Free: The Secrets of Winning Scholarship Money, selling more than 65,000 copies out of a custom tour bus dedicated to raising awareness about scholarships. Now reissued, his book offers advice on how to find and win money for college, delivered in an energetic and inspiring voice with broad appeal.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Kaplan parlayed intelligence, hard work, and creativity into $90,000 of scholarship money, then graduated from Harvard to write a book designed to help others negotiate their way to unencumbered college cash. His guide, self-published in 2000 by Waggle Dancer Press, is now available, totally revised and updated, in this trade paperback edition. Although loosely organized and sometimes repetitive, the book is filled with useful information, beginning with the happy news that merit awards aren't the sole province of gifted athletes and top students. There's also plenty on how scholarships affect college-aid packages, locating and applying for coveted cash, and even handling telephone interviews. Scattered throughout are references to awards and Web sites, including Kaplan's own. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series
"College offers the keys to the kingdom, and Ben's brilliant book offers the keys to winning college scholarships--and even going to college for free! This is a must-read book." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Rocco Marano, Director of Student Activities National Association of Secondary School Principals
"Ben's book speaks directly to students in their language, with practical tips and interesting insights into the winning attitude."

Stedman Graham Author, You Can Make It Happen
"Ben made it happen and he shows how anyone in pursuit of college cash can make it happen too."

U.S. Senator John F. Kerry
"Ben's advice really does get results... not just to attend college, but to attend almost any college practically for free."

Product Description
Make your educational dreams come true!

Worried about how to pay for college? Afraid of drowning in a sea of student debt? Sure, Ben Kaplan once felt that way too. But that was before he discovered that there are billions of scholarship dollars out there for students with all types of interests, skills, and backgrounds. After winning enough college cash to cover virtually the entire cost of his dream school, he's written an indispensable guide that shows you how to stake your own scholarship claim.

Now in this fully revised and updated edition, Ben distills his proven step-by-step game plan that positions you to win big money for college -- regardless of your age, GPA, financial situation, or family background. With humor and insight, he reveals insider secrets for successfully finding, applying for, and winning lucrative scholarship awards -- empowering you with the information, inspiration, and know-how to afford the college of your choice and realize your educational dreams.

Special Note: As a valued reader of this book, you also receive access to the Coach's Locker Room at Ben Kaplan's ScholarshipCoach.com website. The Coach's Locker Room provides a wealth of bonus material, updates to information contained in How to Go to College Almost for Free, question and answer postings, and other helpful resources.


From the Publisher
How To Go To College Almost For Free is the ultimate scholarship toolbox--the "bible" for scholarship seekers of all ages. Inside this one-of-a-kind book, you'll find four essential scholarship resources:

-- An aggressive "how-to" guide that teaches you the techniques and tactics of top scholarship winners.

-- A valuable directory of scholarship prizes that you can use at any college, plus insider tips on winning each award.

-- An extensive library of winning essays, applications, support letters, forms, and other sample materials.

-- Access to a companion Reader's Resource Room (located at WinScholarships.com) that alerts you to the latest contest news, and provides helpful interactive coaching.

For more information about the book, please see the Waggle Dancer Books Website (www.waggledancer.com). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author
Greetings from Oregon! My name is Benjamin Kaplan, and I'm the author of How To Go To College Almost For Free. In writing the book, I've tried to make it the comprehensive guidebook that I wish I'd had when I embarked on my own scholarship quest. The book details the proven strategies, powerful principles, and guerrilla tactics that all scholarship seekers need to know. I've also included plenty of examples, anecdotes, and sample materials to make the book especially useful. And for you parents out there, I've developed special sections that show you how to best help your children win college scholarships (including some insights from my parents, too).

So best of luck on your scholarship quest! Remember, a college education is far too important to settle for the cheapest path. Rebel against those who say that financial constraints make it impossible for you or your child to attend this or that school. Fight back against college budget offices that habitually increase tuition bills, while their financial aid allocations fail to keep up. Steer clear of that dreaded student debt. Winning scholarships changed my life. And it can for you too!

Best wishes,

Benjamin Kaplan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Ben Kaplan won more than two dozen scholarships -- amassing nearly $90,000 in unrestricted college cash for use at any school. In 1999, he graduated from Harvard debt-free, with virtually the entire cost of his education covered by his scholarship winnings.

In addition to writing The Scholarship Scouting Report, Kaplan is the author of How to Go to College Almost for Free and Scholarship Seeker’s Toolbox -- the three books forming an essential paying-for-college trilogy for students of all ages. Kaplan has also written numerous articles on winning scholarships, including columns for The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report, that have been syndicated in publications nationwide. He has been featured on hundreds of television and radio programs, including appearances on Oprah, NBC, CBS, and National Public Radio.

Known internationally as "The Scholarship Coach," Kaplan has served as the resident scholarship adviser at some of the Internet’s most popular scholarship search websites, and is the founder of ScholarshipCoach.com, the leading online scholarship advice portal.

Kaplan currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and can be contacted at Ben@ScholarshipCoach.com via e-mail.

Excerpted from How to Go to College Almost for Free by Ben Kaplan. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Several features of this book are designed to make the material especially useful. Because I believe in being as specific as possible, the book is chock-full of examples. I've reprinted many examples from my own scholarship applications -- including a lot of winning material from the same scholarship applications that many of you are likely to fill out yourselves.

Throughout this new edition you'll also find 28 "Ask the Coach" boxes, where I answer the most frequently asked and thought-provoking questions posed to me during my Scholarship Coach National Tour workshops and on my ScholarshipCoach.com website. (You'll be able to recognize these special sections by looking for the graphic shown left.) You'll undoubtedly find that many of these questions are the very ones you've been asking. A list of the "Ask the Coach" boxes and the pages on which they appear is given in the table of contents and in the index.

I've also taken great pains, in this new edition, to make the sections on searching for scholarships the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the planet (or any other planet!). After logging hundreds of hours on the Web searching for scholarships, I have substantially expanded or entirely revamped sections on Internet scholarship sleuthing. I've profiled the leading scholarship databases and rated each one on key criteria so you'll know what to expect and be able to spend your time where it counts.

To avoid the one-size-fits-all approach found in most how-to books, I have included sections outlining custom-tailored resources and strategies for particular groups of applicants. To help you find the material especially relevant to you, I've included icons in the left margins (like the ones shown here) that identify sections of special importance to specific types of scholarship seekers. I've included icons for parents, graduate students, adult returning students, younger students (age 15 or younger), international students, minority students, homeschoolers, student-athletes, and students who wish to study abroad. A depiction of all nine icons can be found in the table of contents.

Sixteen "Guerrilla Tactics" also appear throughout the book. Guerrilla Tactics are unconventional, yet extremely effective, techniques that will give you a competitive edge over other scholarship seekers. You'll find these Guerrilla Tactics alongside one of the many gorilla (pun totally intended!) graphics found in the book. A list of the Guerrilla Tactics and the pages on which they appear is given in the table of contents and index.

Each chapter concludes with a Chapter Summary that distills its main points. The summaries reinforce, in a compact way, the book's most important concepts and provide a Jiminy Cricket-like reminder checklist that you can repeatedly refer back to.