The information contained here is addressed primarily to parents with the hope that they will share the information, as they deem appropriate, with their middle school and high school age children. That said, there is also a section for students. A third section of the website, A Peek Behind the Ivy Curtain, will provide information about the challenges colleges are facing and the opportunities those challenges are opening up.

Most parents and students considering college do so with the expectation that it will lead to a successful career and, in fact, it is a great time to be young and a great time to be helping your children to find their way to a promising future.

The opportunities are many, but the media ignores many of them. Instead, the focus is almost entirely on attending a four-year college after high school. This is the right choice for many. But for some, there are other, better choices — choices which include a 2-year/community college or which do not include college at all, at least not for the time being.

We hope to provide you with the information needed to make informed decisions about post-secondary education choices. Acceptance of incorrect and too often hysterical reporting about applying to college and paying for it inevitably leads to problems that could have been avoided.

At the same time, we recognize that the vast amount of information available in the media generally, but particularly on the web, can be overwhelming and confusing to the point of complete frustration. We hope to address this by pointing you to a relatively limited number of reliable web-based material on financial planning for college, applying to college, using the annual college rankings to your advantage and learning about alternative paths to a bright career.

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