The Truth About College
The Essential Guide for Parents and Teens-So You Can Make the Right Choice Together
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 27. November 2025
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-394-40685-2 (ISBN)
Description
An unbiased, accurate, and up-to-date guide to making college-related decisions
Should I go to college? Which college should I go to? When should I go? What should I study? How should I pay for college? Should I work while I'm attending?
In The Truth About College: The essential guide to help your teenagers succeed - so college doesn't ruin their lives, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ric Edelman, delivers an unbiased and eye-opening guide for parents who want to help their children answer their college questions and for the teenagers doing their best to make the "right" choice.
This is not an anti-college screed or a full-throated endorsement of college for everyone. It's a deeply researched decision-making guide that carefully considers the unique characteristics, considerations, and circumstances that will influence college-related decisions. The book recognizes that college is not a subject that should be considered through an ideological lens. It shouldn't be one characterized by snap decisions or decisions made based on what peers or parents did or didn't do. Instead, you'll learn all about the real-world benefits and costs of attending college today. You'll discover the doors it unlocks, the doors it closes, the most common mistakes made by college students, and how to minimize the downsides and cost if you or your child decide to attend.
Inside the book:
A comprehensive and accurate exploration of the specific information that you and your child need to make the most beneficial decisions possible
Concise summaries at the end of each chapter for easy review, as well as a standalone, step-by-step guide to talking with your teenagers about college
Clear-eyed, unbiased advice from an experienced finance professional based on contemporary evidence and data about college and the college experience
Perfect for all teenagers preparing to go (or not go) to college and their parents, The Truth About College is packed with the information you need to make smart decisions that will be beneficial over the long-term.
Should I go to college? Which college should I go to? When should I go? What should I study? How should I pay for college? Should I work while I'm attending?
In The Truth About College: The essential guide to help your teenagers succeed - so college doesn't ruin their lives, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ric Edelman, delivers an unbiased and eye-opening guide for parents who want to help their children answer their college questions and for the teenagers doing their best to make the "right" choice.
This is not an anti-college screed or a full-throated endorsement of college for everyone. It's a deeply researched decision-making guide that carefully considers the unique characteristics, considerations, and circumstances that will influence college-related decisions. The book recognizes that college is not a subject that should be considered through an ideological lens. It shouldn't be one characterized by snap decisions or decisions made based on what peers or parents did or didn't do. Instead, you'll learn all about the real-world benefits and costs of attending college today. You'll discover the doors it unlocks, the doors it closes, the most common mistakes made by college students, and how to minimize the downsides and cost if you or your child decide to attend.
Inside the book:
A comprehensive and accurate exploration of the specific information that you and your child need to make the most beneficial decisions possible
Concise summaries at the end of each chapter for easy review, as well as a standalone, step-by-step guide to talking with your teenagers about college
Clear-eyed, unbiased advice from an experienced finance professional based on contemporary evidence and data about college and the college experience
Perfect for all teenagers preparing to go (or not go) to college and their parents, The Truth About College is packed with the information you need to make smart decisions that will be beneficial over the long-term.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 149 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
395 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-394-40685-2 (9781394406852)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Ric Edelman
The Truth About College
The Essential Guide for Parents and Teens-So You Can Make the Right Choice Together
E-Book
11/2025
1st Edition
Wiley
€19.99
Available for download
Ric Edelman
The Truth About College
The Essential Guide for Parents and Teens-So You Can Make the Right Choice Together
E-Book
11/2025
1st Edition
Wiley
€19.99
Available for download
Person
RIC EDELMAN founded the nation's largest financial planning firm, is recipient of two Lifetime Achievement Awards, appeared on Oprah five times and was once the answer to a New York Times crossword puzzle. He's the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 14 books and, for four decades, one of America's most trusted voices on personal finance.
Content
Preface
Will College Set Your Teenagers on a Lifelong Path of Success, or Will It Ruin Their Life? ix
Who Should Read This Book xv
Chapter 1 The Benefits of Getting a College Degree 1
Chapter 2 The Perils of Going to College 15
Chapter 3 People Loved College, Way Back When - These Days, Not So Much 21
Chapter 4 So, Should College Be Your Goal? 25
Chapter 5 If You Choose to Pursue a College Degree, Here's the Goal You Need to Set 35
Chapter 6 In Truth, College Is Really About Lifestyle 39
Chapter 7 The Cost of College 55
Chapter 8 The Most Important College Choices You'll Make 63
Chapter 9 How to Minimize the Cost of Getting a College Degree 77
Chapter 10 The 12 Biggest Mistakes Students Make 95
Epilogue College Is Out - Lifelong Learning Is In 177
20 Conversation Starters to Help Adults and Teenagers Talk About College 181
Glossary 189
Sources 193
Acknowledgments 223
Index 227
Will College Set Your Teenagers on a Lifelong Path of Success, or Will It Ruin Their Life? ix
Who Should Read This Book xv
Chapter 1 The Benefits of Getting a College Degree 1
Chapter 2 The Perils of Going to College 15
Chapter 3 People Loved College, Way Back When - These Days, Not So Much 21
Chapter 4 So, Should College Be Your Goal? 25
Chapter 5 If You Choose to Pursue a College Degree, Here's the Goal You Need to Set 35
Chapter 6 In Truth, College Is Really About Lifestyle 39
Chapter 7 The Cost of College 55
Chapter 8 The Most Important College Choices You'll Make 63
Chapter 9 How to Minimize the Cost of Getting a College Degree 77
Chapter 10 The 12 Biggest Mistakes Students Make 95
Epilogue College Is Out - Lifelong Learning Is In 177
20 Conversation Starters to Help Adults and Teenagers Talk About College 181
Glossary 189
Sources 193
Acknowledgments 223
Index 227