Author Jeannie Burlowski of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward, spoke on a Zoom hosted by the Financial Association at Santa Susana High School on November 30 to give advice to parents and students about the financial aspect of getting too into college without breaking the bank.

Questions asked during the zoom were presented by Santa Susana High School student Shreeya Julakanti who put together a list of common questions high school students have about how to get into a good college for the least amount of money. 

The first question Julankanti asked was, “When should kids and parents start thinking about debt-free college?” to which Burlowski replied, “Every parent worries that they are late, but the best time to start thinking about it is right now, you can start right where you are and it’s never too early to start thinking about it.”

Julakanti then asked about the common misconception that local state universities are cheaper than private universities. Burlowski said, “Many people who believe state universities are cheaper generally are looking at the sticker price, the price given to those going into state universities might look promising but due to the large and full class sizes many students can’t get into those classes they need to graduate resulting in a much lower four-year graduation rate, causing students and parents to waste not only their money but their time.” She went on to say, “Looking into the four-year graduation rate through collegedata.com for every college a student is looking into can greatly reduce the amount paid, you can also find which colleges only require the FAFSA form versus the CSS profile which usually goes way more in-depth into parental wealth.” 

When asked if kids having a job throughout high school is a good idea Burlowski said, “Students who work in high school actually tend to get better grades than those who don’t. And why might that be? Because they’re go-getters who have to stick to a planned schedule in order to get their work done