Millions of free financial aid dollars go unclaimed every year. Most types of free money are available as private grants & scholarships which many students can never locate. This comprehensive two-part financial aid program specializes in helping college students receive their share of the free money. It is the most current guide to finding financial aid on the market today. Up-to-date, detailed information is also included for both current & all newly established state & federal aid programs, including President Clinton's Federal Aid Reform bill. The financial aid application procedures are made simpler with step-by-step instructions, sample application forms, & a timetable of important deadlines. Toll-free phone numbers & addresses of federal & state financial aid institutions are all found in this attractive 333-page program. Students use an exclusive, easy-to-use cross-referencing system to match themselves to thousands of private scholarships & grants according to their college major(s), ethnic background, student activities, & parental affiliations. Special essay writing tips & samples of actual essays from money winners are included, too. Supplemental information designed for high school juniors & seniors helps them locate financial aid & scholarships before starting college.

The distinctive group of forty colleges profiled here is a well-kept secret in a status industry. They outdo the Ivies and research universities in producing winners. And they work their magic on the B and C students as well as on the A students. Loren Pope, director of the College Placement Bureau, provides essential information on schools that he has chosen for their proven ability to develop potential, values, initiative, and risk-taking in a wide range of students. Inside you'll find evaluations of each school's program and personality to help you decide if it's a community that's right for you; interviews with students that offer an insider's perspective on each college; professors' and deans' viewpoints on their school, their students, and their mission; and information on what happens to the graduates and what they think of their college experience. Loren Pope encourages you to be a hard-nosed consumer when visiting a college, advises how to evaluate a school in terms of your own needs and strengths, and shows how the college experience can enrich the rest of your life.