My Journey - How to Pay for College

Free Virtual Event for High School Students and Their Champions

Invest in Your Future: Expert Tips on Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Paying for College

Learn how to get money for college with confidence!

Tuesday, October 17, 2023
6:00 p.m. CT 

Can’t make the live event? Sign up anyway to get the recorded event sent to your email. We’ll deliver all the knowledge right to your inbox for you to enjoy. 

About This Session

Concerned with the rising costs of higher education? Wondering how to find the right college? And how to afford it once you do? 

Discover the key strategies that will unlock the doors to higher education without breaking the bank. From need-based aid to scholarships, Collegewise’s expert panelists will demystify the complex world of financial aid, offering practical tips to help you navigate the application process with confidence.

Join us and take charge of your education journey! 
 

What you’ll learn:

  • How to determine your family’s budget. 
  • A real breakdown of college costs. 
  • A clear overview of the financial aid process (forms, timelines, and application steps). 
  • A strong understanding of how to design a school list that maximizes aid and scholarship opportunities. 

Why you should attend:

  • Gain the knowledge and tools necessary to be ready for when the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) opens. 
  • Know how to navigate the financial aid landscape with more confidence and turn your aspirations into reality. 
  • Learn how to decipher your financial aid offer knowing exactly what will fit your needs and your budget best. 

Meet Our Speakers

Paul Kanarek

Co-Founder of The Princeton Review, Collegewise CEO Emeritus

Paul Kanarek is celebrating his 40th year in the education space; he was the founder of The Princeton Review in California in 1983. During that time, he mentored Kevin McMullin, his protégé who went on to start Collegewise in 1999. Paul recognized just how valuable college admissions support can be and jumped in to support Collegewise as CEO from 2013 to 2017. 

Paul loves nothing more than sharing information on the college admissions and assessment landscape. Widely quoted in all major newspapers, Paul has appeared on numerous television shows and has spoken about U.S. college admissions all over the world on behalf of Collegewise. He is renowned for his lively, insightful, and inspiring talks. 

Can’t place his accent after you hear him speak? He grew up in the UK, South Africa, and the U.S. He currently lives on a ranch with 23 (yes, 23!) different animals. 

Ashley Meyer

Collegewise Counselor and Counseling Team Lead

Ashley Meyer has been working in college admissions for the past decade: both as a college admission officer at Georgia Tech and as the director of college counseling at a private school in Atlanta. She got her start talking about college as a tour guide at the University of South Carolina and bolstered her knowledge with an M.Ed., in higher education from Harvard. She joined Collegewise to help take the stress out of the process and to provide down-to-earth advice to students and families. Her students have been accepted to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, University of Chicago, Cornell, Brown, NYU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, and many more!

As a critical languages scholar for the U.S. Department of State, she has also spent significant time in China and loves traveling abroad whenever her schedule allows. When she’s not talking about college, she enjoys trying Atlanta’s best restaurants, seeking out the best playgrounds with her two toddlers, and cheering for the many teams she supports (but most of all, the Gamecocks).

Mo Dyson

Collegewise Financial Aid Advisor

Mo Dyson is an absolute nerd on all things financial aid for higher education. Simply put, he loves jumping into the (often tangled) weeds of how financial aid is structured and how it differs from school to school. He leads the Collegewise financial aid division, previously having worked in financial aid and admissions offices at Harvey Mudd and Pomona. As a Collegewise financial aid advisor, he guides students who are completing the FAFSA and CSS forms, and applying for merit scholarships. Mo’s students have been admitted with financial aid to Vanderbilt, Tufts,

University of Richmond, Whitman College, Northeastern, University of Michigan, University of Rochester, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, University of South Florida, Duke, Columbia, Wellesley, USC, and many more.

While originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mo has called Southern California home for more than a decade, after leaving the U.S. Marine Corps and attending Pomona College. In his free time, you can find Mo traveling, scouting out breakfast places that offer a cup of good, strong coffee, or on the couch with the family cat, a good book, and his kids.

About Collegewise

For more than 24 years, Collegewise has been at the forefront of college counseling and tutoring, ensuring that families, schools, and nonprofits have the most up-to-date, honest information about admissions. Collegewise is committed to helping communities around the world understand that applying to postsecondary education should be an exciting time, not a stressful, anxiety-ridden rite of passage.  

With 500+ years of combined experience, Collegewise’s expert counselors have guided 28,000 students from all walks of life. From navigating high school to finding their students’ ideal university matches and securing acceptances, Collegewise counselors infuse the process with a sense of calm and joy, giving families the confidence they need to succeed.  

Collegewise also partners with schools and outside counselors to enhance the college application experience within their communities. The company develops an array of free events, guides, podcasts, and blog posts, so every family can embark on a less stressful and more successful journey to college. 

If you're interested in learning about Collegewise’s services, please visit www.collegewise.com to schedule a free one-on-one consultation with an expert program advisor. During the 45-minute meeting, your advisor will answer all of your pressing questions and gain a deep understanding of your family’s goals. Then, they’ll develop a personalized program, which may include: personal statement and supplemental essay guidance, college research and list building, development of success skills, extracurricular and leadership guidance, athletic recruitment support, financial aid and scholarship help, plus a range of other services dependent upon the individual needs of each family. 

Looking for more? Check out additional resources below: 

Upcoming Webinars & Seminars 

Resource Library 

Wiser Notes: The Collegewise Blog

 

Register for My Journey

My Journey is a series of free virtual events for high school students and their champions to help provide knowledge and guidance for the big question of “what’s next?” after high school. For this connection on the journey, we’re here to help answer your questions around financial aid and paying for college so you can stay stress-free through the process.

Can’t make the live event? Sign up anyway to get the recorded event sent to your email. We’ll deliver all the knowledge right to your inbox for you to enjoy. 

My Journey Recorded Sessions

Check out the on demand sessions from previous My Journey events and get insights from recent graduates and admissions experts about preparing for college and career.