Debt-Free U

How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents

By: Zac Bissonnette, Andrew Tobias

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

This audiobook can save you more than $100,000.

These days, most people assume you need to pay a boatload of money for a quality college education. As a result, students and their parents are willing to go into years of debt and potentially sabotage their financial futures just to get a fancy name on a diploma. But Zac Bissonnette is walking proof that the assumption is not only false, but dangerous. From his unique double perspective—he’s a personal finance expert (at AOL Money and Finance) AND a current senior at the University of Massachusetts—Zac figured out how too get an outstanding education at a public college, without bankrupting his parents or taking on loans.

Armed with his personal knowledge, the latest data, and smart analysis, Zac takes on the sacred cows and conventional wisdom about choosing and financing college. You’ll discover, for instance, that:

• Student loans are NOT a necessary evil. Ordinary middle-class families can—and must—find ways to avoid them, even without scholarships.
• College “rankings” are useless—designed to sell magazines and generate hype, if you trust one of the major guides when picking a college, you face a potential financial disaster.
• The elite graduate programs accept lots of people with nonelite bachelor’s degrees. So do America’s most selective employers.

Zac can prove every one of hose bold assertions—and more. He has a simple message for parents: “RELAX! Your kid will be able to get a champagne education on a beer budget!”

©2010 Zac Bissonnette (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

“In the new economy, your college choice is critical. Zac Bissonnette’s Debt-Free U is the one book you need to make this life-changing decision—thoroughly researched, smart, and funny. Grade: A+. (Ali Rogers, CBS MoneyWatch, and author of Diary of a Real Estate Rookie)

Great book

What made the experience of listening to Debt-Free U the most enjoyable?

It's quality information.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This question does not apply to this book.

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he narrates this book well.

What did you learn from Debt-Free U that you would use in your daily life?

Information about school, investing in school.

Any additional comments?

A must read for college bound students and parents.

Forget Frankenstein, This is High School required reading

Myself being a student currently at the university of Central Florida and having attended, FAU and a state college, can tell you from direct experience, the authors are absolutely correct in their writing. Debt-Free U will show you: how to make college a financially sound investment without going into major debt, it will show you why attending an expensive college is unnecessary to be successful and it will enlighten you with statistics and sound data as to why much of the current advice given by the layman is pure and utter “bull crap” and your students effort and dedication is what matters, not the school they attend. I wish I had this guide when I was selecting a college in high school.

It Was Well Written

It was mostly unbiased.
It was very informative.
I felt it raised my awareness over the scammers of education.

Convinced not to overpay for college!

I am convinced after reading this book that overpaying for a college education to attend the school of your dreams is not worth it. I like the research presented and the sometimes comical way arguments are presented. The narrator is easy to understand and not overly formal. Great information and entertaining!

Fantastic and insightful look into college and how to go about it without becoming a debt slave

I would recommend this book to all high school students. This book really shattered my illusions of higher education, and made me realize just how much I could do to make college not only affordable, but exponentially more valuable as an investment. I honestly think that this book should be required reading for high school students. It's that damn good. If you're a parent whose child is considering college and reading this, do yourself and your child a massive favor and get this book. It will literally save you from a lifetime of debt and the subsequent horrors that are associated with it.

Must Read

If you're in college or considering going to college then this book is a must read. It's full of college cheat codes that everyone can use to save more money and avoid debt. Not too much fluff either definitely a book I will recommend to all future college students.

A gold mine of finances and true education

Any additional comments?

I wish I would have discovered this book long ago. If I did my life would have been different in regards to my college career. Its difficult to believe that this author was 21 when he wrote the book because it is high on quality information and wisdom and yet, as I read this book I'm aware he knows what its like being in the shoes of today's college students. Don't let the title fool you; this book goes far beyond financing college. You will be immersed into the world of high schoo juniors and seniors having to make their journey through SATs, college applying, FAFSA filing, student loans, and what its like to study in different college options like community college, state colleges, Ivy League, and private institutions so what you can compare. Your eyes will be opened to the game that is played by colleges and universities to take your kid for the highest price possible and will reveal their sales tactics.I've read about a dozen books on the topic of education for a seminar I'm preparing, and this is by far the most practical book on the topic. This book demonstrates how to stay ahead of everyone and yet receive a great education. I don't think the author realizes how good his plan is in my opinion. Following the advice in this book will, not only provide a way to obtain a college degree debt free, it will shape a girl into a woman and a boy into a man ready for the challenges of this 21st century economy and life in general.

Very informative

Where does Debt-Free U rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High.

What other book might you compare Debt-Free U to and why?

How Smart Students Pay for School

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Although the information was useful, the author came across as a my-way-or-the-highway kind of personality. I took offence to his comments regarding school counselors. We can be a pretty smart bunch and a valuable resource for his listeners.

Any additional comments?

Will share the book title as a reference during financial aid night.

Too long winded

What disappointed you about Debt-Free U?

Too much info about things that are obvious. It's like asking a geek directions to the bathroom and walking away 20 mins later, with all kinds of facts about the construction of the sidewalk you will be using, the landscape, and all the different statistics on the people that have gone that way before you... with directions mixed in. It was sooo boring.

What could Zac Bissonnette and Andrew Tobias have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Be less boring with facts and just get to the value of content already.