I came to twitter in 2011, a bit late for the party to some. When I started blogging it was a godsend, with feeds full of great info on scholarships and financial aid. It took some time to sort out the good and the bad feeds, those that contributed and curated over those that simply posted their own material. However, when I finally got it all sorted, I found I had a preference for the feeds of just a handful of people. I want to share my personal list that I keep separate from other feeds that offer killer content, advice, and curated articles as well.
All of these resources are ones that parents of college bound teens should follow now and keep an eye out for as you go through the process of college admissions, and funding college.
Quick note, this list is in no particular order. They are all outstanding in their respective areas!
@CollegeBlogs
– Lynn O’Shaughnessy is everywhere! She is a college columnist for CBSMoneyWatch.com, as well as her own great blog The College Solution, her content goes in-depth and talks straight to the issues facing parents and students in college aid and admissions.
@AidScholarship
Monica Matthews managed to help her son find over $100,000 in scholarships while he pursued his degree in Engineering. She hosts her own site at How2WinScholarships.com and her feed is full of great content. She has also published a book on her experiences, which is available on her site.
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@JodiOkun
Jodi Okun took the initiative to get down to the Financial Aid office and learn the trade from the ground up. She has taken her experience and put it to work as a College Financial Planner. Her site, College Financial Advisors, has some great content on understanding the financial aid process for parents. Jodi even hosts #CollegeCashChat every Thursday at 10pm/EST. Parents and students can join the twitter chat and ask questions of Jodi and her guests.
@SuzanneShaffer
Suzanne Shaffer has waded through the swamp that is college financial aid, scholarships, and admissions when she sent her won children to college. Her feed offers great info and insight into the college financing process with curated articles and her own content. Suzanne also offers her own free e-book and test prep guide via her site at parentscountdowntocollegecoach.com.
@ScholarshipsOrg
Gyan Devi went back to school later in life as a non-traditional student. Gyan devoted herself to finding scholarship info for college students and their families. She believes students “should have the opportunity to graduate without mortgaging their future or majoring in student debt”. She has been counseling students and families as a financial aid coach for the past 14 years. Her feed offers a mix of curated and home-grown articles, and she has written two books with several more on the way.
@WestfaceCollege
Beatrice Schultz, CFP®, BSc, MSM founded Westface College Planning, as well as co-founder of Westface Financial and Insurance Services. She hosts College Smart Radio 1220am KDOW each week airing Saturdays from 3:00pm-3:30pm PST. Her feed is also a mix of curated and home-grown content via her site and blog, focusing often on the financial aspects of maximizing aid for families of college bound teens and the tax implications of college.
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@SiaKnight
What I love about Sia Knight’s feed, is her no-nonsense articles that speak straight to the issues surround college admissions and the conduct of college bound teens. In an age where manners and social norms are evolving, she reminds parents and students how to conduct themselves when dealing with those working in education. Holding a Doctorate in Education, this former teacher, counselor and school administrator curates some content while focusing on her own articles on college prep, test prep, and building a students network before college. Her site can be found at www.siaknight.com.
@KDMaderer
Keith Maderer is an author and public speaker on a range of topics. His feed offers some great content from his own site on college finance and the tax implications, as well as scholarships and financial aid. He also does some content curation on the subject as well. His articles can often be found on e-Zine, and they offer deep information on the various aspects of financial aid such as the FAFSA and the EFC.
One source of information for me will never be enough. However, these 8 sources of information are going to get any parent 95% of the information they are going to need to get their child into college, and get it paid for. Next week I’ll be posting my top ten list of favorite podcasts on financial aid and admissions.
College Money Man Podcast 