Stuff About Money: Paying for College With Christen Arafeh

College is CRAZY expensive. As a parent, where do you start planning for your child’s Higher Ed? There is so much competing for your money and with many colleges not offering merit-based financial aid, the prospect of paying for college is daunting, to say the least.  It seems inevitable that our kids will be buried in college loan debt forever.  In this episode of the Stuff About Money podcast, Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA™, has a conversation with Christen Arafeh of Crescent City College Consulting. Christen is a speaker, college admissions advisor, and scholarship strategist, and she shares her story of winning $900,000 total in scholarship money to pay for her own college. Today, Christen helps families navigate the college admission maze, and best of all she helps students find scholarships that they may qualify for. Episode Highlights: Christen shares her journey of starting scholarship applications as a high school freshman and eventually securing over $900,000 in scholarships. (2:39) Christen discusses the misconception that scholarships should only be sought after choosing a college and a major. (7:47) Christen recommends searching for scholarships based on specific criteria relevant to the student, such as grade level, career interest, personal characteristics, and unique backgrounds, to find more applicable opportunities. (13:29) Christen emphasizes the essential components of a scholarship application, including transcripts, resumes, letters of recommendation, and essays. (20:27) Christen discusses the need for open conversations about college affordability between parents and students. (30:33) Christen discusses services offered by Crescent City College Consulting from one-time consultations to ongoing support in creating college lists, application reviews, essay brainstorming, and scholarship searches. (36:15) Key Quotes: “I feel like when you surround yourself with people who are making good decisions, making good financial decisions, and you see their direction, like the successful decisions that people are making, to surround yourself with more people who are making great choices, rather than the people who may not be making those same great financial moves.” - Christen Arafeh “I have a workbook that I've published, that it's my college-ready roadmap that we go through, it's kind of a timeline and the steps that you need, creating a college list, planning, school tours, all of the things.” - Christen Arafeh Resources Mentioned: Christen Arafeh LinkedIn Crescent City College Consulting Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors