Reddit reviews Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents

> It's impossible not to go in debt if you go to college and/or buy a home.

That's a bold, bold assertion. As an atheist, I have to ask: where's your evidence? Because I can find plenty of evidence that contradicts you. Here's some info just on the debt-free college thing:

Here is a woman who went to college on scholarships, for example.

This person had generous parents - who made her go to a state school.

This guy used a variety of strategies to avoid college debt (link goes to his book on Amazon).

I imagine it's a lot harder to do college (and buy a home) without debt. But it is surely possible.

My advice:

• Study a practical subject that is (a) interesting to you and (b) will give you skills in the job market.
  
  
• Browse this website to get a realistic idea of the starting wages in various jobs: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm
  
  
• Consider trade school or technical training. You can earn a very good wage in a high demand job, with less than 2 years of education. Welder, computer tech, nurse's assistant, dental hygienist, and many other good-paying jobs don't require a college degree.
  
  
  
  
• Beware anything that college counselors say to you. I don't mean to imply that they're all liars. But some of them are liars. And it's rare to find a counselor who'll be honest and say, "Our school might not be a good fit for you," or "You ought to consider other majors."
  
  
• Don't choose a college on the basis of reputation. In most careers, where you earn a degree simply doesn't matter. Brilliant people graduate from cheap state schools. Idiots graduate from the Ivy League. The Wall Street Journal, for example, did a story on how some of America's top CEOs went to cheap state schools, not the Ivy League or other elite schools. What's more important is your personal traits and dedication.
  
  
• Avoid student loans. I recommend that you read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980
  
  
• Browse this website, which ranks American colleges on the quality of their undergraduate education requirements. < http://whatwilltheylearn.com/ > The website was created by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni because a lot of big business were noticing a major problem with young college graduates from so-called 'elite' schools: the students often couldn't read, write or think very well, yet they believed they were brilliant because they'd graduated from a 'top' school. Investigation found that a lot of colleges simply aren't educating their undergrads very well. For example, they gave Yale an 'F' grade, because you can graduate from that school without taking a basic writing/composition course; without taking a history or economics course, or a real science course with a lab unit. In contrast, they gave my school (Utah Valley University) a 'B' because undergrads have to take 3 science courses, at least 1 with a lab! And my school costs only $5k per year, rather than Yale's $40k.

/u/tuckermalc and /u/pizzzahero both have great comments. I'll add a bit. Go to /r/stoicism, read [William Irvine's book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195374614?keywords=william%20irvine&qid=1456992251&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1), then read [Epictetus's Enchiridion] (http://www.amazon.com/Enchiridion-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Epictetus/dp/0486433595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992275&sr=8-1&keywords=enchiridion). follow their guidelines. Also check out /r/theXeffect. The most important thing is controlling your habits. If you're in the habit of eating healthy, getting enough sleep, going to the gym, etc. then you're set.

Now for stuff that's harder to do. Go see a therapist. Or a psychiatrist. Try to find a [therapist who can do EMDR] (http://www.emdr.com/find-a-clinician/) with you, it's a very effective technique (I saw a clinician who uses EMDR for two years, and it changed my life-- and, importantly, it's supported by strong scientific evidence, it's not quackery stuff like homeopathy or acupuncture). If you decide to go to a psychiatrist, tell them you don't want SSRIs. Look at other drugs: Wellbutrin, tricyclics, SNRIs, etc (check out selegiline in patch form, called EMSAM, as well). Seriously, go see a professional and talk to them. I have no doubt that you're wrestling with mental illness. I have been there. For me, it just felt normal. I didn't understand that other people didn't feel like I did...so it took me a long time to go get help. But it's so important to just start working through these things and getting support. That's really the most important thing you can do. It will make your life so much better. If you aren't able to get to a therapist, do Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on yourself! [This is a brilliant program] (https://moodgym.anu.edu.au) that's widely respected. Do it over and over. Also read [Feeling Good by David Burns] (http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992639&sr=8-1&keywords=feeling+good+david+burns). It's a book on CBT, and can help you get started. There are lots of other resources out there, but you have to begin by realizing that something is wrong.

Finally, I'll talk about college. Don't try to go to fricking Harvard or MIT. You won't get in, and those aren't even the right schools for you. There are many excellent schools out there that aren't the super super famous Ivies. Look at reputable state schools, like UMich, UMinnesota, the UC system, etc. get ["Colleges that Change Lives"] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122304?keywords=colleges%20that%20change%20lives&qid=1456992746&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1), the [Fiske Guide to Colleges] (http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2016-Edward/dp/1402260660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992768&sr=8-1&keywords=fiske+guide), and [Debt-Free U] (http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980/ref=pd_sim_14_15?ie=UTF8&dpID=515MwKBIpzL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=1VC3C23RJP6ZMXGG5QBA). One thing I realized after college was that I would've been happy at any of the school I looked at. People are fed such a line of BS about school, like you have to go to the top Ivies or something. No way. Find a good place at which you can function, learn as much as possible, and have a good social life. Like another person said, also look at going to a community college for a year and then transferring-- my relative did this and ended up at Harvard for grad school in the end.

read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980

also, consider trades or technical schooling. it's often cheaper and results in a better-paying job than a 4-year degree. for example, here in the states you can learn to be a diesel mechanic in 6-12 months, for a fraction of the cost of a bachelor's degree, and easily earn $40-60k to start.

Investing in your education, given that you study something that will help you get a job, has one of the best returns on investment (ROI) that you can find anywhere. That said, going into debt for an education is a Really Bad Idea. Do you really want to start life after college, looking for a job with $60,000 of debt hanging over your head? Instead, consider going this route. Attend your local community college (junior college) for two years while living at home. Most community colleges have automatic transfer agreements with your state universities. After two years transfer to the state university. If it's close enough, stay living at home. During this entire time, work a full-time job at $10/$12 an hour and pay for your education as you go along. It is doable. If you insist on going into debt so you can go to college and live in a dorm, you just went into debt for the college party experience, not for an education. If that's what you want to do, at least don't lie to yourself that you're going into debt for an education. You're going into debt so you can party.

The education that you receive from a community college or from your local state university will be the same quality as a more expensive university. Effectively, it will not affect your ability to get a job and earn money with your degree.

Consider reading the book Debt Free U: How I Paid for An Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching Off My Parents by Zac Bissonnette.

Read this. Don't go into student loan debt.

Debt Free U

The book is called Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents.
http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980

I recommend reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980 He makes a lot of really good points about choosing and paying for university! Also a very quick read.

Don't judge it by the cover.

See if you can find a copy of this book in your local library: https://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465576495&sr=8-1&keywords=debt+free+u