Road2College Blog

College List Building
UC Berkeley Common Data Set

Sifting through a college’s Common Data Set can take a lot of time. Instead, we’ve gathered the most important information from UC Berkeley’s most recent Common Data Set to provide you with the information you need at a quick glance. This guide contains key information from UC Berkeley Common Data Set 2025-2026. Berkeley Common Data…

September 13, 2026

Finance
September 8, 2022

How to Avoid Student Loan Debt

This story was originally published in our Paying for College 101 (PFC101) group. It has been edited for clarity and flow. Do you want to avoid student loan debt and reduce the amount you need to take in student loans? This is what I suggest: 1. Change your mindset. If you have a high school…
11th Graders
August 25, 2022

College Planning Checklist for 11th Grade

Junior year of high school is an important time for students in the college admissions process. Use our college planning checklist for 11th grade to navigate the journey and help your student prepare now—there’s still time to impact their future and find a school they can get into and you can afford. Make sure you…
Apply
August 25, 2022

How to Get Into College

This story was written by a member of R2C’s Paying for College 101 (PFC 101) Facebook group, where it was first published. It has been edited for clarity and flow. I’m writing this anonymously to respect my son’s privacy, but I believe our experience can offer valuable insights into the college admission process—especially for those…
Apply
August 10, 2022

How to Make Affordable Colleges Even More Affordable

This story was written by Elizabeth, a member of R2C’s Paying for College 101 (PFC 101) Facebook group, where it was first published. It has been edited for clarity and flow. I want to share a success story about my 3.3 GPA, test-optional student (she did not submit scores) that I hope encourages others parents. …
High school to college
June 27, 2022

Adulting Skills for College Freshmen

This article is sponsored by College Ave Student Loans. College Ave takes the stress out of paying for college so students can focus on what’s most important: preparing for a bright future. With its helpful tools and resources, College Ave can help you find a private student loan that fits your budget and goals. Heading…
Student & Parent Loans
June 22, 2022

Top 10 Things to Know About Student Loans Before You Borrow

Loans can help students cover college funding gaps. If your student has already accepted all scholarship and grant opportunities and still needs a loan, sit down together and review this important student loan advice. 1. Before taking out a private loan, maximize your full federal loan eligibility. Federal Student Loans have low fixed rates and…
Advice
June 17, 2022

How to Get Into Highly Rejective Colleges

This story was originally published in R2C’s Paying for College 101 (PFC 101) Facebook group. It has been edited for clarity and flow. I get a lot of questions from people with high-stat kids regarding how to get into highly rejective colleges. (Code for colleges that deny admission to 75% or more of all applicants.) …
Finance
June 17, 2022

Should I Cosign My Child’s Student Loan? A Complete Parent Guide

Cosigning a private student loan is one of the most financially consequential decisions a parent can make — and most families make it in under an hour, between financial aid award letters and college deposit deadlines. This guide explains exactly what cosigning means legally and financially, when it’s required versus optional, what it risks, and…
Freshman year
June 14, 2022

How to Make the Most of Freshman Year of College

This article was sponsored by College Ave Student Loans. College Ave takes the stress out of paying for college so students can focus on what’s most important: preparing for a bright future. With its helpful tools and resources, College Ave can help you find a private student loan that fits your budget and goals. A…
Finance
June 1, 2022

You Should Be Asking These Questions About Financial Aid

College is a significant investment. To help ensure there aren’t any costly surprises, we’ve created a list of questions about financial aid to ask the financial aid office before applying, accepting, and heading off to school. Managing the financial aid process and understanding all the information you receive about aid from a school can be…
Parenting
May 27, 2022

My Daughter Is Headed off to College Without Me… Or so She Thinks

A version of this story by Alison Lowenstein was originally published on Frazzled, a parenting humor publication on Medium. PARENTING HUMOR ???? I wanted to introduce myself to all the newly admitted parents. I’m the moderator of the group and the originator and host of the parent happy hour that takes place at the campus pub on…
Scholarships
May 25, 2022

How to Find Scholarships

Everyone wants to know how to find college scholarships. The first step is to understand what type of scholarships you’re looking for. Will you qualify for need-based financial aid? Or will you depend on merit-based aid? Merit-based scholarships can come from your college directly, or from a private source. Here’s an overview of how to…
Plan
May 8, 2022

Where to Find the CLEP Study Guide

Students often struggle to graduate college within four years. In fact, only 19% of students at public universities and 36% of students at flagship universities graduate within four years. That number isn’t just shocking, it’s expensive. Every year at a university or college means more tuition, fees, and books – which means more loans and…
Finance
May 5, 2022

How to Find the Best Private Student Loans

For many families, paying for college requires debt. While it’s preferable to get scholarships and grants, and then move on to federal student loans, the reality is that you might also need private students loans. Trying to find the best private student loans can be a challenge, however. There are so many options out there,…
College Search
May 4, 2022

Colleges Costing $30K or Less For Family With Incomes Over $110K

If you’re the parent of a college-bound high school student, you’re probably on the look out for affordable colleges. Unfortunately, its tougher and tougher for families with middle incomes to afford college without taking out loans. Because the FAFSA calculations for determining your family’s contribution to college is to heavily dependent on your income, families…
Uncategorized
May 4, 2022

Survey Results: Parents Say The Student Loan Process Can Be Confusing

Headline: Survey Results: Parents Say Finding College Loans Can Be Confusing Subhead: But it doesn’t have to be Tags: College savings, college costs, financial aid, scholarships, student loans, tuition, money, financial aid, money, finances, parent loans Description: What parents have to say about the college loan process You’ve done the math and there’s no way…
Uncategorized
May 4, 2022

Student, Parent, Private or Federal Loans: Explore All the Options

Private student loans were once thought to be not as desirable as their federal loan counterparts. In fact, they were often deemed to be “inferior” to them. That school of thought has changed quite a bit, as private student and parent loans offer options that can sometimes rank them ahead of federal loans. For example,…
Uncategorized
May 4, 2022

Don’t Be Overly Optimistic About Financial Aid

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: I Was Overly Optimistic about Financial Aid Packages I have two daughters and one son. In September Kara will be entering her junior year in college, Kim will be a college freshman, and my son is in high school behind Kim. My husband has been disabled since…