Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1(4)
Section I. Application and Selection Decisions
5(80)
To Go or Not to Go
7(5)
The Million-Dollar Decision
8(3)
How to Decide
11(1)
To Sum Up
11(1)
Oh, the Places You can Go
12(17)
Prepare to Spend Some Time
14(1)
There is a College for You
14(1)
Five Steps, Five Categories Get you Started
15(13)
Filtering
16(3)
Sorting
19(3)
Ranking
22(2)
Evaluating
24(2)
Deciding
26(2)
To Sum Up
28(1)
The Black Box
29(13)
Key Considerations for Admission
30(4)
Primary Academic Factors
34(1)
Secondary Academic Factors
35(1)
Nonacademic Factors
36(2)
New Academic Factors
38(1)
Uncontrollable Factors
39(1)
New Admission Models
40(1)
To Sum Up
41(1)
The Big Decision
42(20)
Look Long Term, Not Just Short Term
43(14)
Determine Your Decision Categories and Criteria
44(2)
Assign Each Decision Criterion a Weight
46(4)
Assess Your Selected Colleges
50(6)
Make the Decision
56(1)
The Shortcut
57(2)
Collaboration Goes a Long Way
59(1)
To Sum Up
60(2)
The Gap
62(11)
Play Fair When It Comes to the Gap
64(1)
Giving Back During the Gap
64(1)
Do You Need a Year?
65(2)
Think Through the Options
67(2)
Make Sure the Options Meet the Goals
69(1)
Watch Those Deadlines
70(1)
Forget Me Not
71(1)
To Sum Up
72(1)
Does the Early Bird Get the Worm?
73(7)
Is Your Action Binding?
74(2)
Double-Check Your Commitment
76(1)
Analyze Your Strategy
76(2)
To Sum Up
78(2)
Maybe
80(5)
Do Something, Not Nothing
82(1)
There's Always That Chance
83(1)
No May Not Always Mean No
83(1)
To Sum Up
84(1)
Section II. Academic Decisions
85(82)
The Balancing Act
88(12)
Winging It
89(1)
Deciding How to Allocate Your Time (Four-Step Process)
90(8)
Rough Top-Down Allocation
91(1)
Bottom-Up Estimate
92(3)
Reconciliation
95(1)
Distribute Your Time and Manage Your Semester
96(2)
To Sum Up
98(2)
Four and Out
100(11)
More Than Four
101(1)
The Cost of More Than Four
102(1)
Reasons for More Than Four
103(3)
Decide on Your Priorities
106(1)
Stay Focused on Reality
106(2)
Some Tips
108(2)
To Sum Up
110(1)
Major, Major Decision
111(17)
Who Makes the Decision
113(1)
When to Declare Your Major
113(1)
A Chess Move
114(1)
Map Your Decision
115(4)
Your Major Is a Major, Long-Lasting Decision An Alternative Approach: Follow Your
119(1)
Passion
120(1)
Using the Resources Available to You
121(2)
Try It On for Size
123(1)
Don't Forget the Minor Decisions
124(1)
Changing Majors
125(2)
To Sum Up
127(1)
I Know What You Did Last Summer
128(10)
Don't Squander Summertime
129(1)
Expand Your Horizons
130(7)
Determine Your Objectives and Priorities
130(2)
Consider All of Your Options
132(1)
Determine How Well the Step 2 Options Meet Your Step 1 Goals
133(2)
Pursue Each of Your Options
135(1)
Make Your Decision
136(1)
To Sum Up
137(1)
Leaving on a Jet Plane
138(15)
Deciding Whether (and When) to Study Abroad
140(1)
Benefits of Studying Abroad
141(2)
But There's No Way I Can Afford It
143(1)
So Many Options
144(3)
Know Yourself and Your Goals
147(1)
Choosing the Right Option
148(4)
To Sum Up
152(1)
It's Not You---It's Me
153(14)
Good Reasons to Decide to Transfer
154(3)
Not So Good Reasons for Deciding to Transfer
157(2)
Kinks in the Road
159(2)
The Transfer Process
161(1)
Time Lines and Deadlines
162(2)
Make Your Final Decision Final
164(2)
To Sum Up
166(1)
Section III. Social Decisions
167(40)
Party Time
169(7)
Movies versus Realities
171(1)
Avoid Impulsive Dicisions
171(1)
Boundaries
172(2)
To Sum Up
174(2)
Bottoms Up
176(7)
Consider Unintended Consequences
177(1)
Scary Statistics Show Unintended Consequences
178(1)
Can You Risk Binge Drinking?
178(2)
Can Pay, So Get to Play
180(1)
Booze, Cars, and Consequences
181(1)
To Sum Up
182(1)
Accessorize Your Academic Life
183(8)
Finding That Critical Balance
184(1)
Pare Down the Multitude of Choices
185(2)
Practice This Selection Process
187(2)
Hedging Your Bets
189(1)
To Sum Up
190(1)
Toga, Toga, Toga
191(7)
Party or Philanthropy---Greek Choices
192(1)
First Decision---Affiliate or Not
192(2)
Second Decision---Time for Housework
194(1)
A Walk Through Sorority Rush
195(1)
Making Adjustments
196(1)
To Sum Up
197(1)
Location, Location, Location
198(9)
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Wow!
199(1)
A Note for Freshmen
200(2)
Don't Get Distracted
202(1)
Paying the Bills
203(1)
Overlooking finances Is Costly
204(2)
To Sum Up
206(1)
Section IV. Relationship Decisions
207(30)
The Odd Couple
210(11)
Preparation for the Match Game
211(2)
Friend Mates---Wow or Woe
213(2)
Personalities and Decisions
215(2)
From Conflict to Friendship
217(1)
Make Some Common Decisions
218(1)
To Sum Up
219(2)
The Dating Game
221(8)
Make a Sober Decision
222(1)
Are Relationship for You Right Now?
223(1)
No Time to Gamble
224(2)
Love's in the Air
226(1)
Making Time for Each Other
227(1)
To Sum Up
228(1)
The Parent Trap
229(8)
For the Student
230(2)
For the Parents
232(1)
Parent-Student Decisions
233(1)
To Sum Up
234(3)
Section V. Financial Decisions
237(32)
Robbing the Piggy Bank 101
239(20)
Making a Conscious Decision
240(1)
It Costs What?
241(1)
The College's Decision Process
242(2)
Your Decision Process
244(3)
Funding Options
247(6)
Grants and Scholarships
247(1)
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loans
248(1)
Other Loans
249(1)
Work Study
250(1)
Get Creative---Work at School
251(1)
Get a Regular Job
251(1)
Other Government Programs
252(1)
Military or Community Service
252(1)
Financial Aid Packages and Financial Aid Officers
253(2)
Reducing the Cost of College
255(3)
In-State Tuition
255(1)
AP Courses and CLEP
256(1)
Summer School
257(1)
Reduce Your Lesser Expenses
257(1)
To Sum Up
258(1)
Preapproved
259(10)
The College Credit Card Scheme (or Scam?)
260(1)
The Real Cost
260(1)
Personal Finance Basics---Sticking to a Budget
261(2)
It's Your Credit, Not Theirs
263(2)
Making Decisions in Advance
265(1)
To Sum Up
266(3)
Section VI. Postgraduation Decisions
269(27)
Choose Your Own Adventure
272(10)
Narrowing Down Your Options
272(1)
Keeping Your Options Open (Or, How to Win at Chess)
273(1)
The Four-Step Process
274(5)
Identify Your Long-Term Goals
275(1)
Identify Your Short-Term Goals
276(1)
Identify and Evaluate Your Options
277(1)
Make Your Decisions
278(1)
Timetable
279(1)
Hedging Your Bets
280(1)
To Sum Up
281(1)
Conclusion: A Lifetime of Decisions
282(14)
A Good Game of Chess
282(1)
Frog in Boiling Water
283(1)
Make International Decisions
284(1)
Structured Approach to Decision Making
285(2)
Unintended Consequences
287(1)
Personal Financial Responsibility
288(1)
Time Management
289(1)
Deciding Among Alternative
290(1)
Shared Decisions
291(2)
Playing the System
293(1)
To Sum Up
294(2)
About the DecideBetter.com Web Site and Community 296(2)
About Christopher K. McGrath 298(1)
About Michael E. McGrath 299