Hat tip to my colleague Jessica for the heads-up about this WSJ Quiz: Eight Questions to Answer Before Picking a College (yes, we do actually cheer at NGPF when we find “the good stuff.”)

What is there to like about the quiz?

• It asks your students important questions like “Which metrics will give the best sense of whether a college prepares a student to be financially successful?” and “How can I figure out roughly how much I’ll pay for a college after financial aid is taken into account?”

• It provides questions worthy of a vibrant classroom discussion, such as “What is the maximum amount a student should borrow to attend college?” Unfortunately a multiple choice question doesn’t capture the complexity of a question like this.

• It not only provides answers to the questions, but also charts and graphs for your students to analyze. For example, the question about metrics to measure a college’s impact include these charts on school ROI and Graduation Rates:

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Be sure to check out the NGPF Activity: Compare Sticker Price and Net Price 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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