Rating: 
Summary: PUT THIS ON YOUR BOOKSHELF!
Review: OKAY, SO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOME MONEY FOR COLLEGE? OUT OF ALL THE BOOKS ON COLLEGE AND FINANCIAL AID I OWN THIS IS EASILY THE MOST USEFUL. THIS BOOK IS JUST MUCH MORE PRACTICAL BECAUSE IT COMES FROM AN ACTUAL STUDENT, AND NOT SOME BALDING COLLEGE ADMINISTRATOR OR "EXPERT" PH.D. THE BOOK IS KINDA LIKE HAVING AN OLDER BROTHER OR SISTER THERE TO SHOW YOU THE ROPES, AND SO UNLESS YOU HAVE A RELATIVE WHO IS A COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP GENIUS, YOU WANT TO DEFINITELY GET THIS BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for Seniors
Review: I can't say enough good things about this book. What I like best about it is that its useful no matter how much time you have left until a scholarship application is due. As a high school senior, I have some applications due in a couple weeks, some due in a couple months, and others I'll apply for when I'm in college. The author shows you how to package you application in a short amount of time for those coming deadlines, expand upon what you've done for those medium-term deadlines, and employ "content strategies" to position yourself for those long-term applications. This book is a really, really good starting point for any student serious about winning scholarships.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for high school freshmen/ Useless for seniors
Review: The good points include how much the author repeats over and over, "yes, it is possible" and plenty of "you can do it", like a good motivating coach. However, that's about all the good points in this book. Although he stresses that it is not too late to get scholarships, it is not so for high school seniors. This is an excellent book for the underclassmen, but for seniors, the year is nearly over, and like me, it's nearly impossible to earn that much money to pay off ALL four years. Furthermore, it must be known that the author was a very well-rounded, talented student who had the credentials to make it to Harvard anyway, even without the scholarships. He mentions that he was an excellent journalist, Science Bowl participant, and a whole plethora of accomplishments. But if you are a senior, it's too late to fix up your resume. Unlike the huge scholarship books at the bookstore, this one is pretty thin. There's a short appendix that has a list of scholarships, so this is NOT a scholarship reference. Overall, this is more like a personal memoir of the author who just kept winning and winning. If you're likely to get intimidated by such an over-accomplished, this book may actually reduce your self-esteem. But be brave; besides, the repetitious you-can-do-it might change your mind about scholarships, which I am guessing was the purpose of the author.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! I really believe I can win now!
Review: This book is literally the best resourse for scholarships. Period. I'm a high school freshman, and I got this book to start a quest for keeping my financial stabibility. I've read pretty much the whole thing in no time and I'm ready to apply the strategies and tactics to my scholarship quest. Now, I really can't tell you if this book WILL suceed in paying for most of my college tuition but, frankly, I realize it is really up to me. If I am ready to put in the time, if YOU are ready to put in the time, I am sure either you OR I could win, with or without the book. But, this book will surely make it a lot easier. It has strategies of how to win as well as a fair selection of scholarships to begin applying to. Enough to keep you busy for a very, very long time. Even if these aren't enough, it offers suggestion of how you can find more scholarships you're eligible for. Supposedly, the author is also putting together a companion book with many more scholarships, though it's not out yet. All and all, I highly recommend you get this book. It won't win the scholarships for you, but, with a little preserverence, it will certainly assist you win the contests yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Great Content
Review: This book is full of all this extra material that has been really helpful to my kids. It includes a great section on time management, some actions to take for improving your grades, and an interesting intermission on how all students can create opportunities for themselves. In that sense, it's sort of a self-help/motivational guide in addition to being a how to win scholarships book--the kind of book that parents should give their kids for the simple reason of helping them get off the couch and engaged in their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Widely Applicable
Review: This book is designed to help people win college scholarships, but I found it useful far beyond that one task. The essay section is full of great advice and easy to follow steps for all of your school writing assignments. The section on acing interviews I've referred to again and again for college admission and job interviews. The book basically shows you how to effectively promote yourself, and those lessons combined with examples from the author's life has really made a big difference to me in general.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing book
Review: There is a lot of hype about this book. Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. The book's only useful section is its very, very meager list of possible scholarships. (Plenty more can be found in other books). If you really think you can go to college "almost" for free with this book, you are dead wrong. Unless "almost" free means taking a few hundred bucks off. His idea of slashing off 25% of your tuition is to max out on AP courses and pass their tests (extremely difficult tests), which he calls "easy". Who does he think he is? If we all had the skills and grades that he has, we'd all be ending up with $90,000 scholarships.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: There is a lot of fantastic information packed into these 300 odd pages. I have already begun my quest for free cash with Kaplan's strategies as my guide. What I liked most about this book is the straight forward approach and practical advice that can only come from real experience. Kaplan has truly done for scholarships what those 2 other Harvard graduates (Jim Good and Lisa Lee) did in helping me get into college (Get Into Any College: Secrets Of Harvard Students) and I think this shows how much superior advice from actual students is over that from so-called "experts." Maybe the highest complement is that all of this praise for these Harvard authors comes from me - a student at archrival Yale!
Rating:
Summary: Book has both style and substance
Review: Besides being a well-written, well-designed book that is extremely easy to read, this book takes a very detailed look at the entire process of applying for scholarships. Everthing is covered from strategy tips on "hidden judging criteria" to specific guidance on extracurricular activity lists, essays, recommendation letters, and interviews. It's a comprehensive book written in a engaging way that I would recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars All The Way
Review: I am a student and an artist and this book has been of tremendous help to me in paying for college. First of all, I didn't realize that there are all of these scholarships for artists, and that these scholarships don't even want you to submit your grades or test scores--just samples of your artwork. Second, there are a ton of general scholarship programs that everyone can apply for, no matter what their interests. This book opened up a world of possibilities to me I didn't know existed, and for that I am very grateful.
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