On today’s episode of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Tom Dziubek talks to Zac Bissonnette, writer at the Huffington Post and DailyFinance and also author of the book Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents.
Tom and Zac discuss how Zac was able to go to college without going into debt, the most cost-effective way to get a decent degree and how to be wary of getting bad advice from family, friends and high school guidance counselors when choosing a college.
Debt-Free U, Zac Bissonnette: S03E19 / 94
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Table of contents
[00:00] Introduction from Tom Dziubek
[00:30] Interview with Zac Bissonnette
– [00:52] Zac’s selection of UMASS
– [02:16] College selection advice from family, friends and counselors
– [06:27] What prestigious colleges mean to your resume
– [08:16] Financial aid
– [09:41] Expected family contribution towards college
– [12:39] Starting off at a community college
– [13:18] The marriage loophole with financial aid
– [15:02] Whether or not student loan debt is “good” debt
– [18:07] The chances of getting student loan forgiven
– [19:45] Getting into a good school without going into debt
– [20:43] Finding a good school
– [25:36] Working while in college
– [32:07] Saving money on textbooks
[34:02] End
We always welcome feedback from listeners. If you have any comments for this episode or for any other, or if you have suggestions for future episodes, please leave us comments here or email us at podcast at this domain name.
Updated February 6, 2012 and originally published August 29, 2010. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Zac, what do you plan to do when you graduate?
I agree with Flexo, it is dilemma of our youth that instead of consulting their senior and experienced family members, they just decide at their own about the college and take loan to study at expensive places, which is not at all beneficial. It is a good effort by Flexo to spread awareness on this issue amongst the young ones.