Former West Bloomfield Mom Offers Tips on Sending Kids to College Without Going Broke

Student loan debt averages about $30,000, according to a report from the Institute for College Access and Success. (Photo by Nastassia Davis via Flickr/Creative Commons)

» Sign up for the West Bloomfield Patch daily newsletter and e-alerts.

West Bloomfield students and parents will get tips on how to minimize student loan debt – currently approaching an average of $30,000 per student – at a session Thursday led by the author of a “The Parent’s SMART GUIDE to Sending Your Kids to College Without Going BROKE.”

Gwen Thomas of Washington, DC, a former West Bloomfield mom, will sign copies of her book at an informal coffee, which will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the main library meeting room at 4600 Walnut Lake Road.

A report issued last fall by the Institute of College Access and Success found that nearly seven in 10 graduating seniors in 2013 – 69 percent – exited college nearly $28,400 in debt from student loans, according to U.S. News & World Report.

In Michigan, average debt was on the high end of the magazine’s scale, at $29,583.

Crushing debt hurts more than students’ wallets, according to a Gallup Poll last fall, which they were less likely to thrive physically, feel a sense of purpose or be involved in their communities.

Thomas, an author, educator and social entrepreneur, will share tips on planning financially for kids’ college educations; finding scholarships, grants and fellowships; and other strategies.