One of the least-known facts about Ben 's scholarship success story doesn't really have much to do with scholarships! In fact, this one action step that Ben discovered in high school saved our family tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and related expenses, while allowing Ben to accumulate valuable experience, contacts, and a big chunk of cash...

We're talking about whittling down some of the time and costs of that time from degree requirements by preparing for, taking, and doing moderately well on advanced placement tests.

When we sent away that first $24 check to reserve a place for Ben's first advanced placement (AP) test, little did we know--or expect--that this action, repeated 4 or 5 more times, would eventually lead to Ben slashing over $30,000 off his college cost by being able to satisfy freshman course requirements via testing credits--thus effectively entering Harvard with sophomore status.

Furthermore, during the two semesters that he took off from school--so that he could graduate with the friends that he made during freshman year--Ben managed to get some great jobs in New York and Washington, D.C., save some money, make new professional and social contacts, and still manage to have a lot of fun.

Additionally, while at Harvard as an upper classman, he was able to take some more advanced and interesting courses than most of his peers because he had satisfied the prerequisites for those courses while still in high school.

So, was all this worth working a little harder on some high school classes and paying between $100 and $200 in total testing fees? You bet it was!