College costs expert to speak to parents

The La Jolla Cluster Association will present an evening with Lynn O’Shaughnessy, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Parker Auditorium, La Jolla High School, 750 Nautilus St.

O’Shaughnessy is the author of “The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price,” and “Shrinking the Cost of College,” a workbook available on her website (https://www.thecollegesolution.com/about), that helps families make smart and affordable college choices.

She has written or been interviewed about college issues for such national publications as U.S. News & World Report, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Consumer Reports, Money Magazine, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Parade Magazine and The New York Times.

She is also the consulting director of college planning K-12 for the University of California, San Diego Extension. She conducts quarterly workshops at UCSD for parents on shrinking college costs and finding academic gems.

There will be time for questions from the audience. Some of the topics she will cover include:

-- How to find the nation’s most generous colleges.

-- Why poor test scores won’t hurt teenagers’ admission or aid chances

-- Why it can be cheaper having two children in college at once than one.

-- What divorced couples need to know about qualifying for financial aid.

-- How to find wonderful schools beyond the state systems.

-- Why you need to know what the differences are between colleges

and universities.

-- How you can boost chances for admissions and awards at many colleges.

Event tickets are $10 in advance at https://