“Mission Possible: How to Graduate from College Debt-Free” by Dr. Juan Phillip Chisholm

Mission Possible: How to Graduate from College Debt-Free

Dr. Juan Phillip Chisholm
Greenlight Books & Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 978-0975511046
Reviewed by Kathy Stickles for Reader Views (02/2023)

In Mission Possible: How to Graduate from College Debt-Free, Dr. Chisholm is able to share with his readers some excellent ideas on how to obtain their college education without having to take out numerous loans that they will then have to pay back after graduation. He shares his own personal story, using much-needed guidelines and tips for any student and their family about to embark on a college journey.

While there are many books out there that travel along this path of offering ideas on how to go to and graduate from college without debt, I feel that this is one of the best I have seen so far. The ideas presented by the author are well written, easy to understand, and, dare I say it, actually practical to the student as long as they are willing to put in the time to follow these plans. A lot of what is in the book comes across as a “job” for the student and, in order for them to succeed, they must be willing to put in the time to look for these opportunities that are outlined and then follow through on them.

In the case of Mission Possible, the suggestions on where to look and the opportunities that are there are spelled out in simple, easy-to-understand ways which is very helpful. The book does not read like huge and complicated text, but rather it is short, sweet, and very to-the-point.  It gives ideas that will help find money for tuition, books, and even room and board at school, which in my experience with my own children, was the kicker. That was the part where it was always much harder to find any specific ideas regarding assistance and let me tell you, this book would have come in very handy ten to twelve years ago in my life.

I would recommend this book to any high school junior or senior who is about to head out on the next limb of their tree and apply to college. The book is easy-to-read, very helpful, and contains some ideas that were certainly never given by guidance counselors when my children were in high school. I would also recommend to any parent who has not been through this process before as a great informational tool and a way to prod their son or daughter into getting down to basics and putting in the work necessary to continue their education. This is definitely a job well done in terms of research and writing.