Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab unpacks her book, "Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream" (2016). Ten years later, her book is as relevant as it was in 2016, if not more. She connects college affordability to basic needs, humane campus practice, and that small financial shortfalls can derail completion.

First of all, connect with Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab on LinkedIn and check out her website to learn ways she can support you and your institution. During the interview, she discussed the Believe in Students #RealCollege curriculum master class resource, public speaking engagements to energize your campus, and special “office hours” to support college educators as they continue to strengthen their institution’s ability to serve better students.

Sara's LinkeIn >> https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-goldrick-rab-b086977/

Sara's website >> https://saragoldrickrab.com/

#RealCollege Curriculum >> https://realcollege.believeinstudents.org/

Key points:
• The origin story and research design behind Paying the Price
• That money shapes learning, health, relationships, and time in college
• How financial aid often gives students some support but not enough
• Food insecurity, housing insecurity, and the #RealCollege reality
• What created momentum for the #RealCollege Survey and basic needs work
• Practical examples from campuses of what worked and what didn't
• Lessons from the pandemic and why the current climate feels worse
• What higher ed must stop pretending about affordability and funding
• Resources Dr. Goldrick-Rab points people to now, including the Believe In Students Real College Curriculum Masterclass, speaking engagements, and office hours for educators

Key quote:

"College students are going through the same things that regular Americans endure every day. And that is to say that college really is about real life. I coined the phrase #RealCollege shortly after putting my book out because I was tired of people pretending that college was this magical moment where you were somehow just put in a bubble and given this glorious little experience that just separated you from everybody else.

If regular people are having trouble with dealing with inflation, then college students are having trouble dealing with inflation. If regular people are having trouble with rent, college students are having trouble with rent. If regular people are having trouble juggling not enough time in their day between childcare and transportation and their actual work and school, then that's what's happening in college too. And so it really drove home the point that college students are complicated adults with lives, just like everyone else."
- Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab

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