Many parents and their children approach the college process much like a deer running into the road. They just dart out there and hope for the best.

Given how much a college education costs, you need to plan ahead and know how to navigate the financial aid process.

I recommend two books:

¢ “FastWeb College Gold: The Step-by-Step Guide to Paying for College,” by Mark Kantrowitz with Doug Hardy (Collins, $21.95). Kantrowitz is a financial aid expert and publisher of FinAid.org. Hardy is the general manager and editor-in-chief of MonsterCareers .com. (By the way, FastWeb .com is one of the leading sites for information about scholarships.)

¢ “Paying for College Without Going Broke” by Kalman A. Chany with Geoff Martz (Random House/Princeton Review, $20). Chany is founder and president of the New York-based Campus Consultants Inc.

You’ll get advice on how to negotiate for more aid if the initial offer isn’t enough. Each book provides exceptionally helpful explanations and worksheets to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which is the federal needs analysis document students must complete to apply for financial aid.

Kantrowitz’s “FastWeb College Gold” appeals to all students. It’s full of advice from their peers, tips that can be found in boxes labeled “I Wish I Had Known …”

The book is supported by a free companion Web site at www.collegegold.com. Throughout the guide you’ll find a box titled “Book to Web” with a recommendation for certain downloads and interactive tools. One very useful download is a planner that maps out two years’ worth of things a school student should do before leaving for college.

“Paying for College Without Going Broke” is also a good comprehensive guide. I love the way it’s organized into bite-sized chapters.

The format allows you to easily skip around to the chapters that are most relevant to your situation. In this book, you’ll find line-by-line help in filling out the FAFSA form. Chany, the N.Y. consultant, discusses what parents and students should and shouldn’t do to get the most aid.

Both books emphasize that the college financial aid process should be a family venture – even if you have no intention of giving your child a single penny to pay for higher education.