<p>I dare say there are thousands of families that are choosing health coverage & housing, which are needs as opposed to higher education, which is a want.</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>I disagree.</p>
<p>Virtually impossible to live much above poverty without a college degree in this country, nowadays … and this trend is getting worse, not better. If the criteria differentiating “needs” from “wants” is staying out of poverty (e.g. health insurance, housing, etc.), higher education has made the transition from a want (in the 1970s) to need (today).</p>
<p>In the richest country that ever existed, families shouldn’t have to choose between health insurance, housing, and the education required for their children to find employment that keeps them out of the poor house. It’s insane from both a moral and a productivity standpoint. This choice wasn’t necessary here only a few decades ago, and isn’t necessary in most advanced countries today. Sad that the standard of living for ordinary Americans has fallen that far (see also: life expectancy, infant mortality, etc.)</p>
<p>Even if I accepted the rest of what you’re saying (which I don’t), no student “needs” an expensive private liberal arts college education . . . except perhaps those privileged few headed to Wall Street. Like it or not, your daughter can get an education at her local state college. And if that’s still unaffordable, then she can get a job, save some money, and pay her own way through school. I understand that’s not what you want for her . . . but plenty of kids do just that, and survive to tell the tale.</p>
<p>Chrisb, I haven’t read this whole thread – not so interested in the political exchanges – but I think you probably won’t see a cataclysmic decline in aid. Our family income has changed over the years of my kids’ college, a similar change to yours (and without any history or current issues with very high medical costs) and our aid adjustments were fairly modest. Don’t assume you’ll have a problem. You’ll just have to see what comes back when you re-file for aid next year. You can always ask for a review if you need to.</p>
<p>Do realize that you are also fortunate in that your daughter had the test scores and grades combination to be acceptable and accepted to a generous school. Such schools are by far the minority. Few schools meet full need. So our neediest students end up getting the least amount of need met in most cases, because the very few schools that due meet full need and the very small percentage of kids with full or close to it met, tend to be in the higher economic brackets. You don’t see many PELL eligible kids at the most selective schools. </p>
<p>Going to a small, private, expensive school on scholarship and aid is a true luxury and privilege. Most students commute to college, go to a state college and work at least part time to pay for it. You and your daughter are part of the very privileged in the regard that she has earned and been awarded enough to get to go away to school and have a nice piece of it paid for during years when family income was low. As you have noted, your contrbution may not change much for her sophomore year as the numbers are based on 2012 income and it’s late in the year. It would not be an unusual thing for her to have to transfer locally and commute if the cost to the family is too high for her to continue there. Private sleep away college is not the do all and end all, so if other issues and bills are on the table, and there is income that has to be parcelled out with the priorities higher for other things, she will have had more than most kids in the world, two years at an expensive, private college and can finish up at a less expensive venue. Not a tragedy. I know dozens of families over the years whose kids did this for any number of reasons. </p>
<p>However, I said earlier, as 'retof2 is reiterating, it is entirely possible that your aid will not be cut so drastically. Run the numbers. And for all of this fuss, you may not get the extra income you are anticipating for 2013, and if that is the case, all of this fuss is for nothing.</p>
<p>As another tip, if you have large medical bills, you are intending to pay, if you can possibly put them off until 2013, mayb staving off the wolves with very small payments to keep your credit score from plummenting, and making the large payments in that year, that may reduce your income when you submit the information to financial aid. Remember, that it is not what you INCUR in medical expenses that can count, both for possibley tax and financial aid consideration, but what you actually PAY.</p>
<p>There are shocking and terribly unjust inequities that have developed over the past few decades in American society that simply weren’t around when I grew up in the 1960s and 70’s. They don’t exist in many other countries today, but they do in ours. These inequities can and should be remedied.</p>
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<p>Seriously? I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, and I can assure you that these “unjust inequities” were around back then. My brothers and I were all top students with top scores. We did not go to top schools, despite the fact that we most likely would have been admitted. Our family could not afford it, plain and simple. The difference between then and now, IMHO, is that no one thought they “deserved” it back then … we just dealt with it as best we could.</p>
<p>*There are shocking and terribly unjust inequities that have developed over the past few decades in American society that simply weren’t around when I grew up in the 1960s and 70’s
*</p>
<p>OP this quote, just highlights how narrow your experience has been.</p>
<p>Title IX wasn’t passed until 1972.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972 was implemented by Congress in 1977.</p>
<p>The group I know the most about- people with " special needs", didn’t have many legal rights in the 1960s.
Including the right to a public education, that didnt happen until 1975.</p>