<p>We are definitely middle class, and our kid at Harvard receives significant financial aid. He is also extremely frugal. At school he has made lots of friends from lots of different backgrounds, and like our kid, none of them seem to spend much pocket money. Consumeristic they aren't.</p>
<p>Depends on the school. I went to what is considered the highest ranked private school in the South. </p>
<p>I was dirt poor - single unemployed (and ill) mother. </p>
<p>I was more than competitive academically. </p>
<p>But the Gothic environs were NOT a good place to be poor. </p>
<p>I am not sure in the end I cared - I was just grateful for the education to move on in life. </p>
<p>But if one values a social life - it was not a good place to be poor. And to be fair to the school - they were great - it was not for their lack of trying. But there was a whole slug of people there without any real appreciation of what it was like to live without much money. It marginalized me - although a less rough demeanor likely would have helped, too. </p>
<p>I still marvel at my first week of school. A guy in the dorm outfitted his entire room wall to wall with expensive glass mirrors (don't ask why), and he came waltzing in to his room with the steering wheel to his Porsche, which had he removed from the car as a form of an anti-theft procedure. And this kind of indulgence was common.</p>
<p>I think that at Sarah Lawrence, which is so close to New York City, it could be a problem. There are a lot of expensive things to do in New York City, and the wealthier kids will be doing them. On the other hand, at a school in the middle of nowhere, money matters less because there is little to spend it on. The only exception might be if the student joins a fraternity or sorority, which can be expensive.</p>
<p>My daughter goes to Cornell, which is a classic "middle of nowhere" school. She did not go Greek. She spends very little money, even though she has an adequate amount of it. There is usually no need to spend much money. </p>
<p>My son attended a state university where he had a little more money than average, but certainly not as much as the richest kids. He said that he quickly learned to be sensitive to the fact that the students around him came from a wide variety of financial backgrounds. Some had cars and almost infinite amounts of spending money. Others had almost no money at all. He said that groups of friends learned to do very inexpensive things together (like watching DVDs or playing video games in somebody's dorm room) so that nobody would be left out. I'm not sure, though, that you would get the same sensitivity at a high-priced private college.</p>
<p>I don't have any personal knowledge of that college or of living in NYC (aside from having heard that it's expensive.) But I do think it's something to discuss with your daughter, especially with so many credit card companies targetting college kids.</p>
<p>I went to a good college on financial aid, loans, work study and almost no money from mom and dad. Yes, lots of people had a lot more, but I did meet a number of friends through my work study job, and they were in the same boat. Back in that day, many people also went to that school whose fathers were postmen or similar civil service types and did not have a lot of money. Those who had more went on study abroad, spring break trips etc. I never did. I had used pots and dishes taken from mom's cupboard. The school is centrally isolated, so not much to do around there, and what there was did not cost a lot usually. I have lived in the NYC area much of my life except for undergrad and grad school, and it is not cheap to go to NYC for a day. That said, I still went now and then over breaks when I was a poor student and visiting my family in the area. There is a half price ticket place for Broadway shows (same day), museums with student or pay what you wish entrance. Restaurants are pricey, but there are some bargains to be had still to this day. I had friends that I could just window shop with all day. </p>
<p>If your child will not have her head turned by those who have a lot more, I would think it could be a wonderful growth experience.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses. Hadn't had the time to check this all day. Daughter is extremely wise, mature, and frugal. She grew up that way out of necessity and now takes great pride knowing how to stretch a buck and find her own style instead of latest designer duds. We've talked of the NYC draw and it's not cheap. She countered SLC is known for arts programs and always something on campus.....or she should be studying a great deal of time. Also has a good friend at NYU who manages.</p>
<p>SLC in not in NYC, so neither hopping on the subways while others hail a cab nor having to bow-out of the impromptu trip to Saks is likely to be a daily occurence. SLC is, however, close enough to NYC that students do travel in on the weekends and even those weekly excurions can be expensive. </p>
<p>Fortunately, SLC isn't a school where students need cars to socialize (and where a student w/o wheels would be forced to reliy on others.) And at most of the east coast schools have their fair share of finaid students, so as long as a studnet isn't obsessed with running with the wealthy crowd, there are likely to be a critical mass of similarly-situated students.</p>
<p>Does SLC still have the dubious distinction of being the most expensive LAC?</p>
<p>Some NYU friends and classmates of mine have snatched up multimillion-dollar condos in Manhattan within their first two years in college (obviously not all with their own earnings). The rest of us just think it's cool. Hanging out there sure beats sitting around in a tiny dorm room.</p>
<p>There will always be those students who can afford to spend extravagantly. And some may even brag about it. However, no one is intentionally trying to make their less wealthy peers feel badly. If you run with the more academic crowds, you'll find that people don't care to flaunt their money. My friends are all too busy to go shopping.</p>
<p>Besides, practically any of the newer condos will cost more than a million dollars to purchase in our area of Manhattan. NYC is simply unlike any other place. Fortunately, there's no need to drive so students don't have to worry about purchasing brand name cars (though many of them already have such cars sitting in their garages back at home).</p>
<p>The general student consensus here is that we're all pretty well-off if we can afford NYU tuition. I don't know how this would apply to other schools in the NYC area (NYU is known for being stingy with financial aid), and I don't know if this could be a problematic mindset to have. But basically, money (or lack thereof) isn't much of an issue once the schoolwork sets in, when we're all heading to McDonald's after late-night study sessions.</p>
<p>I think it is a good thing! Kids have a more grounded experience and end up on top. I can only speak for my son who has worked his way through college during the school year and summers and makes all his own pocket money. He has such a long list of work experience and internships. His grades wobble a bit here and there if he is involved in activities, work and classes but he got a great grad school acceptance and scholarships. He also has learned to manage his time better than when he left home and has an outstanding work ethic and reputation on campus with his profs. It is very doable.</p>
<p>I also agree, anyone who is a college student is well-off. The playing field levels and the students know that. Mom and Dad's status that may have helped in high school is not so important in college. The student and what they will do with their life is what is important.</p>
<p>I really think it depends on the attitude of your student and the culture of the school. I wouldn't think SL would be full of flashy people. My daughter's school is supposed to have a good proportion of wealthy people but I don't recall my daughter noticing or mentioning it. Except for the time she was frustrated by the $200-$300 jeans in a local shop with cute but waay expensive clothes. She is quite comfortable and at home there and the atmosphere seems quite low key and friendly to me. She gets substantial financial aid and is able to strech it by just spending less than the allocations in aid that she is given. That included going to off-campus housing Jr year (but still right next to campus.) and off meal plan. She got lots of free and cheap stuff for the apartment from Seniors who give it away when they leave. She has 'borrowed' textbooks from friends sometimes, borrowed GRE study materials. Gets clothes on sale (got some dresses, including a gown for a dance for around $10 each at Filene's Basement in NYC). Has a few visits to NYC and Boston, stays with friends. She was able to study abroad and even travel afterward for 3 weeks. (Pell grant recipients can apply for up to $5,000 from the US govt Gillman Grants.) Yes, she is on a budget, but is able to do most everything she wants it seems. Oh, and freshman year she volunteered at WBRU radio and was able to get lots of free tickets to concerts.</p>