@MommaJ - Of course, the real reason for a title on threads is to get people to look (and then join the discussion). Of course it’s dramatic, but you looked and you joined.
What you said is absolutely true. There is REAL heartbreak in the world and I don’t mean to diminish that. I think part of the issue with the admissions process is that, for those with high hopes, this may be one of the first times in their lives that real disappointment happens. That is sad in the not so obvious way - that us as parents do anything to keep our kids happy and don’t let them experience “real life.” (Does that make sense?)
I’m not really seeing how anyone is being denied a college education if they really want one. Here in Florida we have the Bright Futures program that offers substantial money to students achieving either a 29 ACT score (higher amount) or 26 ACT (lower amount).
In-state tuition and fees for a local state 4-year college where I’m living is $3300 for the year. I would think a student could afford that with summer and part-time jobs.
@Trisherella You are fortunate to be a Florida resident. Here in Pennsylvania, local community colleges can cost nearly twice that and a fair number of residents are not even within easy commuting distance of a community college. In addition, PA has higher than average costs and relatively poor financial aid at its state-owned colleges. The flagship (Penn State), state-related rather than state-owned, is totally out of reach for most poor-to-modest income state residents, even those with excellent stats.
@jym626 by the school of hard knocks is that where they learn of the greed of the rich in this country and how income and wealth distribution is the worst in a century??? Community colleges and public colleges should cost close to nothing for in state students. I think your economics teacher was different than mine
That has absolutely nothing to do with people of significant means applying to a long list of need only schools then being surprised at the sticker price when they didn’t get merit aid just for being their fabulous selves.
Right, saintfan. Thats what I was referring to. That said, there seems to e a general growing sense of entitlement. “Give me free money because I am wonderful and you should be lucky to have me at your school… Give me free money because I am poor or we just haven’t handled our money well but I want to go to school…” Tennessee does offer free 2 year education and the feds are talking about the same. That said, and this may ruffle some feathers, some people are just not college material. Maybe we should put more energies into trade schools.
“I think in our culture talking about money is so taboo that we don’t even do it with our kids.”
True, and it’s a problem beyond the college sphere. I just had lunch with a financial professional whose main job is to cajole people making wills and trusts to actually talk about money with their (adult, often middle-aged) children. All kinds of preventable conflicts and disappointments happen because families are avoiding difficult conversations.
Yes, Kidsncatz, PA is not very affordable for public universities. Penn State and Pitt are consistently the two most expensive public universities in the US for in-state tuition. Fortunately, we have a wealth of private colleges that often bring their costs down below Penn State through need or merit aid. With merit aid, some out of state publics are cheaper than Penn State in-state.
The latest trick in PA is that many of the State owned universities are switching to a per credit system of tuition. That sounds fine - except you will be paying much higher tuition than you currently pay if you take more than 12 credits. 15 credits remain the standard workload for a full-time student. Therefore, many students will find themselves paying 25% more in tuition within the next year or two than they paid last year. 4 of the colleges have switched to this system, and many others are considering it. If a student tries to take a higher load of 18 credits, they will soon be paying 50% more than was charged last year.
In Pennsylvania, if your school district is a participant in a community college, the tuition is usually affordable. However, if your school district or county is not a participant, community college can be twice as expensive.
We live in PA. Our local community college is actually located within the area that comprises our school district. I was shocked to learn recently that our district doesn’t participate in the community college. When I asked WHY I was told that historically the school board felt the college was beneath the district’s grads. As if!
Income/wealth inequality is a red herring. The size of the pie is not fixed. Just because someone happens to become a billionaire doesn’t mean the middle class has less than it had before. The American middle class is hardly living in conditions of destitution, a la French Revolution.
Meaning that reading the self-described “middle class” complain on these forums about the cost of living, taxes, and not getting any financial aid at colleges is not an accurate reflection of the state of the American middle class?
The problem is that a lot of people nowadays are entitled. I work, so I deserve a nice car and a nice house. I get good grades and I deserve to go to an “elite school”, etc.
@GMTplus7 we hit a little too close to home? You seem a little too defensive Sorry but income inequality is a huge problem. I am not okay with the top .1 per cent owning as much as the bottom 50 per cent. That is hardly a red herring. That is part of the reason for the education problems mentioned in this thread. It is also worse than it has been in a century. So because we are not in total poverty for the masses everything is okay in your eyes??? How bad do things have to become before you see a problem?? I guess I just believe there needs to be a little more sharing for the common good
@sports870 so you think people who want a decent wage are entitled? wow you have some nerve. You think people who want the one percenters to contribute their fair share are entitled? You think people who believe that quality education should be available to all are entitled? The nerve of the masses. They need to be quiet and accept what they are given
Interesting thread. As the parent of twins in a family that is middle class – and in our rural area nudging toward upper middle class-- the last few weeks have made me aware of just how much wider the wealth gap is growing. When I attended one of the top universities in the country 30 years ago, tuition, room and board were less than half of US median household income for a 4-member family. Nowadays, tuition, room and board at a top school are roughly the same as median household income. My father was a professional, but in a low-paid profession (clergy), so I received generous financial aid, including a Pell grant during my freshman year when I had an older sibling in school as well. My parents’ contribution was less than 10% of their annual income, and I borrowed $2500/year ($2000 during my freshman year). Now that my twins are heading to college, our family contribution (after student loans) for my daughter is going to be over 30% of our take-home pay, and our contribution for her twin will be even higher. Unfortunately we live in a state that doesn’t have a great flagship. We’re still awaiting a final financial aid package for her twin, at a competitive school that is supposed to “meet need”, but if the posts on that school’s dedicated forum are any indication, there have been several disappointed students reporting that the school apparently often does not meet the number that their Net Price Calculator indicates.
So question back to the OP: How do you suggest dealing with a broken heart that is the result of Mom and Dad saying “Yes, apply there: you love the school, they have a fantastic program, they meet full need, and we can afford the cost of attendance” only to later find out that the NPC number was meaningless?
@SpendingTooMuch This may be when she learns that when someone sells you something, they may not always tell the whole story and if you catch them, you walk away. That is what that you are describing. These schools are businesses and you tell her she doesn’t want to do business with one that does not tell the truth.
We have told our kids “We are willing to spend X. If it costs less than that, you can go. If not, you can’t.”
Is the question can our child graduate from college or can our child graduate from their dream college?
Most scenarios on CC are about college being unaffordable, involved an expensive top university or an OOS school. When the recommendation to attend a CC for 2 years and transfer is given, the student or family member will state the school is not top tier, no research opportunity, not their “DREAM” school, etc. This doesn’t include the families with lots of assets who manipulate their finances to qualify for FA. Families with incomes over 200K stating they can’t pay any of their EFC and why can’t their kid get a free ride to a meet needs school. Don’t get me started on the families who can’t pay the EFC because they want to make a large purchase instead of pay for thier kids college.
So many want to go to universities with a price tag over 50K but pay a Community College rate or even less.