Actually, my point isn’t about “me” at all. It is about the perception of some of the posters on this thread about need based aid, income, and “affordability.” The comments about UMC, saving $$ instead of going on vacation and not buying new cars, etc are all stereotyped generalizations. My posts have been meant to be directly pointed to those stereotypes b/c there are a lot of people who find themselves in the financial situation of not being able to pay what colleges expect them to pay. Maybe sometimes the choices are frivolous spending, but the number of posts echoing that sentiment on this forum in general is all built around a stereotyped assumption.
In the real world, there are countless things that can impact financial stability and inability to afford what a college determines the family should pay. Classifying their comments about not being able to afford their expected familial contribution as “whining” is derogatory. They are on the other side of a screen, and there is no telling the true reasons as to why that is their reality.
And, yes, when they find out that schools like Alabama and Kentucky recruit high achieving students and pay their bills when they attend, they are thrilled that their kids are able to get a good education. A Dartmouth education? No. But, they are sharing that their kids’ careers have not been hampered by taking that path. It isn’t demeaning a Dartmouth education. It isn’t raising their UG education to the same experience as an elite school. It is just sharing that it was still a successful choice for their kids.
FWIW, I wouldn’t have even posted in this thread if it weren’t for the FA comments, b/c the entire elite vs. state flagship conversation is a moot point. 