OHIO
That seems to be a long time to wait. Wouldn’t it be better not to delay the resolution?
It’s $58,000 for BOTH years…or is it EACH year?
What state are you a resident of, OP? She might also be instate in your state, which would open up a whole new set of schools. I think your ‘no’ would be a lot easier to take if she had other options, and you should help her find them. Can she live with you and commute to a school? Can she get a full time job and go to night school?
If she lives in Ohio is it near where the school is …is there any chance of her commuting and living at home? Either with a parent or another family member?
Although you’d like to see her be more proactive in looking for schools…it might be nice…a little less tough-love…if you are able to make a few alternative suggestions. Other schools with art programs she COULD commute to–especially if they have essentially open enrollment, a gap year, etc.
I’m in South Dakota. She lives in Ohio. My daughter isn’t moving up here to live with me, LOL, she’s just not going to do that. And its 58k for the two years.
Sinclair Community College has the lowest costs of all CCs in OH.
Art - https://www.sinclair.edu/explore/art/#tabs-3
Interior Design - https://www.sinclair.edu/explore/interior-design/#tabs-3
58k includes both years. They boast a 100 pct placement rate. They are designed to place in ad agencies. Wonder what the salary ranges are to start. They may do a good job, from a cursory look they seem like it. But if you don’t have the money and it has to be all loans that is tough.
The loan default rate appears to be 23% in 2010 and 10.3 in 2011. But with such low enrollment that is a pretty small number. I wonder what their average indebtedness is…I tried to look but couldn’t find it.
It sounds like your ex and D are convinced that this high priced school is the only avenue when that is simply not true. The problem will be convincing her of that. Maybe you can research what classes at her local cc would entail and talk to her about getting her AA there and then transferring. Sorry you are having to deal with this.
The school is 47 miles from where she lives. Thats another part. She and her friend have this idea they were going to get an apartment together, work and go to this school. Lots of grand ideas(and in their heads a super fun time…I dont expect an 18 year old is thinking about much else). Unfortunately, all of this is going to cost A LOT of money. The whole situation is ridiculous to me.
58k for two years is ridiculous. They may have a 100% placement rate. And maybe alot of those placements are in a job making $15 an hour. I can’t afford it, she cant afford it. I’m not cosigning a loan for 25K.
There’s an old saying…champagne tastes on a beer budget. Its just too much.
There’s no good reason I can think of to borrow $58k for a 2-year art degree. The recommended maximum student debt load is $27k for 4 years (the maximum federal student loan amount). She wants to borrow that for just one year. It’s a kindness to both her and your ex to refuse to help her put herself in that kind of debt.
Do you know your daughter’s SAT scores? If she qualifies for merit anywhere, I’d hate to see her lose it by taking credit courses without having fully explored her options.
That is about $30,000 a year in costs to attend the school. Add to that about $10,000 a year depending on where in Ohio you are, and the costs of rents.
How much can each parent reasonably contribute?
In reality, she would be paying back close to 70k with interest and fees. For an associates degree. SMH
How much can I reasonably contribute? The child support i was paying her mom. I have no idea how much her mom could or would be willing to contribute. None of us are rich. Just regular middle class folks(the 5 digit kind).
But she seemed to be comfortable with cosigning a 25k loan so I dont know. I don’t want to talk bad about her, but I’m just not sure if she’s really thought this through or is just so blindly optimistic. She agrees with me that its alot of money for my daughter to have on her shoulders, then she turned right back around with the " BUT she…"
Year One Tuition
First semester: $11,706
Second semester/spring term: $13,006
Total Year One Tuition: $24,712
Year Two Tuition
First semester: $11,498
Second semester/spring term: $13,865
Total Year Two Tuition: $25,363
Supplies
Art supplies: $520
Books: $940
Digital camera: $600
Personal website: $250
Business cards and stationery: $500
Software: $1,700
MacBook Pro laptop: $2,634
Total supplies: $7,144
Fees
Printing fee: $600
Photography fee: $350
Student activity fee: $360
Total fees: $1,310
2-year program total* $58,529
???
Why are you and the ex only talking about direct school costs???
What about rent, utilities, cable, internet, food, furnishings, car expenses, etc???
I think the REAL cost, once you add in living expenses, will be about $45k PER YEAR…at least!
South Dakota has reciprocity with MN for some schools, and there are a lot of good art schools in Minn. I think almost everyone agrees with you that the $58k is out, but you really should help your daughter with some other options. Working for a year and then attending school is a good option.
Okay, i agree with what everyone has written here (that’s a lot of money!).
I’ll just toss one thing out here…i have no earthly idea if this applies to your kid…but i’m trying to think of reasons that your (former) wife might be considering this.
I have friends whose kid seemed lost during high school…he was just not excited about anything…had no enthusiasm…he was headed…well, I don’t know where he was headed…maybe behind the counter at a Chipotle.
Then my friend got the idea of a performing arts school in NYC…you earn a degree but its very flexible and all of the kids are nontraditional. it also cost $58,000 a year, all in.
And for whatever reason, it lit his fire.
Anyway, he’s coming home in two weeks…from all accounts, he has turned it around…life is good right now. My friends seem very happy with their choice. Financially ruined. But happy.
That said, i wouldn’t do it (i couldn’t have done it…but even given the finances, I wouldn’t have) but i want to just mention it…
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Anyway, he’s coming home in two weeks…from all accounts, he has turned it around…life is good right now. My friends seem very happy with their choice. Financially ruined. But happy.
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Financially ruined, but happy???
Well, I wonder if that happiness will be present when the first student loans come due.
b-(
I know @mom2collegekids LOL…well, what can you say? it works for them. And they only have the 1 kid.
I will say that this kid was the kind that kept them up all night with vague worries and concerns…the mom in particular was literally always wrung out…and had they not done this, quite honestly he’d probably still be living at home with them. With that scenario, they may have felt that the price was fair.
mom2collegekids…I know. I have thought about the living expenses as well. I dont know if she thinks the support I was going to still send her and some crappy part time job would cover that part or what. I honestly don’t know how much they(being my daughter, ex wife, stepdad, her side of family, etc…) have talked about this and thought this through. You know being my ex and all I just dont communicate with her that much. And unfortunately I don’t talk to my daughter as much as I used to or would like to. She’s the kind of kid you’d be lucky to get more than 3 words out of her at a time. I’m pretty much just dad way out here in BFE South Dakota that she talks to once in a while and see’s once or twice a year. But I guess I’m still important enough to get hit up and asked to cosign a 25k loan. lol