<p>My parents give my brothers (depending on their college cost) and set amount that they give them for tuition each year. My brothers really only need to make up for a difference of about 5 thousand dollars, which they get from scholarships and such. I’m guessing my parents will do the same for me. I dont think I know anyone whose parents pay in full for their education, but then again, I’ve never asked.</p>
<p>I think at my daughter’s school 55% are full pay, so there are suckers out there. There are many full pay parents on CC.</p>
<p>My parents are going to be paying for mine. Well I don’t know for sure because I go to college in 3 years…but if they have the money for it they will.</p>
<p>I was raised outside of the US, and I was taught that a family forms a chain from one generation to the next. My father payed for my education in full, all the way to professional school. I am now over 50, and he continues to help me as much as he can. I in turn believe it is my obligation to pay for my children’s education (however long it might be), and that will impose a similar obligation on them. In that way our family will prosper more with each generation. And no, unfortunately I did not qualify for FA at all.</p>
<p>There are many aspects of life that Americans take for granted as good and proper not realizing that the rest of the world or a majority of the world do things differently. One thing that generally shocks me is how eager many parents are to get their kids to independence, even if it means throwing them out the door if they don’t have a job or aren’t working on a degree.</p>
<p>My dad is currently unemployed, and my mom is a full-time secretary. We live in an area that has what I to believe a really low COL (Western PA, if anyone is interested). So while we make way under $50,000, and I qualify for free lunch, AP/SAT/ACT testing, etc., I’m pretty happy with my (poor) life. That being said, I’m entering every scholarship I lay my eyes on. Every little bit counts.</p>
<p>Anyway, the point is, my parents simply can’t pay for my college. They’ll give me grocery money, car insurance money, and cell phone money, but as to devoting one or two thousand dollars to me per year? Impossible.</p>
<p>BCEagle91,</p>
<p>I was shocked when a good friend of mine in the US told me the other day that he “lent” $4,500 to his son so he could buy himself a car. I know for a fact my friend makes about $400,000 a year. “Lent?” I had to bite my tongue. My mother was American, and she told me her father practically kicked her out of the house at 17. I thought she was exaggerating, until I actually came to live here. To us, such behavior is unimaginable.</p>
<p>^I feel an obligation to my children to provide them with an education, if it is within my means. But I don’t feel obligated to provide them with an automobile. I don’t see anything wrong with the above.</p>
<p>PS: That’s MRS. Sucker to you! :)</p>
<p>My parents are paying for a large portion of mine, but I’m also financially responsible. With our current financial situation (it fluctuates year to year, dad’s in sales) they are able to pay for most of it, but they told me (and I agreed) that if things change that I’d be responsible for a lot more than I am now, meaning I’d need to take out loans in addition to working my butt off in the summers like I already do. </p>
<p>I feel like the kids need to have some stake in their education, even if it’s just buying books or something, but that the parents should help their kids as much as possible. I know some parents can’t, but if a parent can afford to fork over a few grand (more or less) for their kid to get an education, then they should.</p>
<p>We are paying for college. We loaned DS a car for his use during grad school. It’s back here now (he graduated and doesn’t need a car at this point). We’ll help pay off college loans IF we can. But our own expenses come first after the “four year plan” for tuition. Anything above and beyond that is at our discretion and our kids know that.</p>
<p>Mine contributed $1000 dollars, so yes.</p>
<p>Hello looking for scholarships and loans…</p>
<p>My parents are paying for mine and the interest for my loans but I have to pay my loans myself once I’ve graduated. They’d pay for 100% of it if I went to a state school.</p>
<p>My husband and I started saving money for our daughter’s college education as soon as she was born. We wanted her to go anywhere she wanted to go. We sacrificed dinners out, vacations, theatre and new cars. My husband spent twenty three years in the reserves in addition to his full time job.
Our daughter appreciates it. She has heard horror stories from her friends about creditors calling students at school because of charge card debt, (which frequently accompanies large student loan debt).</p>
<p>ditto what thecheckbook said. Paying for our kids’ education has been priority one since, well, their day one. We paid for private school and are paying for college. We are even considering paying for grad school. It’s easy to do when they work so hard and are so appreciative for what we’ve been able to give them.</p>
<p>Being able to pay didn’t make a difference when my son applied to college three years ago, but I wonder if it’ll make a difference this year for my daughter. Does anyone think schools are going to be looking for those who can pay the full tuition and is this a good year to be an ED applicant?</p>
<p>I’ve been blessed with financially responsible parents, who have been planning for my college education & my sister’s since the day I was born. I live in a very affluent community, where 95% of students’ colleges are paid for by their parents, and 98% of students from the high school DO go on to college. Truthfully, there’s never been any question of whether or not I was going to college; when I got into one of the top private colleges in the country (and one of the most expensive), I asked my parents what we were going to do to afford it. They said that college for me, as long as I qualified for a scholarship or two (I did, I get $14k a year), was totally taken care of. The deal was that college is their responsibility, so long as I keep my grades up, and anything past 4 years is my own problem.</p>
<p>I think it is definitely possible for a student to put him/herself through college, but really only at either a state school or a community college. I had to watch one of my best friends go through hell this last semester, working 20 hours a week in addition to being a full-time student, drowning in student loans and insurance and medical bills, with no help or contact with either of her parents, only to be denied financial aid and the approval to register as an independent on her FAFSA. It’s just unrealistic to think that, in today’s economy and with college prices what they are, a simple high-school graduate could maintain going to classes and more than a part-time job at an expensive school. Sucks, but that’s the reality of it.</p>
<p>My parents value education above anything else so yes, they are paying for me to go to college. Tuition, room/board, food, etc. I am lucky; they were very responsible with their finances and can afford to do so even though I don’t qualify for financial aid or scholarships. However, I plan on working a job anyway.</p>
<p>Had a chat with two others in the office yesterday. Two of us with kids in college and another one with a 6-month-old baby. He said that he should start the college savings plan now. He and his wife both have Phds and have the usual expenses with setting up a household but he definitely is good at managing his money coming out of a former Eastern Bloc country.</p>
<p>Yes, it does help to start saving when the kids are born (if not sooner). It’s also helpful if you have loved ones who are interested and able to contribute to your kids’ education.</p>
<p>Our D had no idea that getting a college degree wasn’t a requirement until she met some kids in middle school who mentioned it. From her earliest memory, it was WHICH U she might want to attend rather than whether she’d go to college.</p>
<p>Us are very expensive these days, even in-state publics. One of the cheaper ways of getting a degree is attending CC & then transferring to in-state public, but even that adds up and FAid is often many loans rather than outright scholarships & grants.</p>
<p>uh . . . I will no doubt be scolded for this but I feel compelled to introduce a note of reality here as a parent paying full freight for son at Harvard:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If child is a very good student then whatever you do as a parent - DON’T SAVE MONEY FOR COLLEGE</p></li>
<li><p>If child is a good student then whatever you do as a parent - DO NOT WORK HARD AT YOUR PROFESSION AND PROSPER - MUCH, MUCH BETTER to EARN A MODEST INCOME THAT COVERS YOUR NEEDS BUT DOES NOT COVER TUITION FOR COLLEGE</p></li>
<li><p>If child is a good student then point child to good schools that want good students and are willing to pay for them (i.e., merit aid).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Unless, you earn millions or are just in possession of millions, the very prestigious schools that you really want your child to attend because they are smart and worked hard and gosh darn DESERVE IT will basically take every dime you have, force you to extend retirement out for decades and forever impact your life as you are aging and increasingly in need of some comforts.</p>
<p>And quite honestly, we are not seeing the huge benefit of the prestige pedigree, although son is just a rising junior. Perhaps two years from now I will be weak in the knees over this stuff but so far not seeing it.</p>
<p>I am very torn over this topic. We paid in full for our first daughter’s college education. Great kid, high achiever, got into her dream school, University of Southern California, finished in three years, got her Masters in the fourth (and one semester) year, and about $200,000 later she is barely making ends meet trying to patch together (read - be creative about) work that will pay the bills. Was it worth it? Sure doesn’t seem like it right now. I guess I will have to see what happens down the road. She loved every minute there – it was the perfect school for her – she got a great education – but . . . . hard to say it was worth it. Daughter #2 leaves in a day for college – luckily got about half covered in merit scholarship so will get by for quite a bit less than D1 – and is going to a somewhat less expensive school ($40k instead of nearly $50k). It is still going to be $80k when all is said and done – still a lot of money compared to the about $4k she would spend had she decided to go to the local University where she had nearly a full ride. But, she is happy. Much happier than staying the in home town. Luckily we have the money so I can’t complain. But again, wonder regularly whether it is worth the investment.</p>