<p>I'm my class's fundraising representative for the private school I went to for thirteen years. I give every year. I also give the same amount to Rice, and I volunteer as an alumni interviewer and rep at the occasional college fair. I do NOT give to the university where I went to grad school… I'm very grateful for the degree they gave me, but while I was a student there, they messed me around so much (moved my desk and research into a hallway to repair my office for three months, and since I didn't have an office then they took away my mailbox, since I didn't have a mailbox then I apparently didn't need my <em>stipend</em> anymore, so they actually quit paying me for a month or two while I banged on every door at the university to get it straightened out… that's one of many stories, regrettably...) that I've written them and asked to not be contacted again. My husband doesn't give to anywhere he went yet, but probably will after all the student loans are paid off.</p>
<p>I donate to my undergraduate school every year, partly to help with US News but also because they've been incredibly generous to me and I think they do a lot of good work. I will likely donate less to my graduate school since more of their funding comes from other sources (tuition dollars, state grants) and they have a very wealthy alumni base (also because they give very little financial aid, and I like my money to go to scholarships!)</p>
<p>My H and I annually donate small amounts to our undergrad schools. We feel that they are both great schools deserving of our support, and perhaps when our kids are out of college, we will up that support a bit. We will hold off on donating to the kids' schools until they have graduated. The tuition payments are rather healthy contributions for now.</p>
<p>My mom did once, but that was for a fund raiser that my cousins were doing. They just happened to go to the same school as her...
My dad hasn't... I think... He said he might if I decide to apply...LOL</p>
<p>I donate to the place from where I got my masters, but not my undergraduate degree. My masters program was excellent, and I still keep in touch with the program's chair. As for my undergraduate school, if I had a thought about donating, it disappeared when the place accepted several of my former students whom I believe were not qualified to gain admission. Some of them may not walk in two weeks because they are not doing well in English or government.</p>
<p>Spouse and I are graduates of the same college (neither of us received fin aid). We donated annually (the amount boosted by corporate matching) until our son enrolled in the same school. We're paying just about full fare for his tuition, which I figure is enough of a donation for now. D is a HS junior now. I have no idea where she'll go, but I doubt we'll resume contributions to our alma mater's annual fund until we're finished with all tuition payments.</p>
<p>I give annually to my undergrad school. I remember calling them after I was accepted, begging for more aid, and they gave it to me. I'm happy to return the favor.</p>
<p>My professional school degree is from an ivy that rejected one of my kids. OK I'm being childish, and I get the whole supply/demand thing, but I just can't bring myself to send money to them anymore. I do send a token $25 to keep the alumni bulletin coming though.</p>
<p>"But tuition (high as it is) only covers a fraction of total costs."</p>
<p>I don't think that's true if you're paying full tuition at a private college (~$45-50k).</p>
<p>If I enjoy the college/law school I attend and am in a financially secure situation (A, at least when I look at it retrospectly, will largely depend on B), I can see myself donating money to them.</p>
<p>^^^
The private LAC my D will be attending reports that it actually costs more than $75,000 annually per student--that's way more than they charge for tuition/rb/fees.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My professional school degree is from an ivy that rejected one of my kids. OK I'm being childish, and I get the whole supply/demand thing, but I just can't bring myself to send money to them anymore.
[/quote]
That's not being childish, that's being human. I think it's the rare alumnus who continues to donate after a child is rejected.</p>
<p>My husband and I, as well as our daughter, are graduates of the same college. When our son applied, he was waitlisted and then rejected. This was a match school for him, so we were very surprised. I tried not to take it personally—perhaps he didn’t fit the profile of the class they were “crafting,” etc. etc.—but the fact is, it hurt. Until then, I loved my alma mater (and donated annually), but I have never felt the same about it since. We still donate (mostly as a nod to our daughter’s success there), but the amount is minimal and I have no plans to increase it.</p>
<p>We donate annually to my college (Reed), to my wife's college (Wisconsin) where we both also attended grad school, to my wife's (private) high school (Putney), and to our children's colleges (U of Chicago and RISD). We figure they all did a good job and continue to do so, and they all can use the extra financial support. Our kids are out of college now, so in principle we can afford to make these contributions.</p>
<p>Anyone who donates to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton is so dimwitted that it makes me wonder how they got into the school in the first place. They clearly don't need any more money and at that point there are a thousand more worthy causes.</p>
<p>But my own school, while rich in terms of its net assets, is startingly poor on a per-student basis. So I give to show my support for the school and continued appreciation for its accepting me and helping make me the person I am today.</p>
<p>I like to donate to my specific major program rather than just "to penn"</p>
<p>My mom stopped donating to her undergrad and grad school when she found out that the school allows the basketball players to drive from class to class and around the campus in golf carts.</p>
<p>I donate to my undergrad college. H donates a sizable amount each year to his undergrad because he believes he received an outstanding education which resulted in his admission to medical school. He also donates a smaller amount to his medical school and private high school.</p>
<p>We told our children they are responsible to donate to their alma maters.</p>
<p>It never occurred to me to donate to our D's school (tho we certainly could since she attending almost for free). My H and I have the same alma mater and we proudly contribute generously. It's a 3rd (or 4th?) tier state school in our home town, whose modest tuition provided great profs & experiences, and prepared us for the well-paying, gratifying careers at a major corp. a few states over, that we have held for over 20 years. Our company matches our contributions, so that's a motivator also.</p>
<p>I on occasion donate to my undergrad school but I never donate to my graduate school. Why? They closed the school within the university....a highly political move.........and they aren't getting a penny from me.</p>
<p>Being one of those that pays rack rate at my D's school, I would never donate to it under any circumstance, and would never encourage her to donate either. One of the purposes of donating to a school is giving back in appreciation for something you received that was more than you were given. If D was the recipient of a generous FA or scholarships I would certainly encourage her to give back, but but paying the rack rate she has already given (through us) more than she is receiving. We will give every last penny we have saved so far to have her go to that particular school, this is more than enough sacrifice, the school cannot expect anything more from us than the tuition checks.</p>
<p>We donate to our sons boarding school and he also makes a separate contribution. We designate that it be used for lower-income students, since we benefitted from the same. S just graduated this week and will attend grad school at the same location so we may possibly give to them once he has graduated.</p>
<p>When I graduate, if I have a steady income, I will definitely contribute to my undergraduate alma mater. They have been just wonderful to me with my financial aid. Although I do not know if I will ever be able to pay back the amount that they gave me, I want to help future students by making college more affordable to them. :)</p>