<p>I do agree that adults shouldn’t be dependents - I think one of the worst things about the American college system is how it makes adult children dependent on their parents for financing, even into their 20s.</p>
<p>It doesn’t " make" them be dependent on their parents.
Many students can earn AP credits or take running start classes while still in high school. These credits can reduce time and money spent earning a four yr degree. They can take out Stafford loans and qualify for Pell grants and all they need from their parents is their financial info until they are 24, but that doesn’t obligate the parents in incur additional debt.
They can look for merit money, get a job, either to pay for schooling or by finding an employer who will pay for school.</p>
<p>A student whose parents make little, and who cannot afford to contribute at all will have a low EFC. While most schools don’t meet 100% of need, some do. Many students also take longer to earn their degree while working.</p>
<p>A student whose parents make a lot and who don’t qualify for any need based aid still has alternatives albeit they are undoubtably better off than the poorer students as being better prepared to be successful in college.</p>
<p>As taxpayers we can encourage our legislators not only to fully fund K-12 but to increase financial support of our state universities, perhaps back to the level it was ten years ago?</p>
<p>^ But don’t you think it’s rather odd that the whole system of funding college for 20 and 21 year-old adults involves collecting income information etc from their parents? That’s a kind of dependence too.</p>
<p>I think a sensible system of student loans, as they exist in many other countries, would remove so much of the college funding agony: loan repayments are 10% of any income above (say) $20k per year, until the bill is paid. This would allow students to take on much larger loans and pay for college themselves, no parental involvement, without having to worry about getting saddled with gigantic repayments after graduation. And of course parents would still be free to pay, and students free to get jobs instead of loans, if they so chose.</p>
<p>I don’t have all that much sympathy with ever-increasing college tuition, since it seems to be a consequence of things that people choose and vote for: lower taxes, and more focus on ‘the college experience’, which mostly seems to mean nice facilities and expensive extracurriculars.</p>
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<p>This is an assumption on your part. My niece is looking for information and she would like to have an itinerary before she travels. She’s certainly not being forced to come up with a plan, rather, she would like to have a plan. I’m a planner by nature, so of course I think she should know what she is getting into so that she can get the best possible experience from the year.</p>
<p>My own children typically plan ahead - my daughter (a junior at Brown) recently traveled out of the country and she made all of the arrangements without any intervention from me. I think planning ahead made her feel comfortable that the trip would go smoothly - and it did.</p>
<p>In life, there are planners and more spontaneous sorts, and it is not helpful to judge others so harshly. I appreciate katwkittens’ thoughtful comments. If others want to set out on an adventure and just wing it, going with the flow, I have absolutely no issue with that. Whatever floats your boat.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all of the great info - lots of amazing resources that I’ll pass along. I hope this information is helpful to others as well.</p>
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<p>I really don’t think it is appropriate to criticize another poster for offering a differing and much needed perspective. Keepittoyourself is spot on: millions of teens backpack places like Europe and Australia safely on their own every year, just not many Americans – which is ironic since just about anywhere else you go outside of a war zone is statistically safer than staying in the US.</p>
<p>What do you get with a “gap year” program? The opportunity to pay much more for the chance to remain in a mobile American ghetto looking out at the real Australia. Where’s the learning experience when someone is constantly holding your hand?</p>
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<p>Then you are misguided. Even in countries where baksheesh is common, foreign tourists from Western countries are treated with deference, often treated much better than the locals. And we’re talking about Australia here, every bit the US’s First-World equal.</p>
<p>keepittoyourself - interesting you have such an SN.</p>
<p>Gourmetmom - D1 did study abroad in Australia few years back, so this information maybe old. Have your niece do some research on the cell phone and internet service in Australia before she leaves. I got D1 a local phone, which was not easy because they wanted a local address. Australia’s wireless and internet are not “all you can eat.” They do not have unlimited text or internet. D1 incurred $500+ charges one month. I ended up getting a wifi stick for her because her dorm didn’t provide very good wifi and I wanted to skype with her.</p>
<p>Australia is very expensive, and it is risky to find an apartment online and pay for it sight unseen. Make sure your niece has plenty of money when she goes over there. The idea of backpacking through Australia is not as easy as it appears. Australia society is also very sexist, racist and class- conscious. It took D1 few months before she adjusted to the place. She lived in a women’s college, for the first month the girls ignored D1 and her friend at meal times because they were not sure if D1 came from the right family (no joke). That being said, D1 ended up making a lot of good friends. They introduced D1 to their family and friends. Whenever they come to the States, they always make a point of seeing D1.</p>
<p>I don’t want to discourage your niece from going to Australia, but just make sure she is well prepared and have her parents keep close contact with her.</p>
<p>I am a planner also. D1 had a place to live, had a local phone, international banking/credit cards, local family friends to call, and an internship lined up before she went over there. Even with all of that planning, it was still a big adjustment. D1 was 20 when she went over there.</p>
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OP was asking for some information about traveling to Australia. She didn’t ask for parenting guide. If you nothing constructive advice to offer then say nothing. Start another thread to voice your opinion.</p>
<p>Why does every thread gets down to “this is a the right way of parenting, if you are not doing it this way then it is wrong.” I say, “give it a rest.”</p>
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<p>What’s an SN?</p>
<p>Screen Name. Such contradiction, no?</p>
<p>No, I don’t think so. This is a discussion website, no? You also have 10 times as many posts as me, yes?</p>
<p>But I don’t call myself “keepittoyourself,” I only call myself old fart, which gives me a lot more latitude.</p>
<p>I know kids who have done gap years at an outward bound type school . It is called timbertop. they work at the school. The people I know who have gone have loved it.</p>
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<p>But calling someone an ‘old fart’ implies some kind of crotchety wisdom.</p>
<p>Even in countries where baksheesh is common, foreign tourists from Western countries are treated with deference, often treated much better than the locals. And we’re talking about Australia here, every bit the US’s First-World equal.</p>
<p>If you read my response I wasn’t speaking about Australia.
I had expressed my concern about my daughter traveling on the beaches of Goa shortly ( a week) after a British girl just a few years younger had been raped and murdered.
I was told “murders happen anywhere”, which I agreed with & I had observed at close hand being that D had attended an inner city public high school.
However, I also felt that the " authorities" in developing countries to be lacking in consistency and authority.
In Scarlett’s case, the police insisted it was an accident and urged the mother to return the remains to the UK ASAP. She refused & insisted on a second exam which found evidence that she had been raped and murdered.
<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8577029.stm[/url]”>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8577029.stm</a>
( the conviction rate of serious crimes committed against foreigners in Goa is ZERO)</p>
<p>Which situations are you referencing where westerners are treated with deference?</p>
<p>*
But I don’t call myself “keepittoyourself,” I only call myself old fart, which gives me a lot more latitude.
*</p>
<p>You have more of a sense of humor than I’ve given you credit for!
;)</p>
<p>^^^I try to hold back on CC.</p>
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<p>Typically in disputes with local vendors, often taxi drivers. First hand I’ve seen it in Egypt, Mauritius, Thailand and Indonesia, probably others I can’t immediately recall (spread over 69 countries and maybe 2 years total on the road). Some countries officially have “tourist police” to handle such issues.</p>
<p>For serious crimes you can, of course, expect to be tossed in some local dungeon. </p>
<p>Sometimes things happen – the law of large numbers sees to it – but the world overall is an incredibly safe place for the polite traveler not looking to score drugs or push a political or religious agenda. People everywhere are willing to share with a stranger and go out of their way to help a lost or confused soul. It’s truly a shame to succumb to the culture of fear that the American government and media hoist upon us.</p>
<p>How is viewing the situation realistically ( zero perps convicted for serious crimes against foreigners in Goa), succumbing to " a culture of fear"?</p>
<p>Hey, in case you still care for input:</p>
<p>The one thing that is good to know about Australia, when wanting to do agricultural work: seasons.</p>
<p>Australia is a pretty vast place and when it’s hot and dry in Adelaide, it might be flooded in Queensland. </p>
<p>You have to go where the work is and that means you have to go where the right fruit/veg is growing! A cousin of mine (non-coddled European) had to give up because she simply spent too much air-fare money on the wrong places from the harvests.</p>
<p>Example: The ACT has no harvest jobs. NSW has no cotton to be picked in July but is full of lemons around the year in the Sydney area.</p>
<p>The list is pretty endless for that, as a rule: the depth of winter (july, august) has much less work than the summer months. </p>
<p>The most useful website ever: [Town</a> and crops search - Harvest jobs - Australian JobSearch](<a href=“http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/towncroplist.aspx]Town”>http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/towncroplist.aspx)</p>
<p>Another harvest tip: most farmer will not bother with advertising work. Even though harvest-job sites exist, they are rarely representative of the work that is there, farmers prefer that you just show up, ask for work and that’s that. Be aware that a lot of farms are very remote! Having your own car might just be a requirement. (Car-pooling is the key here)</p>
<p>Even if you have work lined up - if a strong drought happens or it starts raining like hell, you’ll be screwed. If that happens, try to do volunteer work in exchange for food.</p>
<p>It’s probably also good to know that some harvesting jobs are back-breaking and if you are not an expert picker (which you won’t be), it’s financially a pretty bad deal. You get usually paid by load/basket/bag, even if you work 9 hours, you might barely make 70$ - before tax. And it’ll be hard. The trickier the fruit, the harder the work (what’s tricky are heavy fruits and veg that is stingy, like onions and garlic).</p>
<p>Beware of insects… and sunburn! Australia is skin cancer country #1, no matter how stupid the hat looks, wear it!</p>
<p>And secondly, I wouldn’t recommend renting an apartment (unless with various other people) or the like, unless you are studying there. The whole point about backpacking is the backpacking part. Stay in hostels, camp, do what you can to meet new people. Mix with people from totally different backgrounds. Throw out any pre-conceptions about anyone out of the window before even coming down there.</p>
<p>There is nothing sexist, racist or class-concious about Australia unless you put yourself in that situation by choice.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>