<p>My parents were among those who invested in a private, college prep day school for me for grades 7-12 but did not save a lot for college. Their thoughts were that our city schools were a bit of a dice roll and a little rough, and that our local public university was more than adequate. The private school would give me the best preparation for future -invest early, in other words. They considered moving to a better district but determined that would cost more than private tuition for me and my brother. They are also immigrants who to this day as my son prepares for college, can not fathom why students need to “go away” for college in the US. So of course they assumed I would live at home and commute to “the U”. Our EFC must have been in that netherworld of unrealisticly high for our actual situation. My solution was to apply to schools with merit money. I won a free ride (minus room and board) and actually got to “go away” after all.</p>
<p>Being contrary to this day, my husband and I chose the opposite of my parents – to live in a great district and send our kids to the public schools. Now our son returns from his freshman send off party a little freaked out that most of the others there went to private schools! He is a little intimidated, I think.</p>