<p>Two-parent family, living w/i our means in an expensive area, both worked from high school through college and so on, wages gained bit by bit over the years amidst high child-care costs, housing expenses, little to no debt and therefore, no financial aid.</p>
<p>First reaction - is it fair? I know we're lucky to have jobs, health and little debt, but it's been such hard work the whole way and this means we're working for living expenses plus college expenses and maybe one local vacation a year and a dinner out now and then.</p>
<p>Next reaction - is it the right choice? A state college would be so much cheaper, perhaps we should have shopped the packages, but Cornell fits like a glove.</p>
<p>Final choice - we're going to try to do it - my parents did it for me.</p>
<p>You may be better off posting on the parents forum.</p>
<p>No, it's not fair. You have lived responsibly and now you are getting penalized for it. If you could do it without getting heavily in debt, then it is absolutely worth it. A good education is the best inheritance you could give to your child. It will pay for itself over and over again. </p>
<p>The problem with many top tier schools' financial aid is it only benefits the bottom, there is nothing for the middle. It doesn't adjust for cost of living. It's not easy for a family making between 60-120,000 in the northeast to afford 50,000 tuition, but it doesn't qualify you for much financial aid. </p>
<p>If your child qualifies for Cornell, he/she may be eligible for a full ride at other schools. It may be a better option if he should decide to go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I do agree that "a good education is the best inheritance you could give to your child." My education was amazing and serves me well every day.</p>
<p>I'm curious as to why you think that Cornell fits like a glove. Why is Cornell so compelling vis-a-vis the state flagship or a place like Case Western which provides lots of money?</p>
<p>The other things to note is that living off campus tends to be a lot cheaper than living on campus your freshmen year, as well as the existence of the Cornell Tradition. Any student can apply for a fellowship through the program provided the meet the work and volunteer hour requirements. It would definitely help:</p>
<p>First off, the difference is not $50k. The question you seem to be asking is whether Cornell at full price is "worth it" over your instate Uni, or perhaps other private with merit money. No one here can answer that question since we don't know the other options. For example, attending Cal or UCLA is $26k per year, so attending Cornell is an additional $24k (but not $50k).</p>
<p>Or, attending [insert name of private college] on a full ride? It depends, but in general if pre-professional (med/dent/law), take the full ride since A's (and research and recs) will be a lot easier to achieve since the kid will be starting out at the top of the class and the full ride college will bend over backwards to ensure his success.</p>
<p>Were you denied financial aid, cause you can always fight for it by giving them like a detailed list of your expenses and show them how much is left over? I don't think living in an expensive neighborhood or eating at home is going to kill you.
Your story here is sad, but I can't be helped to know that something that we don't know that the financial aid office does know, that you probably aren't telling us. I would like numbers.
Those people do a lot of research just to see if any one is worth the grants and such and will go out of their way to find that you have cash stashed.</p>
<p>But seriously, any college education is a good investment as long as the student graduates with a degree. On average, you'll get 110% on the investment and probably 150% for graduate school. But in my belief, since ivy leagues are so "great" just because of the name status, and if it draws very important (rich) people from all around the world, it wouldn't hurt to start sacrificing to send your child to Cornell for the social networking.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>absolutely not fair, but as your experience has probably brutally shown you, honest, hardworking people who struggle to climb to a region somewhere above a subsistence level lifestyle are not often rewarded. the ability to throw a ball really fast or jump high or inventing an invasive social networking website, however, is rewarded.</p></li>
<li><p>a degree here MAY open doors that would not otherwise open from a state school, not necessarily in terms of the prestige of the degree but moreso in regard to the pre-professional preparation obtained. perhaps your child will be able to repay you in the future.</p></li>
<li><p>money is fleeting, but knowledge is not. its melancholy, yes, but we do all die and leave our cars and houses behind. their half-lives are probably longer than ours, and will provide us with no ultimate benefit. the knowledge gained and beneficial work done will be timeless and thus far more enriching.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I actually added this question to the parent blog too at the suggestion of oldfort. The discussion has been a healthy one with many points of view. I don't want to paint the situation as "sad," as we're very fortunate to have what we have. I realize that this is one of the junctures in the road where a family chooses a path, there's been many before this such as to work or stay home, private school or public, getting more education or spending the time with the children, etc., etc. After reading all the thoughts it confirms my belief that there are many paths to happiness and success. When one reflects, listens to the stories of others, researches, prays (if religion is an important part of their life) then the right decision comes and there is no regret. As I read through the stories of others' paths I realize how fortunate we are to even be able to ponder such a choice or be able to send our child to college - any college. Thanks for your words of wisdom.</p>