<p>could it be possible?
can anyone share some stories how you paid for college</p>
<p>1) you get merit scholarships (COA for instate schools are very low)</p>
<p>2)you could be very poor and be very smart (Ivy League and top schools have full rides for people making less than 50 or 60k a year)</p>
<p>3)qualify for Questbridge </p>
<p>4)have really rich parents that can pay for your college expenses </p>
<p>That is all I can think of for now!</p>
<p>win the lottery</p>
<p>Even with good financial aid, the last 4000-5000 is always the hardest to find. One strategy is to cobble together a number of different sources of aid. $500 and $1000 scholarships from local sources add up. If you get enough of them it turns into a lot of assistance. Spending 8 hours per week applying for outside scholarships/grants can provide a much greater return than working at a job 8 hrs/wk. I’ve seen this strategy work.</p>
<p>Live on one income for many years. Have the nonworking parent go back to work when the kids’ college costs begin. Do not change anything in the way you live (the whole second income goes to college & to a retirement account). You don’t feel any richer … BUT … you don’t feel poorer, either! :)</p>
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<p>That’s what we are doing…but it’s not a “magical way to have no debt”.</p>
<p>How about a magic wand…or a magic lantern with a genie.</p>
<p>Too bad Robert Redford isn’t around to make an indecent proposal.</p>
<p>I have magic money tree seeds. $1000 each. No guarantees. No refunds.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom- do you know [Treehorn ?](<a href=“http://www.shvoong.com/books/childrens-literature/141776-treehorn-treasure/”>http://www.shvoong.com/books/childrens-literature/141776-treehorn-treasure/</a> )</p>
<p>I didn’t. I think a lot of students do - but haven’t read the bit where the money turns back into leaves.</p>
<p>What’s a he man belt?</p>
<p>Start to organize into groups and pressure our representatives to remember that education is intended to serve the common good and not be a pot o’ gold for the corporate lenders lobby. </p>
<p>Either that or win the lottery, stay out of college, and get out of the country…</p>
<p>Nobody has mentioned the “start saving for college when the kids are born” method. Worked for us.</p>
<p>If you think you might know your major, create a list of schools that offer a decent undergrad in the field or develop a list of schools based on the type of school you want to attend (public/private, large/small, etc). Then, explore these colleges based on the strength of the department…not just the ranking of the school. VISIT if you can! Meet the professors. (My daughters list changed dramatically after visits) If you do not qualify for fin aid or enough fin aid, shorten your list by the availability of merit aid based on your qualifications. This site has a wealth on information and lists of schools that are known for generous merit aid. Be prepared to apply for scholarships at these schools and write many additional essays. Some deadlines have already passed with others approaching fast. It is hard work, but it is possible.</p>
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<p>I did that. Unfortunately, the cost of college rose much, much faster than my disposable (save-able) income did, which leaves quite a gap between what private schools cost and what is saved. I’m glad we will probably have enough to fully fund our good Flagship U (assuming the kid lives at home), but anything more expensive…</p>
<p>We were told by a financial advisor “no matter how much you save for college…it probably won’t be enough. Put your money into retirement accounts. Build up as MUCH as possible in those accounts. You’ll have a principal that will gain interest and if necessary, you can cut back on those contributions while your kids are in college.”</p>
<p>That is what we did…we can always pay back loans with our retirement income.</p>
<p>I lost my job 2 weeks after my son was born, had no income for 18 months (other than unemployment and then welfare). Took another 8 years to get back to income level of 30K. Not much saving took place the first 10 years of my son’s life either for college or retirement.</p>
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<p>After 17 years of saving, my family definitely doesn’t have enough to cover the ridiculous cost of college. </p>
<p>Yeah, it helps (a lot, obviously! :)), but there are so many things you can’t expect to happen between the time you’re born and the time you go to college…for us, it was everything from my parent’s divorce to dad going from earning 200k a year to 20k a year to my younger brother’s uninsured medical costs. I’m still going to be insanely in debt when I graduate.</p>
<p>It would be very difficult to save enough for college given that per year the average rise in college costs has been 6%. What needs to happen is a major restructuring in how this country funds and spends on higher education. But there are major obstacles to such reforms including the unfortunate fact that certain aspects of the credit industry have made a killing from our current system. And the manner in which that money comes in has precluded many in academe looking seriously at alternatives. </p>
<p>If current trends continue, it won’t be possible to save enough for college, or to make enough to pay back for attending higher education. </p>
<p>Concerning paying back loans with retirement income, that has some disturbing correlations. We have a generation who’s been bound to outrageous debts to attend college, and there will be some who will not be able to pay the tolls before their retirement. But under current draconian laws such as retirement programs and even money from governmental programs like social security can be seized by the edudebt industry for payments. Could be a major issue within the next few years and unless something is done it could be a major social crises. </p>
<p>Back to the original premise, probably the only way for many to attend college without debt is not to attend. Not exactly a magical situation…</p>
<p>It is obvious that we are all very frustrated…even embarrased to have to have “the conversation” with our kids. But back to the original premise, it doesn’t have to be magic to attend college for little or no debt. At present, it just takes a more work and an adjustment in all of our expectations/dreams. If a family cannot afford $50K/yr and does not qualify for financial aid, perhaps the family decides that the ivies and expensive privates are out. Sad, but true. We all have choices to make today and every family will make a different choice. If the choice is little or no debt for the undergrad degree, the vast majority of the kids represented on this site are positioned to do just that…provided that egos are held in check.</p>
<p>Not that hard to stay out of debt and go to school. Most kids getting ready for college don’t want to do it though. First, go to community college for your first two years. Work full-time and live at home while you are doing it. Then your last two years transfer to an in-state school.</p>
<p>Live at home if you can, or find a very cheap place to live. Get a roomate to share the cost. Go to night school and work during the day. Also, there are a fair amount of companies like UPS that will reimburse for tuition. The McDonalds in Ft Collins, Colorado offer tuition reimbursement. Not sexy, but it will pay for college. Join military reserve or guard and they will pay for most of your school. </p>
<p>You can go to college and not go into debt, but you will give up a lot of the college experience. What’s more important. Education or going to the parties and football games. Only you can decide that.</p>