<p>Ok, I’ll give you that, bearcats, but they’re very smart hippies, and the OP is talking about a learning style very very common among “hippies” ;)</p>
<p>^
i wasnt saying that it was a negative. I am just saying it takes a certain type of people to fit in.</p>
<p>Alexandre, congrats on the first child! I disagree that paying for college is a parent’s obligation, but anyway…</p>
<p>I have to side to some extent with Alexandre on this one, insofaras to say, pay it now or pay it later 
My parents, however, were of an opposite viewpoint (paid nothing) – and have spent a good deal of time and energy over the last few decades assisting or bailing out other siblings who did not self-finance suitable educations. (I did, like bearcats, self-finance, three different times, in fact, but I only ever managed to pay off my loans because I was fortunate enough to earn a good margin flipping a house. So I can relate to the advice about minimizing student loans – although will say all bets are off if you’re IB bound).</p>
<p>^^^I think that paying for college should be a priority of all parents. What greater present can you give your child than the gift of knowledge and a leg up for the rest of their lives?</p>
<p>“I think that paying for college should be a priority of all parents. What greater present can you give your child than the gift of knowledge and a leg up for the rest of their lives?”</p>
<p>But this implies that you agree with me that it’s a gift, not an obligation :p</p>
<p>I think it is obvious that it is not a legal obligation. Morally, the issue is that if the parents are not going to pay for college, they need to be sure the child understands that well enough ahead of time that they can plan and make various decisions appropriately. However, the fact that all schools take the parents’ income and assets into account when awarding FA demonstrates that it is by far the prevailing standard in this country, at least.</p>
<p>College is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity. Without a college degree, any hope for a career is seriously jeopardized. If parents have the means, they are obligated to pay. Not doing so is morally irresponsible. In our society, parents who cheaply avoid that obligation are looked down upon…and rightly so. There is nothing worse that stingy parents.</p>
<p>Of course, many kids want to pay for their own college experience, but as kmccrindle pointed out, somewhere along the way, parents are going to have to bail the kid out.</p>
<p>Just got back from visiting my D and watching her in an RC performance. That statement that RC kids are hippies and “certain personalities” is flat-out wrong. If you didn’t know my D (or any of her friends for that matter) were in the RC and put them next to other random college students, you’d find a normal mix of kids. The only thing that is different about them is a love of arts and language…maybe a bit more into intellectual discussions than some.</p>
<p>2forc – agreed, but for neuroatypical engineering/math type boys, the a) love of arts and language and b) intellectual discussions = “hippies.”
Sometimes we just humor bearcats!</p>
<p>Cheers km!</p>
<p>True about stereotypes and humoring bearcats!!! Just the misrepresentation of RC kids on this board makes me crazy sometimes…of course there are some in the RC that exemplify the stereotype, but they are the exception rather than the rule.</p>
<p>Help please!! I have pretty much the exact same question as you, and I am currently in a very simiilar position to the one you were in. I also live close to UM and am considering the RC, but am also interested in Bryn Mawr (another small women’s liberal arts college). My concerns about the RC are the same. Do you mind telling me your final decision and how it worked out?</p>
<p>^You might want to try to PM (private message) the original poster (phanatic) in case he or she no longer reads this thread.
Bryn Mawr usually gives very good need aid – but I take it itwould cost you $15k - $20k year with a package gap (you said same situation)? If you don’t have the exact same debtload case, then wait and see the Bryn Mawr package if you have a low efc before you worry too much. You may find all things equal, so then just choose for fit.</p>
<p>Thanks, I did a PM and got a helpful response. I think Bryn Mawr would be a great fit for me, however I also think I would be happy at U of M. As you suggested, I’m waiting for news about financial aid to make my final decision.</p>
<p>Wait, I’m also debating with Smith vs. Michigan. Mind telling me your decisions please?</p>
<p>My main concern is that Michigan’s academics are spectacular, but I feel as if I would NEED personal attention to do well in college, to perform my very best. With 40k students, 100ks before me, constant competition- I feel as I’d just be in a larger public high school again; lost in the crowd. I know RC’s available, but that just sounds weird (to be honest), and I know classes simmer down in size, but I don’t really want to wait for that either. I feel as if I might just be completely lost at Michigan.
I feel as if I’d have no problem turning down like an ivy for Michigan undoubtedly, but turning down a small female school where everyone’s so connected and so comfortable with each other?- that’s kind of hard to do, to be honest.</p>
<p>What is your intended major zinthafan?</p>
<p>Yup, Michigan tops in everything (:
I’m looking at comparative government and like epidemiology I think.</p>
<p>But I recieved private messages from phanatic and 15college, so like those 2, I am officially going to be a Wolverine next year I believe (:</p>
<p>For anyone else who reads this thread in the future, make sure to PM some of us! LAC’s might seem amazing, but they’re not always what they seem like at first, and you might have a lot of problems being accepted by the students there (ie- Smith’s very liberal, they might not like if you’re conservative or moderate). Phanatic’s PM confirmed the ideas I had about that.
At Michigan, one really can find a niche everywhere. If you run out of potential friends from the 40k people there, at least you still have the squirrels…:D</p>
<p>Nicely stated! Michigan is a great school, and Ann Arbor is an awesome city. I have no regrets going there instead of going to a $53,000 LAC!</p>
<p>So happy you all decided to go to Michigan and the RC! I think it’s really one of the great options for students who would benefit from the LAC atmosphere, but don’t want to be confined by it either.</p>