<p>^ Since you and your children are French nationals, it would be better to send them back to Europe for their college education. It’s becoming common for Americans to go to Europe for education, but you have an advantage since you are French.</p>
<p>borghugh-- I agree with you totally. When we first started exploring the fin aid subject at a workshop at D’s school in 10th grade, the speaker said to not give up on private colleges, that one might do better there than at a state school. My D has refused to apply to any state schools (which is besides the point here), but even if she did, our state system would cost $20,000 per year and there is no way we would qualify for aid. But she has already gotten into 2 privates with enough merit and need-based aid to cut the cost for at least the first year in half to about $26,000. Yes, I know that is still $6,000 more than state, but worth to us (not to mention the mental health bills we would have to pay if D was “forced” to go to state school). Are we still struggling to figure out how to pay the long haul? Yes, none of this is easy and we await the rest of her college and fin aid decisions to come out before she makes up her mind. Fortunately, she has no #1 school and did really well in hs and has been able to get excellent merit scholarships.</p>
<p>*Raising kids are terribly expensive in this country…Wonder if this is a good idea to move in the US, but we couldn’t resist sunny California… *</p>
<p>If your kids go to Calif high schools, they will get instate rates at Calif Publics but they won’t qualify for any aid. However, if your income is strong, you wouldn’t get free aid anyway…just loans.</p>
<p>The cost of Cal States is rather low. French publics may be “free”, but don’t you still have to pay for room, board, and books? If so, then a Cal State is comparably about $5k per year. Yes, more than free, but perhaps the tax rate here in the US is lower than it is in France. The cost could even be lower in Calif, if your child goes to a CC for the first 2 years, and then a Cal State. The entire education cost would be about $16k for all 4 years…not too bad.</p>
<p>You could send your kids to France for their college, but I would think that transportation, room, board, books, etc, would cost more than sending your kids to a Cal State.</p>
<p>If college was free, it would NOT be more expensive, on contrary it would be cheaper, if we closed down the mediocre to horrible City and community colleges, and instead only kept the best of the best colleges. </p>
<p>In Europe, and in good reason IMO, many people do not go to college, unless they are truly motivated and ready for it. This is essentially a capitalist vs socialism argument. </p>
<p>The cost of tuition and board and books for France would not cost you money at all, since it’s included in the tuition. In germany they even PAY you money for living costs. </p>
<p>Please do not post speculations about European colleges, especially if you’ve never gone to one. My Mother and Grandfather are both former Professors in different European colleges.</p>
<p>I went to a German university for a half year and my SIL graduated from one. My brother holds an advanced degree from one. I don’t remember what we had to pay to attend. But CA public universities have reasonable tuition as do the NY state universities. Where the costs are the highest here in the US is if you want to live away from home to go to college or go to a private school. Those costs would be there for colleges anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>It is alarming what some of the state schools are charging for their tuition, and there are places where one cannot get a college education locally, and I believe that relief in those areas should happen. But where I live, anyone can afford to go to a local state school. If you don’t have the money on hand, the Staffords are more than sufficient to cover the costs if you commute, JUST AS YOU DID FOR HIGH SCHOOL and before that. If your family is truly needy, there is PELL and state programs that kick in. If a student is truly academically talented and desirable to colleges, there is the scholarship route, and if there is need there as well, financial aid. Yes, you have to apply and see what you get. But for most kids, the bases are covered to get a college education.</p>
<p>The problem is that we have defined the “sleep away” experience as a necessity, not the luxury it is. i don’t believe government money should be going towards that unless there are no close colleges that can serve the student. Then I believe, that money should be available to ALL such students to the nearest state facility. Just as it is for high school. But why should our tax money going to kids who want to live away from home? There are many who do keep their kids at home because they can’t afford to send the kid away,and they are contributing to those who want to go away? I think that is insanity.</p>
<p>So, if your student wants to go to a private university or live away from home, it gets expensive. Just like if you want to send your pre college kids to private school, boarding school.</p>
<p>^There are no good city colleges for students in NYC, 
CUNY is pretty bad, and SUNY as mediocre as it is, still charges 17K :P</p>
<p>which University did you go to? My mother taught in Berlin University,</p>
<p>In New Haven, Ct. Yale started “New Haven Promise” in which students can qualify to go public univ in CT for free or private with a 2500.00 stipind.
I’ve talked to only about 4 students that would qualify,it’s very new and their parents all said, they don’t want to stay here. One dad though said if it came down to big loans or a state college he would have to insist.
The draw to be away and experience something different is strong sometimes, but the cost in many areas is outrageous. UConn is about 22,000 without scholarships which might seem like bargain but it should be cheaper. It is our best state school though and some parents feel if they have to pay, they might as well get the best they could. One mother said her son told her another state school felt like “upper level high school” and she said he transfered to another college the last 2 years I think.</p>
<p>SUNY charges a lot less than $17K if you commute and go there. And I do beg your pardon, but CUNY serves many students very well. No shame in going to a CUNY or SUNY. Many doing very well indeed who went to those schools. Know many of them personally. For some things, it’s tough to do better than a CUNY or SUNY.</p>
<p>The SUNY system is so vast that there have to be some good schools and some great programs.</p>
<p>tuition to triple in UK next year?</p>
<p>[University</a> tuition fee hike will hit 100,000 of this year’s unlucky students | Education | The Observer](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jul/17/university-tuition-fee-students]University”>University tuition fee hike will hit 100,000 of this year's unlucky students | Higher education | The Guardian)</p>
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You know all this as a sophomore in HS? And still plan to take classes at CCNY and Macaulay?</p>
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<p>I beg your pardon, but I graduated from a community college, went on to a bachelor’s from a state flagship and start a research assistantship at a Big 10/R1 state flagship next month.</p>
<p>My father graduated from a community college and went on to earn his Ph.D from UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>“Mediocre” my ass.</p>
<p>The way I see it is that we should decrease and eliminate many if not all of our subsidies to the private schools. It’s the community and local state schools that make a college education possible for everybody. In most countries, those are the schools that are the best. I’d like to see the US work towards that goal. In states like CA, VA, NY, I can see possibilities of that happening. I like what NC and some other states have done as well. </p>
<p>I am a private school mom in that my kids primarily attended private school from the get go, not just when it was time to go to college, but that doesn’t mean that I do not support the public system. I’d like to get it up to where it is the school with the top reputation in the state. </p>
<p>In my current college kid’s case, he would be best served going to a CUNY or SUNY in terms of what they offer academically in his field of interest. But he isn’t sold on that field entirely and is more focused on the amenities of college. He has the luxury of some choices in that area and has chosen to go elsewhere, but strictly speaking, he would be better off getting his education in that field in state at a public.</p>
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<p>I went to a school I could actually afford to go to instead of pretending like spending $100K in loans that I could never pay back was a smart choice.</p>
<p>Also I worked through school and went to a community college for general education. My parents were able to contribute very little, but I didn’t really expect them to. We’re all adults- I have my financial responsibilities and they have theirs. I wouldn’t want my parents to have that kind of financial burden because of <em>my</em> education costs.</p>