And we keep getting these even though my kid is a jazz major. 
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That must be it. But Iâm glad for those kids who need an option right now or more time to pull things together. We had a hard time getting everything done with a very sick family member in November and December, and I can imagine this could make a difference for some kids. I know it doesnât seem fair to those of our kids who struggled to do everything on time. Iâm just looking on the bright side of this crazy extension phase.
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Well - at OUR school that information was gathered FROM the students/parents, by sending out a questionnaire. The hook was, that it would appear in the graduation booklet - but the motivation for the school is, of course, to be able to tout the grand total in their annual press release to justify annual school tax increases to the general population.
Point is: it was self-reported (although âverifiedâ by counselors). Many kids/parents couldnât be bothered to do any more paperwork after all these applications, FAFSA/CSS, enrollment forms⊠- which might explain your experience.
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Noticed the same thing about Naviance at our school. The amount of decisions compared to applications is ridiculous. I made sure to remind my boys to update it so can help others. Communication was so terrible with D18âs school that I have no idea if they even used Naviance. I will have to ask her.
Average High School GPA increased from 2.68 in 1990 to 3.11 in 2019, that seems like a pretty big increase. I believe it has increased at an even greater rate since covid, over the last 3 years. But interestingly 12 grade math scores have decreased. Suggests they arenât learning more, just getting awarded higher grades.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress released in March, high school graduates earned an average 3.11 GPA in 2019, up from 3.00 in 2009 and 2.68 in 1990. While average GPAs, credits attained and the number of completed STEM courses have risen within a decade, the national average score on the 12th-grade math portion of NAEP has declined.
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This must be true. And it makes it so awkward for a kid who got a 3K scholarship at a state school that costs relatively little, while their friend got 40K at a private that still costs more.
As for whether kids talk about finances, I can add that my kid talked the other night about a friendâs familyâs finances. He and his friends are very close and they talk about everything. Theyâre also a support group for college disappointments, like his friend who EDâd and got rejected to a dream school, and for celebrations. So yes, anecdotally this group does discuss money.
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In terms of finances, DH and I used to have conversations occasionally where we would say, âWe know how much money we make and what our lifestyle isâŠeveryone else we know must just make so much more money than we do.â Being pretty satisfied with what we had, for the most part weâd just raised a glass in the general direction of the house of the family weâd been discussing and move on.
That was all well and good before one of our neighbors was arrested, charged, convicted, and sent to prison for embezzlement. Turns outâŠthat incredible lifestyle they were living wasnât them making more money than us.
So, at this point - we donât assume anything about anyone elseâs finances. I am more than sure plenty of people are making more than we do, plenty are getting support from extended family, and plenty are putting purchases on credit. But unless you are in the weeds of someone elseâs finances - you just donât know.
I also know that neither our neighborâs spouse nor his children had any idea of what he was up to until the arrest happened. So, any conversation that children are having about their familyâs finances I take with a large grain of salt. From my own children, I know they half understand certain conversations and often erroneously fill in what they missedâŠso any kind of âthis is how so and so is paying for collegeâ I just smile and nod.
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Well, they were bringing home that much money. Just not legally. 
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This is what Iâve always said. We have a small house compared to some of my kidâs friends, and we know that some of them make huge purchases, but things can be deceiving. My kid has some college money that his grandparents saved to hand down for education. We used some of it for him to go on a two-week study abroad trip. One of his classmatesâ moms said they could not send their kid, and it occurred to me how posh we seemed. I told her, his grandmother died. 
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I probably should remind my senior of this. Some have a big hat and no cattle. Others have a small hat and lots of cattle. You never know.
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AKA all flash and no cash.
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weâre waiting on most decisions still, but look â Iâll admit this is a stressor in our family too. Thereâs knowing the logical thing, and then thereâs the feeling, the unknown about âwhat ifâ, and Iâve just accepted itâs real. Whether we pay for that âwhat ifâ⊠well, weâll see if we have to cross that bridge. We wonât kill ourselves with loans, but itâs more a question of using up what weâve saved â or having $ leftover if D23 wants to go go to grad school (or I want to buy a camper van!)
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Donât underestimate the expense. I had a frank talk with my daughter tonight who has started Hello Fresh and spends money like itâs going out of style because she says she saves me a boatload on tuition. When I point out her rent is $1350 or so a month, we paid $1K to get her out of a bad roommate situation, and she had $8K in medical bills last year plus we pay for the sorority and itâs endless.
This came up because sheâs going abroad and I told her she needs to choose from an exchange program (same cost) vs. an affiliate - like paying for a semester at another school.
The financial stress of writing checks is huge; itâs bigger than just hearing the #. I have way more saved than I need but it doesnât mean I should spend it unnecessarily.
Take care of your financial health first and foremost - would be how Iâd play it. Youâll never regret not spending more. YOu may regret spending more.
And inevitably, college will cost more than you think.
Good luck.
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Ainât that the truth?
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My daughterâs school does this, itâs one account handled by the student council, there is a âdividerâ pic where one year ends and the next year begins. I love that itâs the same account, so you can scroll back through the years and see where all the kids went. The design of the announcement pics is unique so each class makes it their own when itâs their turn.
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I would appreciate your assistance. A tough decision to make.
Business schools: which one is best?
Mays Honors (Texas A&M), McCombs Regular (UT Austin), or Bauers Honors (UH)?
In terms of job placement, which is better?
If the goal is job placement then go to https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ and find out what beginning salaries are for each university for the major of interest. Also, ask to see the first destinations reports for each school from career office.
Without any other qualifying factors, location preference, big budget difference, direct admit, or not, etc⊠I would go with UT Austin 100%.
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I cannot comment on UH but the other 2 are both great options! Not sure how different costs would be for the 3 in your case. They would all be bargains if you are in-state but not sure if scholarships factor in in terms of total costs.
For A&M/UT, do you have a preference on location? We live in Austin but I also understand not everyone would prefer Austin over College Station (donât mention to other Austinites!). Cost of living is likely a lot lower in College Station as well.
If you are looking for a âregularâ business job in Texas, you wonât go wrong with either. From a recruiting standpoint, our company hires from both quite a bit and I have been very impressed with the talent coming out of both schools. I would personally say UT with slight edge for purely placement but they are both outstanding. I would pick based on campus vibe and personal preference on location. Both have some advantages.
We are getting knee deep into finances in my house the last few days. We have always talked about money with the kids so they would understand things.
D23 like many others on the board has a decision to make. The two schools are similarly ranked. #1 will cost $70K more than #2 over the course of 4 years. She likes #1 for the school itself a bit more than #2. She has thrown in a bit of a monkey wrench. She has always wanted to be a HS teacher and possibly a professor. We always thought she would go the route of History/Social Studies, but we know the game and would prefer her to add another certification as well. I was thinking English because she loves to read. She probably would be able to do it because of her APs. Recently she has brought up Spec Ed with like a concentration in Deaf studies. I am not sure what they even call it. #1 has a program for that but it would be hard to add the History/SS cert. #2 she could get the History/SS and have time for a ASL minor. If she were a bit crazy she could add some Spec Ed classes.
The swing the money results in her taking out some loans for #1. For #2 she could keep her 529 money and use that later for either getting Spec Ed certified or a Masters. And with the new rules she could roll any unused 529 into a Roth IRA.
We put all the money on paper for her to see. Tonight we will show her the tracks she could go for different degrees/minors at #2. She was worried that #2 wouldnât accept her APs. She is sending an email to two of her teachers and the asst. superintendent(personnel) to get their thoughts and opinions. We did require on the email to them that she state the cost differences.
This in not an Alabama vs Yale decision. These schools are similar.
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