<p>How does one afford the 30k a year tuition?</p>
<p>30K? Where did you get that idea? It’s 45K plus books, supplies, travel and misc. How? By check. They don’t accept credit cards. ;)</p>
<p>Much the same way a family would figure out a way to pay for college, I guess. Educate yourself about financial aid options, try to determine how much your family would be expected to contribute, and then bump that up against what each school costs, and how much financial aid might be available.</p>
<p>Some families have planned for their child to attend boarding school for years, and have saved for it the same way they would save for college. Lots of families “make do” the best they can - drive an old car, forgo vacations, live as frugally as possible, tap into retirement savings, etc. </p>
<p>I would guess that some families might feel strongly enough about sending their child to boarding school (or any private school, for that matter) that they might take out a loan of some type. I’m not sure how feasible that would be in light of the current financial situation and how tight lenders are with loans right now.</p>
<p>Of course, there are some families that are in a position where the cost is not an issue, and they can “write a check” without any undue hardship. Or perhaps there is a relative (for example, a grandparent) who is willing and able to pay the tuition bill.</p>
<p>And, of course, many of us get generous, grant-based financial aid…not that we don’t still have to do many of the things mentioned in the above posts, but it’s doable.</p>
<p>Thanks for your feed back :)</p>
<p>Stick w/public!</p>
<p>Drive a 13-year old car, become a DIY’er instead of calling a contractor. Eat out less. Netflix - and home popped kettle corn - lol! Tin cup on a street corner with a sign that says “will smile for BS tuition.”</p>
<p>But - actually - affording it isn’t a good phrase. We can’t afford it. But keeping her in public school would have been worse. So we defer a lot of discretionary expenses and tap savings.</p>
<p>I would have made out better if they accepted American Express. I actually sat on a year-long advisory panel and it was one of the most requested items on our suggested list of card enhancements.</p>
<p>Most schools take payment plans (up to 10 installments) with no interest. I noted in the packet there are companies that will do loans. But holy cow - who wants to be carrying loans when you have to take out more for college?</p>
<p>As I posted elsewhere: “We were initially very excited that our (FA) EFC recommendation was honored, but there have been more hidden costs (books, airfares, activities, other child expenses, etc.) than we anticipated and it has been harder than we planned. We’re looking at second jobs. Worth it? Yes (we have no local options) but once the initial excitement is over it can be hard. If you have good options, that is something to consider.”</p>
<p>We afford it much the same way Exie… does. It is a financial priority because it’s what we value and what our d needs. Sometimes it’s hard to forgo the health club, massages, vacations, etc., but we feel good about our priorities.</p>
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<p>That’s about the life most people are already living. For a practical matter though, the maintenance cost on a 13 year old car may making buying a new car a better deal. Also, if you are not that good a DIY’er, you may end up spending more money (e.g. ripping out the mess you just created and calling in a professional :-). </p>
<p>I have to argue that there is a limit plus cost on how much we can save by sacrificing. I have two kids, so I cannot image myself cutting all EC’s for the 2nd so that the 1st can afford a BS experience. Remember those EC’s are almost what have made the 1st so great in the first place.</p>
<p>People say you can cut vacations. Well, actually we never do those over the top vacations, but vacation in itself is absolutely needed to keep my wife and I from going insane … both working full time to make ends meet plus other responsibilities both inside and outside the house. Vacation, to us, is not an indulgence, but a chance to recharge so we can live to fight another day.</p>
<p>For folks applying for FA, it would be interesting to see how BS is going to calculate the demonstrated needs. I am glad my D has good local option, and we are going to support her 100% if she wants to go boarding. But this “100%” good will would never include the rest of the family living the life of the dead. To me, education is very important, but never the most important,and there is more than one way to do it. As to my D, she has already started saying – “hey, if those schools don’t let me in, it is only going to be their loss”.</p>
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<p>lol! I hear ya. Been there, done that. I handed my husband a DIY book with photos and sent him off to the hardware store and said “This is called an auger. Don’t let them sell you anything else that is shiny and new.” When I got a Dremel drill bit kit and a workmate bench for my birthday, the women at the party thought it was a gag gift and asked where the “real” gift was. I told them it was at the boarding school. (btw - Habitat for Humanity’s demolition crew is really good at ripping stuff out and leaving floors you can eat off of when they’re done). As for cars - umm yeah - we can talk about car repair bills having just tapped out on an engine rebuild. But then I had to balance new car payments on top of monthly tuition hits and decided the rebuild was cheaper. I’d play the lottery, but airfare, clothes, the unplanned school trip to Europe, and all the other ancillary costs took the only dollar I had left over. :-)</p>
<p>(still worth it though).</p>
<p>Even though we got great FA, it wasnt a free ride and surely didnt include plane cost, clothes, extras such as skiilng,. It is difficult for a divorced person with no child support. I havent bought anything for myself since my d was accepted. I work summer school, like I have for all of her life and my only vacation is when I take her to school/pick up from school and get to stay in the Red Roof Inn. I dont eat out and only have basic cable. I cant remember the last movie I saw at a theater, I love redbox. I tutor kids and keep up with every nickel.</p>
<p>After half of the first year, I would do it again in a heartbeat, no questions asked. My d is where she needs to be.</p>
<p>But if I had a “sugar daddy…”—lol</p>
<p>I’d be interested if others’ experiences with your child working summer jobs to help with BS costs. We’ve discussed this with our child, and if accepted, our child will be working in the summers, saving money to help with expenses (not necessarily tuition/board, but all the “extras” - laundry service vs. doing it yourself, books, school excursions, extra money for eating out, etc.). We live in a mountain tourist town that heavily relies on high school kids to fill lots of summer jobs, so finding a job will thankfully not be a struggle.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great info :)</p>
<p>When I attended Exeter I worked each summer. It was essential since my parents couldn’t help with incidentals. We were really stretched. The extra money helped even for such issues as school clothes and spending money. My daughter is hoping to get a summer job. It also helps with self-esteem and independence.</p>
<p>With unemployment the way it is, start early. But I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>Interesting concept of kids working. I have a difficult time with my d working to pay for school. I was never allowed to work during summers unless it contained a learning component. I worked in a nursing home during summers in college. I baby sat and took classes during high school.</p>
<p>I find that most jobs in our big city dont have a learning component. Working fast food was nothing that my parents allowed. I believe that the small amount of money made is not going to make that big of a difference in the overall scheme of things. I rather see her volunteer in an area that she enjoys or I see she could could benefit from.</p>
<p>Working for pay at a minimum wage job has a huge learning component for just about any of our kids. Just my opinion based on the series of minimum wage jobs I had during college vacations.</p>
<p>Too many parents try to “intellectualize” what a summer job is supposed to be and keep their kids from those aspects of the learning experience. Those kids come off as “over programmed.” A summer job - may enhance their college application experience.</p>
<p>Also, BS is brutal and summer needs to be about pressure release. </p>
<p>So what do you get from a job (even flipping burgers?)</p>
<ol>
<li>money management</li>
<li>working with people and deadlines that are different than typical school routines and cultures</li>
<li>a sense that they are contributing to their expenses (or saving towards them)</li>
<li>independence.</li>
</ol>
<p>I get a lot of students who apply to MIT and haven’t worked a job but have volunteered. That raises flags since a lot of volunteer opps are now “required” by high schools. It’s become the default. And one poster commented a few months ago that for BS apps, there are now more toilets in Guatemala than people. </p>
<p>If it’s a child’s idea - more power to them. But more often then not, the lack of a job reads as “odd.” I’m finding higher acceptance rates among students who do work - even menial jobs than those who don’t in my local pool. I’m more mystified when students indicate they need financial aid, but haven’t made any effort to create income on their own. Years ago, FA officers looked on that with scorn.</p>
<p>My oldest daughter applied for a job at an amusement park. She got a job escorting characters and was later bumped up to “be” a character. She got the worst costume in the park. Realized real quick it was like living inside a toaster oven. But I couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She had a sky high IQ and could do anything but chose that. Then I realized she was “decompressing” and storing energy for the next semester. That life shouldn’t always be about structured learning. Sometimes it’s about hanging out with people your own age over the summer doing silly stuff and making the money that you can claim as your own. And learning how arbitrary following employee policies can often be. Or how little checks are at minimum wage especially after Uncle Sam takes a cut…</p>
<p>Sometimes it seems as we’re so focused on learning, we forget they’re still kids and deserve all the shared experiences and growth opps that go with that.</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>My children also work “summer entertainment” minimum wage jobs to help with their school expenses. It helps them appreciate the value of a dollar, the value of an education and the fact that there is a whole big world out there beyond the boarding school bubble.</p>
<p>My kids work too–we prefer that they work “independent contractor” type jobs though–mowing lawns, etc. so that they can still go to Scout and band camp and the annual family reunion. The only thing I don’t like about summer jobs is the way they can tie kids down too much–depends on the employer though. </p>
<p>I find that my kids are incredibly frugal with their own money, which really cuts down on the the “but all my friends have a…” complaints: often when they express the desire for an expensive electronic gadget for Christmas or a birthday, and I say “How about we go halves?” said device suddenly loses its appeal. So the main thing I like about summer jobs is that is seems to make my kids smarter about unnecessary spending, which I hope will do them good in the long run.</p>
<p>To the OP:
Keep in mind that there are many people in the workforce for whom the cost of 4 years of Boarding School represents a really disappointing annual bonus.<br>
(Note: I am not one of them.)</p>