<p>For what its worth, where I live, and I’m sure I’m no different than anyone else, there are people who are worth millions right on down to people who make less than 50k a year. The children are all going to the same school district. They are all getting the same education, or atleast its available to everyone. Again, just because your making 50k a year doesn’t mean that you live in a drug infested neigborhood, with gang violence at your front door. Yes, your house is smaller, maybe your car is older, and your street doesn’t command the same prices as the houses on waterfront. But you are far from starving. Just like the person making 180k isn’t starving either. In both cases there are people far worse off and far better off.</p>
<p>I’m sure I’m no different than anyone else, there are people who are worth millions right on down to people who make less than 50k a year. The children are all going to the same school district. They are all getting the same education, or atleast its available to everyone</p>
<p>The wealthy generally live in exclusive enclaves &/or their kids go to private school.</p>
<p>In the suburbs where I grew up and where the schools are generally judged to be superior, housing is more expensive than in the city. The suburbs do not have great public transportation and supports for low income families can be difficult if not impossible to find. In my mothers neighborhood ( in the suburbs) for example, we had to drive quite a ways just to find a laundromat to wash her comforter. :rolleyes:
In the " fancy neighborhood" that likes to think of themselves as egalitarian, the families that need a food bank have to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>We live in a blue collar neighborhood in an expensive city. We pay the same prices for medical care, for groceries & for housing as everyone else. But some schools have parents who pay for teacher aids and calculators and other schools don’t. The difference is money.
Their kids aren’t getting equal educations in the same school district.
Some schools don’t even have buildings that can be secured. ( recently exterior doors were removed from their hinges and computers meant for the students use were taken- this was the 2nd time this year & the school does not have money to replace it again)</p>
<p>This is in Seattle, not some backwater.</p>
<p>Everyone ends up paying ( at least)roughly 1/3 to 1/4 of their before tax income for college, for schools that use FAFSA.
If your income is $200,000, your kids wont qualify for Pell or subsidized Stafford loans, and if they attend a school that meets 100% of need, it will be assumed that your obligation will be at least $50,000. But then you will still have $150,000 to live on after education costs.
If your income is $60,000, you will be expected to pay at least $15,000 in education costs.
Oh- but then you will have $45,000 left over!
To pay for the same school supplies, grocery bills, housing & medical costs as the family who has $150,000.</p>
<p>Id like to see both families try & make it in Seattle on $45,000. That would be giving them an even break. ;)</p>
<p>I couldn’t disagree more. The familes making 200kl in my suburban area are going to school with the same kids who are from families making 50K. I also don’t agree that they have the same expenses. They are taxed at a much higher tax bracket, they pay the alternative min tax, they aren’t allowed any tax credits, they pay triple for property taxes, home fuel oil, and yearly home maintenance. Its not like they get to pocket all there spare change. BTW these families making 200k aren’t living in expensive enclaves. They are living in nice homes but certainly nothing to post in “Better Homes and Gardens”. </p>
<p>As for the payment of college I already gave an example regarding the out of pocket cost for private schools for both a family making 50k and 180K and you’re wrong. The family making 180k is paying full price, no aid, for the private school education. That accounts for 32% of their income, while the family making 50K is paying 22% of their income and once again a portion of the loan they take are not accruing interest until after the student graduates and they are paying 3.4%, not 6.8% like th kid whose family makes 200k.</p>
<p>The family isn’t paying the same housing costs because I would assume that they are living within their means. Not a problem but the family making 200k should be allowed to also.</p>
<p>I am not talking about families making 500K or more. I’m really talking about families in the 180k to 200K range.</p>
<p>If you think families in this country are living like kings and queens on an income of 180-200k/yr you are sadly mistaken. Unfortunately, I think its a common misconception.</p>
<p>emerald: If you truly have two schools in the same district that are so grossly different from eachother, you should take that up with your Board of Education. That doesn’t make sense. The taxpayers pay into one pot- school taxes. That money should be evenly distributed so that all schools in that district are functioning at a somewhat similar level. There shouldn’t be such a huge disparity. Take that up with your district. Again, where I come from that is not the case. All 5 elementary schools, two junior highs and one high school function and are maintained similiarly. The residents should never settle for that.</p>
<p>As someone who’s family makes less than $25k per year, I find it astounding that 180k isn’t “rich” to some people. Earning 50k per year sounds pretty nice to me and I would be happy earning that amount. Without financial aid, I would have absolutely no way of obtaining a college education as my mother cannot afford $100 towards my education. Through merit and financial aid, I will not have to take out loans for undergrad. However, I do agree that college students from low income households should have lower interest rates than those from middle or upper class households. Like I said, my mother cannot help me financially, at all. If she was earning 50k per year, (speculation) she would be able to contribute some money towards my education, therefore, higher interest rates would be expected. I have many friends who have taken out loans, but their parents are the ones who will be paying it back. My mom would never be able to do that. It would be all on me. I absolutely wish my family made 180k per year. We wouldn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck, and my family wouldn’t have to constantly worry about how to pay the bills. Some people honestly need a reality check if they are complaining about earning upwards of 50k per year. Try living in my shoes.</p>
<p>First off I think anyone would agree that 25k is a totally different situation. That is considered true poverty level. So your situation is not the situation I am debating. However, I don’t agree with the asumption that you are making along with others things. Just because some kid is coming from a family with 180k salary, doesn’t mean that that family will pay his/her student loans. As a matter of fact most of the people I know are somewhere in that salary range and since they aren’t getting fin aid of any sort, they need there kids to take out the students loans to meet the COA. They can’t possibly then cover their kids loans when they come out of college, because they are taking huge loans to cover the remainder of the the COA. In other words they have their own loans to pay. Some people will have taken out loans in excess of 150K. Believe it or not just because they are making 180k doesn’t mean that they have 60k each year to pay for college. Just like your parents can’t come up with even 100 dollars to help. Its all relative. Again you live within your means. So the parents are taking large loans and the student has too also. Unlike you they loans to pay and at 6.8% interest that has been accruing since the inception use of the loan. I think its great that you get an education. But I do feel that you should still have some stake in it. I can’t see a free education, no loans. Again thats the taxpayer who then foots the bill. Perhaps others are fine with that. I have no problem with making college affordable, but everyone should pay something.</p>
<p>Someone who is making 180k per year isn’t struggling to pay bills. The parents could have and should have put money aside for college. And 60k a year for college? Maybe people should stop worrying so much about whether a school is public or private. A public instate school would be around 25k a year. On the other hand, my mother could not save for college for me; it wasn’t even an option. She was more worried about putting food on the table. I have no sympathy for a family who is complaining that they make 180k a year. These people should try Living in poverty for a year and see how much they complain about that 180k afterwards.</p>
<p>Dungareedoll- do you live in StonyBrook?
</p>
<p>Median family income in Stonybrook is $95,500. 1.9% of families are below the poverty line.
You are kidding yourself if you think the families making half the median income aren’t going into debt just to live there.</p>
<p>Areas that have an income that looks more like the national average, also have a much greater % of their population on FRL.</p>
<p>No I don’t live in Stony Brook. I never said that families making half the median family income in that area aren’t going into debt. My point is that so is everyone else. For the last time, I have no problem with families with more money paying more tutition, if not all of it. I just don’t see why the kids aren’t all created equal when it comes to the Stafford loans, which everyone is able to secure.</p>
<p>OKstategirl
This debate has never been about chosing between a state and private institution. Thats a whole other argument. This is about an apples to apples comparison. Rich kid v. poor kid, both go to a pricey, sleep away private instittion. At the end of the day, who do you think pays for all that financial aid that kids are getting. Yes, that would be us taxpayers. And yes the rich are paying more, so don’t get nasty and bit the hand thats educating you. Its certainly not your fault that you were born into a family of less means but your not in postition to make blanket statements like “Someone who is making 180k per year isn’t struggling to pay bills.” You really don’t know that. And like I said at the end of the day those people don’t have the thousands of dollars of extra spending money. Might be hard for you to believe but its true.</p>
<p>Here since Emerald was discussing Stony Brook which is located in NY, Long Island to be specific, read this article. This explains exactly what I’m talking about.</p>
<p>[N.Y.C</a>. so costly you need to earn six figures to make middle class - NY Daily News](<a href=“http://www.nydailynews.com/news/money/n-y-costly-earn-figures-middle-class-article-1.389003]N.Y.C”>N.Y.C. so costly you need to earn six figures to make middle class)</p>
<p>I suspect that part of the rational is that students from families with low EFC will need to borrow more money since their family have fewer resources to draw on. Families with low EFC (assuming their assets are also low) would not have the same ability to access and pay Parent Plus or private loans. The subsidized loan allows the student to borrow more and have the same loan payment as students who come from more affluent families.</p>
<p>In the end, the goal is educating our kids. A student that gets a degree with the help of the taxpayer will hopefully make more money and therefore pay more taxes in the future. Yes he is getting help from today’s taxpayer but he will also become a taxpayer.</p>
<p>I pay taxes, which makes me one of “those taxpayers.” The poor kid deserves the low interest, the rich kid does not. If you cannot afford the “pricey, sleep away private institution” find a place you can afford without loans if you don’t agree with the interest rates.</p>
<p>Okstategirl: You are adorable but naive. No the poor kid doesn’t deserve anything. You are actually not entitled. You are, in fact lucky to live in a country like this one that is more than willing to help you out. That sense of entitlement is exactly why you should have to take out loans and work for your education, just like the rich kid. Becareful, people on this thread who would have normally taken your side, may find that unappealling. Again don’t bit the hands that are educating you. As per your own admission you are going for free, no loans. So stop while you’re ahead.</p>
<p>Noname87; I would agree with that logic if that is what I was seeing. The problem is that these students aren’t taking more loans than the stafford and small perkins. As a matter of fact, some kids such as Okstategirl doesn’t have to take anything. So she goes 100% for free, while someone more affluent, which in her case is the vast majority of the population (I don’t mean this statement in a rude way. I’m just stating the facts since she mentioned her family income was 25k), has to take loans. And now she stipulates that she deserves this. Hmmm…really? I’m assuming she is going to a state school. Like she mentioned prior, “If you cannot afford the “pricey, sleep away private institution” find a place you can afford without loans if you don’t agree with the interest rates” The same could be said for her. Go to a community college, and then to a commuter public school. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander. Right?</p>
<p>The ONLY financial aid I receive is a pell grant. The rest is strictly merit. Even without the pell grant, I could afford this school without loans…with purely merit. It’s really not that difficult to do if you work hard in high school and go to a state school. Could I afford a private, sleep away institution? NO. And that’s why I didn’t even apply to one. I knew my limitations. I went where the merit is, so don’t act like you are paying for my education. If I hadn’t received any merit, I sure would of gone to a community college and taken out loans. There’s nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>That is fantastic news. Love to hear that the youth of our society are working hard. I commend you. However, if you are going to a state school it is most definitely funded by the taxpayers. In addition, what state do you live in that a public institution is giving a full ride in merit minus the pell grant. Just curious.</p>
<p>
Your “facts” are wrong here. A student with family making $25k a year does not get to go to school free at all (unless they are at one of the very few schools that meets need without loans). Most schools do not meet need. Having a 0 EFC does not mean a student gets to go to school for $0. All it guarantees for most 0 EFC students is a Pell grant. Most 0 EFC students will end up with considerable loans at State Us (and that is a fact as I know several 0 EFC students who have $000s in loans).</p>
<p>^ This conversation is really about the elite almost 60K private institutions, not state schools.</p>
<p>Again, I am a taxpayer. Where my scholarships come from is really none of your business.</p>
<p>
I hadn’t read the whole thread and didn’t realize only the “elite” were welcome.</p>