I understand that TPTB are trying to keep things as streamlined as possible here, but I’m concerned with the ongoing problem of current students (both HS and college) offering BAD financial advice to the unwitting. Especially with regard to debt.
Not sure if this has ever been discussed before, but with Decision Day on the horizon, this is a critical time for a lot of students and families who are under pressure and may not have the time to vet a lot of this advice.
Just because a prolific HS student or college freshman has enough posts to become a “Senior Member” doesn’t mean he or she is offering good advice. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
It’s pretty easy to find out more about a person by looking at their post history, so it’s not like the student status is hidden in most cases. Or other posters can call them out, as happens already.
I don’t think most new posters know about “post history,” and while it’s true other posters can call offending students (or any other misleading poster) out, it doesn’t always happen or, in turn, it turns into a nasty squabble and disrupts or derails the thread.
I’m talking about being more proactive to avoid this type of thing.
That is what we adults are here for. I watch latest posts, and also a few college forums specifically, and know others do the same. I have seen mods pipe up on occasion when the advice is really bad. I don’t think we should tag posters by age. This is a public forum, and anyone asking advice needs to be aware that you can get bad info.
I appreciate that, @intparent! I guess I’d just prefer if we didn’t have posters calling each other out and questioning each other’s motives unless absolutely necessary.
You wouldn’t have to call somebody out as being a clueless, in-debt-up-to-his-ears poster, if it was already obvious he was a current college student.
I like that CC “self-corrects” when everything is working as it should be; but it doesn’t always, and when it has to do with time-sensitive, major financial decisions, that’s a serious flaw IMHO.
I get the impression moderators intervene after somebody flags a post or contacts them. But too much stuff is out there that goes unchallenged.
I’m not aware of kids giving bad financial advice as much as bad EC, college, and college application advice. And I like the handful of kids who really know what they’re talking about- we all probably agree on who those are.
But I still think it would be helpful to know if the poster was a parent, a HS or college student, or whatever (college counselor, recent graduate, etc.). Plenty of high school kids give EXCELLENT advice, and many adults give bad advice (IMHO), but it would still be great to have some context. Something as simple as a colored border around the poster’s profile picture might work. I’m not saying I have an easy solution, but it’s a serious problem. Especially once you get out of the Financial Aid & Scholarships forum, which is pretty well monitored.
I don’t think it would be worthwhile. I think most often the people taking the bad advice are doing so because they actually were looking for validation for the bad decision anyway rather than actual advice. It doesn’t matter to them who it is coming from as long as at least one person is telling them what they want to hear.
Here’s the thing…this is a site for high school students looking to go to college…but at some point (and I"ve only been here two years so i’m not sure when), parents began to take over more and more…now i don’t mind the parents (I’m one but i think its good to get the view of someone other than a parent when a kid asks a question. So what if the kid says “i went into debt and I believe it was worth it and i believe you should do it as well” It’s just another viewpoint.
When they started green dots, they thought it would validate posters. All it did was show the equivalent of “likes.” An there is no control over likes.
Some parents give advice from their own world view.
If one doesn’t ask questions and listen to the OP it’s hard to know what is helpful and what is not.
Some here promote certain schools over others.
Some push prestige.
Some are in the box.
Others are risk takers.
Some promote don’t go into debt.
Others recommend debt for the schools they like.
Some think like everyone is full pay.
Some love citites.
Others hate city schools.
Some are numbers driven.
Others are emotional.
Some are negative.
Others are encouraging.
So many points of view.
All sorts of advice.
Can the board add some type of marker to self identify as a student, parent, etc?
Well, that’s pretty much what I’m asking. There are no guarantees, obviously, but it would be helpful when you’re seeking advice to have some sense of who’s responding beyond a photo and the number of posts the responder has. Especially when we’re talking about financial issues.
I’m not looking to make the site foolproof, but is it really as helpful as it could be right now?
It’s fine if it’s clear it’s a student; my issue is when it’s not apparent if it’s a 17-year-old with nary a clue about personal finance or an adult responding.
What’s the downside of indicating how a member self-identifies? Just as it’s helpful to hear from current students when considering a specific college or program, wouldn’t it be helpful when seeking financial advice to know if the person responding is a professional college consultant or an adult who’s navigated the college finance maze as a student and/or a parent?
If someone’s pretending to be a student or a parent (which happens often enough), it will quickly become apparent.
I don’t see a downside to having “middle school student”*, “HS student”, “college student” and “adult” as categories. I used to think it was clear from the number of posts whether someone was a student or an adult (parent, professional, professor…<- not meant to be exhaustive :p) But in fact one needs to frequent the forums for a while before one becomes aware of posting history and what it means, and have good critical reading skills to decipher who is a kid and who isn’t. SkiEurope, a moderator, pointed out once on a thread when I was making the point number of posts and posting history is pretty indicative: in reality, the number means little. People who frequent the forum recognize each other… but HS kids who come intermittently need to have an inkling as to the validity of the claims.
If a 17-year old posts, it’s different from a parent, even for HS kids. HS kids may feel free to disregard adults’ advice (plenty do!) and prefer teenagers’ wisdom. Or vice-versa! And adults take age into account when they respond (ie., the same foolish advice won’t receive the same response depending on whether the poster’s 16, 21, or 50 :p).
important in the HS forum, where MS students ask about freshman year in HS and schedules - it's good to know your master informator about all things HS is really in 8th grade and has yet to set foot in a HS :D. Fortunately many 8th graders say their grade right away.
I watch latest posts, and also a few college forums specifically, and know others do the same. I have seen mods pipe up on occasion when the advice is really bad. I don’t think we should tag posters by age. This is a public forum, and anyone asking advice needs to be aware that you can get bad info.