<p>I do feel for OP. Some how our system really does not reward people for hard work. Basically, if OP’s mother had done nothing about furthering her education (which I am sure they also had to pay for) and get a professional job, OP would very likely get FA at one of those schools if he could get in. OP’s parents would most likely make necessary sacrifice to pay for his education, but I perfectly understand where he is coming from. After tax 50,000 is close to 100,000 gross, that’s a lot of money for family that has just started to make 250,000. On the other hand, college education is a privilege, not an entitlement. Sometimes we just have to play the cards we are dealt with. There are a lot of good schools that offer merit scholarship. It is fine to vent, I hear you.</p>
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<p>Hmmmm… I think I see the problem. You and/or your parents believe that money spent on college is money “thrown away.” Maybe you need to start thinking of it as an investment in the future, instead of just another expense. And thumper is right, you can get an excellent education for far less than $50K per year. You have a case of HYPS Syndrome, but the good news is it can be cured. ;)</p>
<p>Thank you Oldfort, that is exactly where I’m coming from. IF my mom had not invested time, money, and a huge sacrifice of living away from her family half of the week, we would be getting more aid. our (increasingly socialist) system seems not to reward hard work.
My grandparents also live with us, so we have to support them as well.</p>
<p>So your parents would be embarrassed by your sense of entitlement.</p>
<p>I really DO think the OP has affordable options for college available to him/her. They may not be HYPS, but there are PLENTY of schools out there that would be thrilled to have a high achieving student of this type in their student body. </p>
<p>Just FYI…My husband went back to school well after we got married to get his professional degree (he did NOT have even a bachelors before that). I have also taken advanced courses in my field which have netted me pay increases. Using the OP’s info, NEITHER of us should have bothered to take these college courses because then we would not have the salaries we have, and SOMEONE ELSE would have perhaps paid for our kids to go to college.</p>
<p>You know…we are very proud that we have been able to scrimp and help our kids out with college costs over the last 6 years, and with quite a bit less in income than the OPs family. Was it easy? Not always. Did it mean taking out some loans? Yes. Did it mean cutting back on discretionary spending? Yes. Did it mean we expected someone else to pay our kids’ bills. NO NO NO. And we didn’t want that to happen. </p>
<p>To be quite frank…if we hadn’t been able to pay for our kids’ college costs, they would have been told to choose less expensive schools. We would NOT have funded a private school education for either of them if we family finances had been an issue.</p>
<p>This is a personal family decision, I realize. But families need to understand that the FIRST place colleges expect the money to come from is the FAMILY. If that is not possible, then other sources such as need based aid are considered by the schools.</p>
<p>There are some families who have posted here on CC who actually have NOT chosen HYPS but instead chose schools where their kids got very significant merit aid AND have had some terrific opportunities while there. This OP needs to start thinking outside of the HYPS box unless the family can support that. There are LOTS of wonderful colleges out there…LOTS.</p>
<p>Just FYI…HYPS and the like are fabulous schools…fabulous. But that does not mean that they are the only act in town. Start looking for other options, and do it soon…especially if you are a senior.</p>
<p>“Some how our system really does not reward people for hard work.”
Agreed.
And if you are making $250 K our system tends to ignore how much in taxes you are paying for other peoples children.
Sure the OP seems entitled, but her parents are the ones being penalized for their hard work and accomplishments.</p>
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<p>Oh to be honest, what a load of crap. Working hard does NOT necessarily mean more money. My mum works two jobs (nearly 60 hours a week) and makes less than 20k a year. We used to make almost 60k a year before my dad’s accident, and between both of my parents they worked 4-5 jobs. And yes they afforded private school for me for 9 years on ~60k a year! </p>
<p>And, boohoo for people getting taxed high on high income. If you live semi-frugally, you can still afford to send your children to nice private schools, etc. Not a luxury us “non-hard working” (ie low income) people have. So give me a break that your not rewarded.</p>
<p>“Working hard does NOT necessarily mean more money.”
^^^
I’m sorry…I meant working hard and SMART.</p>
<p>People who work hard are not rewarded for their hard work? Well, yeah, there are people who work VERY hard – sometimes holding down more than one job – often caring for seniors, children, keeping the bathrooms and kitchens at HYPS clean, the flower beds beautiful for the enjoyment of those far better rewared for their hard work.</p>
<p>People with advanced degrees and professional jobs ARE rewarded for their hard work. They are rewarded with money.</p>
<p>When the well-heeled come on talking about how they’re victimized by the “system” it really can induce a lot of eye-rolling. Besides, what “system” are we talking about? The HYPS system? That’s not the “system” – that’s four incredibly wealthy private schools who can do what they want with their own money.</p>
<p>The real system is the public university system, that is, in fact, a subsidy for the wealthy who can send their kids there and pay a modest sum (by their standards), have their kids graduate without debt, and this is all supported by everyone who pays taxes in the state, including those who work just as hard and get paid far less. Many of whom cannot send their own kids to the same school.</p>
<p>aglages, seriously!!! Frankly, I am extremely “smart.” I am well educated, I am well spoken, I write well, I am well respected in my community, I perform well in my job … etc, etc, etc. However, guess what? I make less than $40,000 per year. There are various reasons for this, none of which I will list here. However, suffice it to say that you do not have a clue about the real world.</p>
<p>Like others here, my ENTIRE salary goes toward college tuition … and I am fine with that.</p>
<p>OP it sounds like you want the best of both worlds. A capitalistic system where you can work hard and be rewarded with an excellent income and being able to own two homes (good for your parents for achieving that by the way). And you also want a socialistic system to pay for the things, such as a college education apparently, that you don’t want to ‘throw away your money on’. </p>
<p>And it is nonsense to talk about a socialistic system or becoming Rebublicans, when talking about Ivy league schools and their aid policies. Those schools are the ones financing the bulk of that (and those policies came into effect while we had a Republican President though he has nothing to do with it any more than a Democratic Pres). The main Federal financial aid grant is the Pell grant and that is $5350 maximum for a year which nowhere near covers the cost of a 4 year instate public school let alone an Ivy.</p>
<p>Why screwed? Isn’t it beautiful to live in a country where you are able to discuss where and how much of your hard earned money you are willing to spend on you child’s education? My family moved to this country so we could have choices. We do, and I feel privileged.</p>
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<p>Yeah, you’re right. My dad owned his own business, but I guess he didn’t work SMART enough. Meaning he didn’t overprice people just to build his own wealth. </p>
<p>Neither of my parents had the privilege to go to college. My father was not able to finish school because he had to take over the family business when his dad picked up and left my dad and his three brothers (the mom was never in the picture). My mum was an immigrant as well, but didn’t have the privilege of a college education because she had to work three jobs to help pay for her mum’s chemo treatments. Both of her parents died of cancer in the same week so going back for an education was never physically possible because she had to work so much to pay off their hospital bills. She is over 50 now and is going back to school next year because she STILL wants to go to college.</p>
<p>But you’re right. We are lazy and stupid when we work.</p>
<p>this is a good point.
i will be getting very little financial aid too, which is sad because my parents college savings are pretty much gone after the crash</p>
<p>“We are lazy and stupid when we work.”
^^^^
Both? If you say so.</p>
<p>Stupefy, how did your mom afford law school? And, why isn’t the same approach something worth considering for yourself?</p>
<p>I am extremely “smart.” I am well educated, I am well spoken, I write well, I am well respected in my community, I perform well in my job … etc, etc, etc. However, guess what? I make MORE than $180,000 per year. Suffice it to say that I not only have a clue about the real world, but also how to be financially successful in it without excuses or pity parties.</p>
<p>Perhaps we can agree to disagree on this point without resorting to further insults?</p>
<p>The OP’s parents are being penalized for their hard work? Call me crazy, but I consider a quarter-million dollar income to be a pretty handsome reward for hard work. Now that they are within the top 2% of income earners, why are some of you so outraged that they should be expected to pay for college? It seems the OP & family want the rewards of capitalism (a fabulous income) AND the rewards of socialism (a subsidized education). Doesn’t work that way.</p>
<p>BTW, it’s laughable to use the term socialism when talking about aid from private schools. If you have a problem with how HYPS doles out their money, you should be taking issue with the hyper-capitalist ivy league.</p>
<p>Threads like this always tend to polarize people, it degenerates into people throwing insults at each other. OP is a kid, he is just venting. Give him a break.</p>
<p>This topic has been covered extensively
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/699893-fafsa-upper-middle-class.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/699893-fafsa-upper-middle-class.html</a>
except OP for this thread was making over 450,000.</p>
<p>The reality is that regardless of any family’s income, the amount the family is willing to contribute is the IMPORTANT factor. If this family is able and willing to contribute a lot towards their kid’s college education, that is a family decision they will make. If not, that is also a family decision.</p>
<p>The OP needs to talk to his/her parents ASAP about college and college finances to see what the family is willing to contribute to college costs annually. </p>
<p>After that discussion, the OP will know better what to do next. </p>
<p>If his/her parents say they can contribute a max of $10,000 per year, that will be very different than if they say $40,000 a year. </p>
<p>The EFC per FAFSA for a family with an income of $250,000 will be in the $62K to $82K (roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of the gross income).</p>