Son Wants to Manage Process?

[ucbalumnus]

<p>

@younghoss

As MizzBee first said, unless cost is no object, then student needs to know in advance how much parents are willing/able to chip in toward costs. Sad story when parent doesn’t give kid advance guideline, then he finds school for far more money than parents wanted/expected.

</p>

<p>Yes, that seems to be all too common a story found here. Or the related one of the student asking early on and getting a vague response like “we’ll figure it out after you get accepted.”</p>

<p>Parents need to make the cost constraints clear early on, and give sufficient information for the student to check the net price calculators for each school (or be willing to run the net price calculators themselves), so that an appropriate application list including safeties which are definitely affordable can be made. The student can also know that, for some schools, s/he may have to aim for a large enough merit scholarship rather than merely admission.</p>

<p>

@younghoss

I am not sure this student is independent of parents, or that he is an adult. Most students this age still expect parents to pay all or most of college costs, and that is neither independent nor an adult(yet).

</p>

<p>For financial aid purposes, college students are not considered independent of parents until they are 24 years old, married, or military veterans. Those who have parents with high (for financial aid purposes) incomes but low actual ability and/or willingness to pay will typically come up short with need-based financial aid.</p>