<p>My kiddos are also in the group that were responsible for paying for their own undergrad degrees and now currently their grad school.</p>
<p>They knew from an early age and planned accordingly. Most graduated with no debt and the few that did are a very minimal amount. It wasn’t a choice, it just was what is was.</p>
<p>We as a family did move from a pricy state school state (CA) to a very affordable in-state publics with 16 campuses to pick from including Chapel Hill (NC). I knew I wouldn’t be able to help them with college expenses but could make other choices that would make it easier.</p>
<p>My kiddos explored every avenue in order to attend college and all the expenses associated. Attending community college while still in high school allowed for no-tuition or book expenses while building college credit, daughter transfered in 72 units. Same daughter obtained departmental scholie’s that she researched ahead of time and discovered the 4 year uni allowed students to reside in their research labs (7 of them) if they performed 10 hours of work per week free of charge, full kitchen so food was at a minimum. She bought used books from other students and sold them as soon as she was done. She tutored, worked on a ranch training horses and mucking stalls while carrying 20+ semester units every semester so she could graduate early, while maintaining a high GPA in order to go to vet school, and meet all her pre-vet requirements…Ochem, physics, biochem, micro, chem, bio, genetics. And yes, she paid for every penny and left with no debt and graduated early, with honors. </p>
<p>Can it be done? yes, was it easy…that would be a huge, NO…but she has 4 more brothers and sisters and the same was expected of them. They applied to many schools and a large variety. They were accepted to service academies, West Point and the Naval Academy (no cost, no loans), to OOS publics on athletic scholies, to ivys with outside scholie’s to help defray other expenses (applied to over 50 outside scholarships)and to small LACs where their financial aid was preferentially packaged. They appied for and received ROTC scholie’s to schools of their choice, MIT and Princeton and they applied to their local 4 year school’s that would be commutable and to their community college in case the money just wasn’t there.</p>
<p>Of the five kiddos only 1 has not taken any community college courses. He took his summer school courses locally at our 4 year and far on the other side of the country after his matriculating school agreed to pay for the courses since they do not offer summer school or the courses he wished to take. Their dime, not his.</p>
<p>He is now attending medical school, he is solely responsible for the cost. he was responsible for the monies to apply, pay for the MCAT, travel to all interviews all over the country. And he did. He also took a gap year, after graduating from an ivy, and completed 2 more degrees (STEM) and another minor in that time and again paying for every cost himself. No loans, TA’s, research funds, tutoring and working with a physician.</p>
<p>Come time for med school and he had several to pick from including several ivys which he turned down, BECAUSE of the money. One school made him an offer, better than HMS need-based financial aid and he went with that, turning down the prestige for a fantastic lucrative offer. And when others are looking at $250,000-$350,000 in med school loans his well under $30,000 for all of med school. Throwing in a free MPH from the #2 school doesn’t hurt. Receiving money for med school in almost unheard of and yet he recived a few merit offers. The need-based schools truly ranged in packages.</p>
<p>The point of this is…yes there are plenty of people paying their own way through college, my kiddos went to school with plenty of them. Middle daughter’s school has over 80% of their students receive Pells, huge differentce from son’s school where 6% receive Pells. And many at the community college they attended were paying their own tuition including their living expenses and supporting their families.</p>
<p>OP, start thinking outside the box. Cut your expenses to a bare minimum. Your college experience is what you make of it. Don’t be wishing for what others have.</p>
<p>Your bitterness is clouding your ability to see what might be a better gift than your parents gifting you the money. Take off your blinders, step outside yourself and really scramble. </p>
<p>People ask often what made my kiddos do more, without any prodding? because they had to if they wanted something different. No cell phones here, no driver’s licenses before 18 and they had to pay for it themselves, until college only 1 second-hand computer in the house, 1 car for 6 people, 2-3 bedrooms for 6, no i-pods,i-pads, no game systems…but honestly they had no time for all that, they were too busy with school work, tutoring, sports practice, games, meets, coaching, volunteering…and all that turned into scholarship money down the road.</p>
<p>Good luck to you, and imagine the feeling when you find a way to accomplish this on your own. It can be done!!!</p>
<p>Kat</p>