So many of these issues that have come forward are things hs seniors just don’t think about. How could they? A few of them didn’t cross my mind as a parent, and yet they have come to pass. All the more reason to avoid as much undergrad debt as possible.
The safety issue for young women living alone, didn’t cross my mind. Why? After college I moved to the city where my sister lived and then got married. Never really did go off in search of a place by myself. Well different story for my oldest. Moved alone to the city where she wanted a job. A major college town, so little was left to rent by the time she had her offer and could sign a lease. Moved into an expensive place with too many high end finishes she didn’t care about because it was the only apartment available that was not on ground floor, a choice her dad supported because it was safer. Not having to set aside hundreds a month for student debt repayment made that decision possible.
You just don’t know what may happen. I guess it’s the same mentality as the emergency fund. Plan for the longer term future, not the immediate gratification of the dream school.