<p>The online Wall Street Journal has an article about college costs beyond tuition, room and board - things to consider!</p>
<p>College</a> Costs: Tuition Is Just the Beginning - WSJ.com</p>
<p>Certainly this is food for thought. However, more important discussing these issues with your student and looking for ways to meet these needs less expensively. For too many families, the college experience has to be first class for the kid and ends up costing way too much. Kids need to know that they have to be proactive in getting rides to the airport, looking for rides, planning ahead. They have to understand that eating out is a luxury. It’s really shameful how much waste there is in some of these kids’ mealplans. Buy a used tux if your kid is likely to need one for concerts. They cost about what one rental would. Learn to shop at the Dollar shop and live parsimonously.</p>
<p>Good article. There are a lot of good threads here on how to save money and lists of what is really needed vs. not.</p>
<p>Many things you think are included at one school are extras at another. I was shocked to learn that the required PE classes at my Ds private college were not included in the already high cost of tuition. So 1 PE class was an extra $300! Ouch!</p>
<p>The health center on campus does not take our health insurance, so any Dr visits are always out of pocket money.</p>
<p>The gym costs extra–need a membership or pay as you go.</p>
<p>And unused meals cannot be transfered to the next week. That is really a shame. We now have the lowest meal plan of only 10/week. works great since most mornings she just wants cereal in her room.</p>
<p>oh, and pre-orientation trip costs money too–that was money well spent.</p>
<p>Visiting for Freshman Parent’s weekend was also associated with fees.</p>
<p>very little is “free” any more.</p>
<p>Even copies are 10 cents each–there is no built in amount that is free.</p>
<p>Did you notice that CC was mentioned in the “Talk to the experts” paragraph? :)</p>
<p>My DDs school has done a lot of great things to try to cut down on costs. The health center has a nurse practioner who can handle many minor complaints, for no charge. At break time, they see that the local bus company charters a bus to go to the airport, for a reasonable fee. Kids are told to go online and put their time down. For graduation, they open up one of the dorms used for juniors (all suites). Its bring your own sheets and linens, but $50 for 2 nights gets a family 3 bedrooms, one bath, living area and mini kitchen</p>
<p>Yes, there are costs…and as a parent whose first and only will head to college next fall, I am sure I am extremely naive…but kids cost us money when they live with us, too. Unless there is an extreme climate change, kids have been buying clothes and eating food and using shampoo all those years at home – I think it’s less noticeable when the shampoo is on the family receipt, or even shared. And yes, travel expenses are extra…but kids can be responsible with discretionary expenses – my kid is allowed to leave campus for lunch her senior year. She’s given X amount of money a month for lunches (it’s not much) and told if she wants more than that, it’s on her. Most days, she packs her lunch or comes home. It’s thinking that the money supply from good old mom and dad is endless that gets them into a spending cycle.</p>
<p>I’m curious to see if my “cost of kid” (outside of tuition, etc) actually goes down a bit while she’s in college – currently, we’re spending quite a bit for dance, voice, piano and acting classes for her – classes that will be a part of her curriculum as a musical theatre major. Those bills will end…I’m sure other expenses will crop up…but I also think kids and parents can partner to discuss what’s “reasonable and customary” for expenses…and keep that line of communication open.</p>
<p>Of course it costs more than we originally thought. What ever costs less than we thought? We need the WSJ to tell us this? I agree with poster above - a better article would have been work arounds to the unanticipated expenses.</p>