Gasp and choke. College tuition...

[Ria]

We just got a letter from ds's school. The total billed expenses - tuition, room, and board - for next year will be $49,614. I might point out that books are an additional $1000+.

 

One can only wonder what prices will be like when my 12-year old is in college. Shudder. I just don't know how prices can continue to go up and up. It is just insane. I'm very, very concerned.

 

That is all.

 

Ria

Edited February 26, 2009 by Ria

[TCoppock]

Yikes! With prices that high it would be cheaper to buy a home near to the college and have her stay with you. It is scary how expensive college is getting.

[Chris in VA]

Sooooo....if I may be so bold as to ask,

Are you going to pay for it? How?

 

From one who hopes her kid gets accepted, but has no idea how to finance it...

[Tracey in TX]

Sounds like private school, is it?

It's practically immoral to have such obscenely high costs for higher education. If we supposedly value education, why is it practically out of reach for the average American? Otherwise we laden our children with the unbearable burden of hundreds of thousands in student loans (assuming they also attend grad school).

 

Some kids have chosen to attend university overseas because it's cheaper and only 3 years for most undergrad degrees.

[Sara R]

That is completely insane! Wow!

 

I hope that there is a bubble in college prices (fueled by the easy availability of college loans), like there was a bubble in housing prices (fueled by the easy availability of mortgages). Loans are becoming more difficult to get, which is hard on people in the short term. I hope the long term effect is more reasonable college costs.

[JudoMom]

I guess I don't understand why a school that expensive would even be an option. There are less expensive options for college, and I wouldn't want myself or my child saddled with over $200,000 in debt by the time they graduated.

 

Of course, your kid might have a scholarship. I forget the details :001_smile:.

[elegantlion]

We just got a letter from ds's school. The total billed expenses - tuition, room, and board - for next year will be $49,614. I might point out that books are an additional $1000+.

 

One can only wonder what prices will be like when my 12-year old is in college. Shudder. I just don't know how prices can continue to go up and up. It is just insane. I'm very, very concerned.

 

That is all.

 

Ria

 

I've been wondering the same thing. I look up some of these colleges and just gulp. Yesterday I looked at our local university tuition. 1365.00 per semester not including books. I'm glad we have a few years before we really have to start thinking (worrying) about such decisions.

[Ria]

It is a highly competitive private school. He's a sophomore this year.

 

Financing: we had saved up enough for the kids to attend state schools. Ds wanted this school. He got a 1/2 tuition grant from the college, and the grant, our contribution, and student loans are getting him through. He will have about $40K of debt when he graduates, I think. His choice.

 

ETA: Do NOT be afraid to apply to private schools. They have more money available for grants and aid than the state schools. Really!

 

Ria

[tajott]

Yikes! With prices that high it would be cheaper to buy a home near to the college and have her stay with you. It is scary how expensive college is getting.

 

bought a small house for their child to live in and rent out the 2nd room. Apparently it establishes their residency and when they leave school they sell it. Seems a pretty smart idea.

[Colleen]

Why do people feel compelled to fork over ridiculous sums of money to universities, as if they have no say in the matter? If something's priced too high, I don't buy it. (With the notable exception of health insurance, since I won't go without catastrophic.) If I were a millionaire I wouldn't pay such exorbitant sum of money for college. Less expensive options exist and are no less worthy.

[tajott]

our freshman dd just plain wouldn't be going to college, other than a CC, if she hadn't gotten a swankin' scholarship package and lives at home. It costs her $3000/yr. for private school just down the road. We can't afford anything for our kids' college.

[Ria]

Why do people feel compelled to fork over ridiculous sums of money to universities, as if they have no say in the matter? If something's priced too high, I don't buy it. (With the notable exception of health insurance, since I won't go without catastrophic.) If I were a millionaire I wouldn't pay such exorbitant sum of money for college. Less expensive options exist and are no less worthy.

 

Some of us are not forking over any more than we would have been forking over to a state school, lol. Good planning leaves good options, kwim? And, there are advantages to going to a small private college with 2000 students (where all classes are taught by professors) over a huge state school with 45,000 students (where the undergrad classes are taught by grad students).

 

Ria

[JudoMom]

Some of us are not forking over any more than we would have been forking over to a state school, lol. Good planning leaves good options, kwim? And, there are advantages to going to a small private college with 2000 students (where all classes are taught by professors) over a huge state school with 45,000 students (where the undergrad classes are taught by grad students).

 

Ria

 

But your son ends up with $40K in debt. I don't think it's worth it.

[abbeyej]

But your son ends up with $40K in debt. I don't think it's worth it.

 

Where did she say that?

 

Scholarships aren't loans. I went to an expensive, private university. I'm glad I did. Also glad I didn't have to pay tuition. ;)

[Colleen]

Some of us are not forking over any more than we would have been forking over to a state school, lol. Good planning leaves good options, kwim? And, there are advantages to going to a small private college with 2000 students (where all classes are taught by professors) over a huge state school with 45,000 students (where the undergrad classes are taught by grad students).

 

 

Okay. You're not paying more than you would have had he gone to a state school. You feel your good planning resulted in good options. You see the advantages to this choice. Why the concern, then? Prices will of course be higher in another 5 or 10 years, but presumably, the grants and scholarships will still be there and the ability to choose a school that charges an arm and a leg will still exist.

 

My bottom line is that I don't want to support that kind of ridiculousness, regardless of where the money comes from.

[Colleen]

Where did she say that?

 

She mentioned in another post that he'll come away about $40,000 in debt. But as she said, that's his choice.

[Ria]

But your son ends up with $40K in debt. I don't think it's worth it.

 

You might not, but he did. He had options, and this was the one he chose. As for being in debt, most kids in college these days have debt, and many have much more than my son will have. He worked hard in high school, and his grades and SAT scores helped him get a grant. Tuition at the state school is around $25K; he would get no grant there. He pays $29K. That's not much of a difference in price, relatively speaking, but there's a huge difference in the campuses (as I mentioned, 2000 vs 45,000 students) and teachers (professors vs. grad students).

 

The point of my post, however, was not how much my son is spending on his college education, but the fact that college tuitions keep rising, well above the rate of inflation. There does not seem to be an end to it. Even the state school here is expensive.

 

And finally, why the concern? Because the prices are continuing to climb beyond record. And while we might have saved enough to help this child afford his education, we'd be hard-pressed to help a child as much if we had toddlers now. Do you see what I'm saying? When my kids were little, college was expensive, but not unreachable. I don't know if that's going to be the case in another 15-20 years. That is my concern.

 

Ria

Edited February 26, 2009 by Ria

[Peek a Boo]

It's practically immoral to have such obscenely high costs for higher education. If we supposedly value education, why is it practically out of reach for the average American? Otherwise we laden our children with the unbearable burden of hundreds of thousands in student loans (assuming they also attend grad school).

 

Lots of people value higher education --we just don't confuse a "higher education" w/ "attending a school/ university." ;)

 

and FWIW, By the time a student is old enough to be TAKING the courses in a private institution, it is certainly their [and their family's] choice to take on that type of pricing.

 

I have a problem w/ "higher education" funded by taxpayers, but am a staunch supporter of individual choices. :D

 

and [like homeschooling methods] i do agree that there are always variables at play that make private schools worth much more than a state school, and vice versa. I doubt any of us have been to every school [public or private] and can say definitively one way or the other which choice would be better for each student.

 

That being said, I'm not concerned about college costs. I'm sure our country will have forced through free education by then....:glare:

[JenneinCA]

There are good reasons to go to the expensive private schools.

 

I had the choice of going to an expensive private school where I would be one of 2500 undergraduates, I would walk out with $40,000 in loans, the work would be hard, I would be far from the top of my class, the standards would be very high, and I would be with kids who were smarter than I was. Or a much less expensive state school where I would be one of lots and lots of students, I would get a full (room/board/books/stipend) scholarship, the work would be easy, I would be the top of class, the standards were lower, and the quality of student much lower.

 

For me, the four years I spent at RPI were the among the best in my life. I felt challenged. I had peers. I was alive. It was wonderful. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. The memory of those days carries my through many of the extremely tedious and boring days I experience now. Yes, I had student loans, but I have never ever regretted going to RPI (Rensslear Polytechinic Institute) instead of WSU (Wichita State).

 

I know there are some people that would choose differently, but for some people and some situations, the right school can literally make life worth living. My children will be encouraged to go to the school that is right for them. Even if it costs money. Money can be earned. Knowing that you aren't as alone in the world as it seems is priceless.

[hillfarm]

The private college from which I graduated is similarly priced these days. Dh works at a state university which costs around $20K/yr.

 

Does everyone know about tuition remission? At many colleges and universities, children of employees are given free tuition to attend the school. That is how dh went to our school where we met. His mother was a secretary in the biology department. Now dh works as a media specialist at the university and while his salary isn't all that great, dd will be able to attend for free when she reaches that age. We will still have to cover books, some fees, and room and board if she chooses to live on campus (although at 10yo she says she would much rather live here at home and commute in daily with Daddy:iagree:.) So if you know that your dc must attend a particular institution, consider whether it would be advantageous for you to move to that locale and get any kind of job there for a few years before they are ready to attend. The pay may not be much but when you factor in all that tuition saved, it often perks right up.

 

Another consideration is to help your child become qualified to work in entry level postions in their chosen field. Many of the larger employers will pay for college for employees who show promise.

 

And of course, it never hurts to get good grades and good test scores and go for scholarships.

 

My final suggestion is to let the student help pay for some portion of the tuition. That usually puts an end to too much partying in short order. Where I went to college, Wednesday night was a common party night. I had a deadly dull, required health class at 7:30 on Thursday morning. I managed to accidentally sleep through it a couple of times. But then I felt guilty and did the math and realized that I was ripping up money every time I didn't go to that class. From then on, I got my lazy carcass up and there on time every week. Because while I just might have been able to waste my parents' hard earned money, I wasn't about to waste mine.

[katemary63]

My DD17 will be attending a local, small, CC. They waive tuition for anyone with a 24 or over on the ACT. The classes are all taught by proffessors, many from a nearby state university. Right now, as a concurrently enrolled high school student, her college algebra class has 14 students, her Western Civ class, only 8. All classes transfer to the university. She will only have to pay for books and fees and will be living with us. If she maintains a 3.25 GPA for the first 2 years, she will automatically be accepted to the state university, also tuition free for the last 2 years. At that point, with her state grants, she will be able to afford room and board. The whole 4 years will only cost us books and fees. She then plans to attend grad school in another state, hopefully on a work /study. It will be up to her to earn her way through to the goals she has set for herself.

 

I don't know a lot about costly private schools. It is a whole world I have had no exposure to. My oldest did apply to one years ago, but even with her accademic scholarship, ( 28 ACT and 3.85 GPA) tuition was still over $30,000/ year and there was no way. I have no idea what kind of advantages a person would have over attending another, less expensive school. ( other then smaller classes and proffessors teaching, something we have here in AR anyway) I'd love to know what they are - serious question. Anybody?

[Peek a Boo]

I have no idea what kind of advantages a person would have over attending another, less expensive school. ( other then smaller classes and proffessors teaching, something we have here in AR anyway) I'd love to know what they are - serious question. Anybody?

 

Off the top of my head [having never attended either type of college but am researching our local options heavily right now] I would say that some people simply choose one over another due to the rep of the specific teachers. Word of MOuth is a heavy influence. We all know that in manymanymany cases it's not the institution or the numbers, but the Individual Teachers that make the diff. Those can be found ANYwhere and are going to vary from community to community.

 

I'd also say that especially when it comes to specific fields, some private institutions have a better "success rate" as far as career after college. And for some OTHER fields, the institution is irrelevant ;)

 

so i can see a couple instances, but I'm sure there are others. :)

[Jackie in NE]

 

 

Okay. You're not paying more than you would have had he gone to a state school. You feel your good planning resulted in good options. You see the advantages to this choice. Why the concern, then? Prices will of course be higher in another 5 or 10 years, but presumably, the grants and scholarships will still be there and the ability to choose a school that charges an arm and a leg will still exist.

 

My bottom line is that I don't want to support that kind of ridiculousness, regardless of where the money comes from.

 

So, what you're saying is that if one of your sons really, really, really seems to get the best fit, so-to-speak, at an expensive private college, and receives scholarships and grants to foot the bill, you'll still say no? Based on your opinion that the college charges a ridiculous fee?

 

Wow.

[Karen sn]

Well, Ria - if HE thinks it's worth it, more power to him.

It really will not be all that hard to pay back 40K in a perfect job/situation/no dependants..... Anything unforseen happens and it's crazy how much that 40 can become.

 

That said - only over my dead body will my kids get to take out loans for school. I did. Big mistake. They will not start out in debt like I did.

 

But I will say, it sounds like he's not taking on that much of the total cost - if he were paying the entire 50 thousand a year, I would have to say, "Buy land instead."

[Erica in PA]

Why do people feel compelled to fork over ridiculous sums of money to universities, as if they have no say in the matter? If something's priced too high, I don't buy it. (With the notable exception of health insurance, since I won't go without catastrophic.) If I were a millionaire I wouldn't pay such exorbitant sum of money for college. Less expensive options exist and are no less worthy.

 

I guess I'm sort of in Colleen's camp on this. It seems that everyone agrees that the price is outrageous-- the question seems to be, is a particular education at a particular school *worth* that outrageous price? For me, I would say no. Just as I don't think that everyone has the financial resources to buy a home (though many people seem to view that as a basic right these days), not everyone has the financial resources to afford certain colleges, either. I am going to encourage my children to really consider the cost when choosing their college, and to choose something that they can afford. Will that reduce their options? Sure. But so will leaving college with thousands and thousands of dollars in debt. I grew up thinking that one's only limiting factor in choosing a college was whether or not you could get accepted-- but now I've come to believe that weighing the financial cost is just as important as any other factor.

 

My 19 yo sister is going two years to community college, then two years commuting to a state university for her bachelor's degree. Her total college bill will only be something like $12,000 -$14,000 total, and she will be paying most of that by working as she goes. I think that is extremely wise for a student with few financial resources, and a path that we will encourage our children to strongly consider.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Erica in PA

[Sandy in Indy]

ETA: Do NOT be afraid to apply to private schools. They have more money available for grants and aid than the state schools. Really!

 

Ria

 

This is absolutely true. When my dd was applying to schools, my family thought we were nuts to even allow her to apply for private schools. Turns out her aid package for the private school paid ALL of her costs, including books, while the package from the state school would have left her in debt. Guess which school she attended!

[Colleen]

So, what you're saying is that if one of your sons really, really, really seems to get the best fit, so-to-speak, at an expensive private college, and receives scholarships and grants to foot the bill, you'll still say no? Based on your opinion that the college charges a ridiculous fee? Wow.

 

If I'm not footing the bill, I don't have a say in the matter; it would be his choice. If I was asked to financially contribute to an exorbitant bill, I'd need a very persuasive speech to do so. What's "Wow" about that? The fact that an 18 year old considers a particular college the "best fit" isn't particularly compelling to me ~ especially if that "best fit" required me to financially support their grossly inflated price tag.

[Mommy22alyns]

But see where all that tuition money is going? Fancier acceptance letters, of course! :glare:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20090226/ts_usnews/collegeacceptancelettersareglitzierbutrejectionsareharsher

[Guest Katia]

We just got a letter from ds's school. The total billed expenses - tuition, room, and board - for next year will be $49,614. I might point out that books are an additional $1000+.

 

One can only wonder what prices will be like when my 12-year old is in college. Shudder. I just don't know how prices can continue to go up and up. It is just insane. I'm very, very concerned.

 

That is all.

 

Ria

 

I understand. I haven't gotten my dd's bill for next year yet, but the one for this year (her first) was more than I thought 4 years should cost!

 

My youngest is 16yo, but I still shudder to think what the costs will be when she wants to attend! Insane and outrageous.

 

Isn't it great that small, private schools offer such great financial scholarship, grants, etc? My dd applied to 5 colleges/universities and none of them could touch the deals she got at the highest priced, smallest, LAC. Even at those insane prices it was the best deal financially (besides being 'the place' for her!).

[Ria]

 

If I'm not footing the bill, I don't have a say in the matter; it would be his choice. If I was asked to financially contribute to an exorbitant bill, I'd need a very persuasive speech to do so. What's "Wow" about that? The fact that an 18 year old considers a particular college the "best fit" isn't particularly compelling to me ~ especially if that "best fit" required me to financially support their grossly inflated price tag.

 

But, what if, as in our case, the cost was the same? If that horrific bill is standard? You seem to be choking over the $25K per year. That's state school price, my friend. While some degrees allow for two years at a community college and then two years at a state university, other degrees do not;one must have the entire four years at a 4-year school. That's the case with our son.

 

Ria

[Guest Katia]

But, what if, as in our case, the cost was the same? If that horrific bill is standard? You seem to be choking over the $25K per year. That's state school price, my friend. While some degrees allow for two years at a community college and then two years at a state university, other degrees do not;one must have the entire four years at a 4-year school. That's the case with our son.

 

Ria

 

This is exactly what most people I talk to about dd's college simply don't get.

 

Dd applied to state universities, and yes, their cost on paper was lower than the small, private LAC she wanted to go to, but....when they crunched the numbers, gave her her scholarships, grants, etc. etc. it was BY FAR cheaper for her to attend the MORE EXPENSIVE college.

 

This is just : The Cost of College in America Today

 

Sad.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

But, what if, as in our case, the cost was the same? If that horrific bill is standard? You seem to be choking over the $25K per year. That's state school price, my friend. While some degrees allow for two years at a community college and then two years at a state university, other degrees do not;one must have the entire four years at a 4-year school. That's the case with our son.

 

Ria

 

Our state schools (the "real" state schools, not the Vanderbilts and Rhodes and Sewanees that take some state money and for which we qualify for some state aid to attend) run more like $5200 for a full year, a bit more for boarding on campus ($6K-$7K).

 

But I will do everything possible to help my kids find funding for small private schools, or small "colleges" within the larger schools that focus on excellence (engineering school at Tenn Tech would be an example). Having lived through so much mediocrity and scan-tron exams and a culture of whining, incurious children in grown up bodies who eschew the life of the mind and embrace eagerly the life of the party and cheating and doing the bare minimum, I want more for my kids. Not to say that excellence is not available at large state schools -- it is. But I think people have to be selective as to what will serve them best. And all state schools and programs within these schools are NOT created equal.

 

I'm thankful that ds will graduate with very little debt thanks to scholarships, jobs, and other aid and with less than a thousand a year in contributions from us. He'll get $120K of education for much less than he would pay if he attended a state university without scholarships. He'll leave school with VERY little debt.

 

We hope the same for dd(16). (Her high school tuition, btw, is much (MUCH) more than ds's college tuition, but again, financial aid is our friend. We think it's worth it because of what life-long dividends this will pay for this particular child. Like travel for some, this is just something we're willing to sacrifice for.) By the time dd(5) goes to college, who knows? We'll just play it by ear, I guess. But I cannot imagine that we will not still follow the philosophy of the Colleges That Change Lives. It resonates with us.

 

Then again, we're first generation college attendees in both our families, so maybe we have this all topsy-turvy. I'm not claiming we have it right, or that we have it all figured out. But it works for us. And we can contribute very little to our kids' respective college educations. And they know that, and plan accordingly.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

My final suggestion is to let the student help pay for some portion of the tuition. That usually puts an end to too much partying in short order. Where I went to college, Wednesday night was a common party night. I had a deadly dull, required health class at 7:30 on Thursday morning. I managed to accidentally sleep through it a couple of times. But then I felt guilty and did the math and realized that I was ripping up money every time I didn't go to that class. From then on, I got my lazy carcass up and there on time every week. Because while I just might have been able to waste my parents' hard earned money, I wasn't about to waste mine.

 

I totally agree with this. When I did grad school, it involved a walk upstairs to the registrar's office every semester, checkbook in hand. Having gone to a service academy where everything was covered, that wasn't an experience I'd had before.

One of my German classes had both undergraduates and graduates as students. All of the graduate students were paying their own way. And what do you know, they almost never missed class, had always done the readings and were prepared for class presentations. The undergraduates often came to only one in three class meetings and then were surprised that they weren't prepared when it was time to get up in front of the class and actually speak German.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

The price of college tuition, like the price of strawberries in December or building materials after a storm, reflect scarcity. Most schools have some limit to their capacity. More expensive schools certainly have no problem filling the seats that they make available. Because there are enough people who decide that having that particular diploma matter.

 

If tomorrow, suddenly all college education were paid for, there would still be a need to ration what would still be a scarce resource. That would end up being something like a more complicated admissions process (hard to imagine, but possible) or more weight on some form of entrance exam (like you have in Britain or Germany). Or you would end up with a system where the undergraduate education (or particular schools) had been devalued to the point that a graduate degree became the new undergrad (see France), much in the same way that a college diploma has somewhat taken on the significance that graduating from high school had 50 years ago. It has become the certification of entry level competence.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I realize that the idea of ROTC or military service in general is not an option for some families. But I wanted to throw out the possibility because I often run into families who would have willingly applied if they'd known about the program.

 

ROTC is a program which trains future military officers at civilian colleges and universities. There are some required courses and a certain amount of military drill associated with being in the unit. Scholarships are available which pay for tuition and books. The application process is two fold. You apply for the scholarship and also apply for admissions at a civilian school that has a program for that service. (For example, University of Hawaii, which has Army ROTC or University of Washington, which has both Army and Navy ROTC). If you are awarded the scholarship, you can use it at any school with an ROTC program that accepts you. General info on Navy ROTC is available here.

 

There is also a little known program called the HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE (HBC) Scholarship Program . This is a certain number of Navy ROTC scholarships that are earmarked for use at historically black colleges. Frequently there are so few applicants for these scholarships that they offer them to ROTC or service academy candidates who had not even applied to those schools. Sadly, sometimes the scholarships go unawarded because of lack of interest. There is no racial/ethnic requirement for these scholarships, just that the student attend the associated college.

 

I realize that this might not be everyone's cup of tea. But it saddens me to know that there are students who end up passing on any college when these scholarships are out there. They might be worth checking out.

 

BTW, Navy ROTC also covers Marine Corps option midshipmen. There are also two year programs, Nursing NROTC, and even a few other oddball programs like scholarships for those who will go nuclear engineering or Marine Corps but who don't have an ROTC unit. And all of the services have similar programs. ROTC and all of the service academies will cheerfully consider homeschooled applicants (but remember that these are competitive scholarships for highly qualified students). One of the best starting points for research is Today's Military

[buddhabelly]

When I went to Wellesley College (centuries ago), they had a "need blind" admissions policy. How that worked is that they accept or reject applicants without looking at their ability to pay. So far, so usual. BUT....then if the applicant says "yes, I'll go, I pick Wellesley," the school makes up a financial package for that student so she will be able to attend. It might not be 100 percent scholarship, but it might be her ability to pay plus work study plus loans plus scholarship. Every single accepted applicant receives this consideration. I believe Wellesley still continues this policy today.

 

Meanwhile, students were marching in protest because tuition was up to $8,000 (or was it $6,000) and we didn't want to be an "elitist" institution. This was in 1985, as I recall.

 

I haven't read the whole thread so someone may have also said this, but many expensive private universities are extremely well-endowed. Stanford, Yale, Dartmouth, Pomona College..... they have the funds to be provide generous packages to students.

 

My high school now costs $26,000 per year, not including books and uniforms, which amount to almost $1,000 more. But they also provide $2.5 million in scholarships every year. I am seriously considering allowing my son to go there if he wishes. But I guess we should save that $$ for college.

 

Julie

[mom2abcd]

Turns out her aid package for the private school paid ALL of her costs, including books, while the package from the state school would have left her in debt. Guess which school she attended!

 

We had a similar experience. Not sure what to expect next year with foundations losing money because of the stock market, though....

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

We had a similar experience. Not sure what to expect next year with foundations losing money because of the stock market, though....

 

Yeah, us too. We're holding our breath here. It's a whole new ball game.

[Nestof3]

Otherwise we laden our children with the unbearable burden of hundreds of thousands in student loans (assuming they also attend grad school).

 

 

 

I understand, but aside from the colleges lowering tuition, the only other way to save is for the taxpayer to pay it, and I frankly don't want to be funding others' tuitions (more than we already are).

 

Our son is spending the first two years at a local community college at $1,500 a semester. He pays tuition, we pay books (about $400 used). He will then transfer to a local university and still live at home. We never looked into any financial aid. He has saved enough from working through high school to pay all four years.

[alpidarkomama]

I went to one of those HUGE state schools (IU Bloomington) and loved it. I was a music major (2500 students) so I found my small-ness there. I also took many, many seminar-style classes where there were from 3-10 students in each class. This was the MAJORITY of my classes, except for the general requirements for my music major (theory, history, etc.) where it was 3x/week of lecture with 100-200 students + 2x/week with graduate student-led smaller sections. I definitely did not enjoy those classes.

 

There are many alternatives for getting a college education, and one definitely does not have to go to an expensive private school to get a high-quality education. And as a music major, it would have been very difficult to start off with many thousands of dollars in debt (unimaginable, actually). If one was going into a more lucrative career it would be slightly more imaginable, but not much. It especially makes less sense to me for an undergraduate degree.

 

Oh, well. That's 12 years away for us... ask us about it again then!

[alpidarkomama]

My DD17 will be attending a local, small, CC. They waive tuition for anyone with a 24 or over on the ACT. The classes are all taught by proffessors, many from a nearby state university. Right now, as a concurrently enrolled high school student, her college algebra class has 14 students, her Western Civ class, only 8. All classes transfer to the university. She will only have to pay for books and fees and will be living with us.

 

:hurray:

 

This is fantastic!!! I love hearing stories like this.

[katemary63]

ROTC is a program which trains future military officers at civilian colleges and universities. There are some required courses and a certain amount of military drill associated with being in the unit. Scholarships are available which pay for tuition and books.

 

My DD23, who had applied to the small, local, private university and recieved a "large" accademic scholarship that brought her tuition "down" to the $30,000 dollar range, was also awarded a full Naval AND Army ROTC scholarship. She had the choice of ANY school with an ROTC program that would accept her. She chose the Naval scholarship at UN-Lincoln. ( I have no idea why, it was 900 miles from home!) But she was also accepted at Marquette University in Milwaukee - a very prestigeous private college and could have gone there for free with the ROTC.

 

She attended UNL with a full ride including a monthly stipend. During the summer she went on a 4 week trip, ( I forget what they called it) where she spent a week on a submarine, got to fly a naval helicopter and trained like a Marine for 1 week. She loved it. Her obligation to the Navy would have been 4 years active duty service as an officer.

 

Unfortunately for DD (and our bank account), she developed severe asthma during her sophmore year and had to drop the program. She finished her Sophmore year at UNL but due to finances, came home and transfered to our local university for the last 2 years. The point is though, the ROTC is an awesome opportunity for those who are interested in Military service.

[readwithem]

And, there are advantages to going to a small private college with 2000 students (where all classes are taught by professors) over a huge state school with 45,000 students (where the undergrad classes are taught by grad students).

 

Ria

 

Your ds is my dd's twin! (oh wait, he already has a twin, right?) :)

 

Throw in small classes and you've got her wish list. No way is she remotely interested in our state flagship (enrollment is nearly 50K)

 

And congrats on his fabulous scholarships.

[cathmom]

The most important thing about a degree is having it.

[Ria]

Your ds is my dd's twin! (oh wait, he already has a twin, right?) :)

 

Throw in small classes and you've got her wish list. No way is she remotely interested in our state flagship (enrollment is nearly 50K)

 

And congrats on his fabulous scholarships.

 

LOL, yes, he has a twin. Maybe your dd is their long-lost triplet. Oh, and the classes are small at his school...the average class size is 18 students.

 

Ria

[unsinkable]

There are good reasons to go to the expensive private schools.

 

I had the choice of going to an expensive private school where I would be one of 2500 undergraduates, I would walk out with $40,000 in loans, the work would be hard, I would be far from the top of my class, the standards would be very high, and I would be with kids who were smarter than I was. Or a much less expensive state school where I would be one of lots and lots of students, I would get a full (room/board/books/stipend) scholarship, the work would be easy, I would be the top of class, the standards were lower, and the quality of student much lower.

 

For me, the four years I spent at RPI were the among the best in my life. I felt challenged. I had peers. I was alive. It was wonderful. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. The memory of those days carries my through many of the extremely tedious and boring days I experience now. Yes, I had student loans, but I have never ever regretted going to RPI (Rensslear Polytechinic Institute) instead of WSU (Wichita State).

 

I know there are some people that would choose differently, but for some people and some situations, the right school can literally make life worth living. My children will be encouraged to go to the school that is right for them. Even if it costs money. Money can be earned. Knowing that you aren't as alone in the world as it seems is priceless.

 

 

OK...cut to the chase: Did you date any hockey players? :D

[Nestof3]

there are advantages to going to a small private college with 2000 students (where all classes are taught by professors) over a huge state school with 45,000 students (where the undergrad classes are taught by grad students).

 

 

I guess each university is different, because the only classes I took at Va Tech that were taught by graduate students were freshman English, science labs, and freshman math. I loved that school. I became very close friends with one of my English professors (my major), and we still correspond today.

 

Sure, some of the classes held 500 and 900 people (biology 101, psychology 101), but the professors were always there to help if you needed it. These were the easier intro classes anyway.

 

Va Tech is still out of range for us, though, as it is five hours away.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

The most important thing about a degree is having it.

 

*If* having the degree is a means to an end and not seen as having more value in the journey than the destination. One of my three degrees was more valuable in the journey. The other two, the having it is the important thing.

[Sweetpeach]

This thread is very enlightening.

 

We started out married life with an unexpected pregnancy and 65k of student loan debt. Real life hit us hard. Five years later, we were debt-free due to the bust-his-butt job that my husband had in the oil&gas industry and some smart real estate moves.

 

I'm surprised that so many of you are firmly anti-debt as a means to fund a university education. Granted, we've spent our entire married life making choices that will ensure our kids have a headstart in paying for university, but I'm not offended if they have to carry debt when they start their real life.

 

IMO, it's the price a person pays for a "professional" career which brings with it a "professional" paycheque. That solid professional status bring favour with banks, credit, leverage . . . whatever the price, I think it's a necessary piece of paper.

 

My two cents worth.

 

Tricia

[Lolly]

You might not, but he did. He had options, and this was the one he chose. As for being in debt, most kids in college these days have debt, and many have much more than my son will have. He worked hard in high school, and his grades and SAT scores helped him get a grant. Tuition at the state school is around $25K; he would get no grant there. He pays $29K. That's not much of a difference in price, relatively speaking, but there's a huge difference in the campuses (as I mentioned, 2000 vs 45,000 students) and teachers (professors vs. grad students).

 

The point of my post, however, was not how much my son is spending on his college education, but the fact that college tuitions keep rising, well above the rate of inflation. There does not seem to be an end to it. Even the state school here is expensive.

 

And finally, why the concern? Because the prices are continuing to climb beyond record. And while we might have saved enough to help this child afford his education, we'd be hard-pressed to help a child as much if we had toddlers now. Do you see what I'm saying? When my kids were little, college was expensive, but not unreachable. I don't know if that's going to be the case in another 15-20 years. That is my concern.

 

Ria

 

Honestly, I think colleges are going to price themselves right out of the market. A major change will occur in how people are educated for jobs. Online schools are going to become more and more popular. More apprentice types of learning will become available. Basically, it will in many ways go back to what it was like years ago (with the exception of online courses). In the meanwhile, more students will start taking advantage of the community college for their first two years. I'm not sure it will be a bad thing. What colleges are doing now in ways of fees and education is ridiculous.