Should I move my wife and daughter to Colorado because she wants to attend Colorado State University? (costs, state school)

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by crunchtime

But we have looked at it another way.Shouldn't we enjoy our retirement and live where we want? Wife wants to move to Ca. Which way to go here? Tough decision.

If the choice is between where a fourteen year old child thinks she wants to go to college and where your wife wants to go, I don't understand the question. You go with your partner's choices. My in-laws live near Ft. Collins and we love Colorado, but without a job, we wouldn't move anywhere in this economy.

[kodaka]

Foolish, foolish idea to move. As noted above, 14 year olds change their mind. Frequently.

Moreover, it assumes that your daughter will actually be accepted to her first choice university and to the academic program of her choosing. There is no guarantee of this. I'm sure you think your daughter is a genius, and she may well be very intelligent. But you cannot assume that she will get in. There is after all, a reason why people apply to more than one university. You could find yourself in Colorado and end up sending your daughter to school in Alaska or Florida.

At this stage, it is important to talk to your daughter about goals and expectations. Be frank with her about your family's financial situation. She is not too young to learn that you are not made of money. She is not too young to understand that she needs to contribute something to the cost of her education and that she needs to start now on saving money for college. She is not too young to understand what sacrifices you may have to make if she wants to pursue this career. You need to listen and pay attention to her reaction too--you may discover that her primary interest in CSU is to get away from you! Sorry to be blunt but a lot of kids do this, pick a college just because its far away from mom and dad. Or you may find that she's not as interested in the subject as she thought, or discovers another school that is more suited to her interests, that doesn't pose the challenges that CSU does.

You said you visited Fort Collins, but did you actually talk to the school about finances? If not, you should. Many schools offer scholarships to out-of-staters, that bring down tuition to the in-state level. Every school is different, so you should find out where CSU is in this regard.

[jasper12]

I think that schools in Arizona are just as good. She can move to Colorado for graduate school. She is too young for you to just up and move based on this...moving is really expensive. Why does she want to go to THAT college? That is really too much. I can't even wrap my head around this...

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

If the choice is between where a fourteen year old child thinks she wants to go to college and where your wife wants to go, I don't understand the question. You go with your partner's choices. My in-laws live near Ft. Collins and we love Colorado, but without a job, we wouldn't move anywhere in this economy.

That goes double for Ft. Collins, where there are lots of "hanger on" college grads and dropouts that stay there and need to work.

[crunchtime]

Thanks for all of your replies. Some posts have made alot of sense to us and maybe my daughter and my wife and I need to sit down and discuss further her educational and future college goals. We have talked about it over dinner but we never seem to get far in our conversations.I have made some bad decisions in the past and I just don't want to mess this one up. I just want to feel after this is all said and done that we did do the right thing.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by crunchtime

I am at wits end in making a decision based on my daughter's wishes. She wants to major in Wildlife Biology in college and desires to attend Colorado State University. We live in Arizona and she is in the 9th grade. Getting A's in school and is taking honor classes in Math and Science. Because I am on permanent social security disability and in my early 60's and my wife not making much as a teacher, we wouldn't be able to afford out-of-state tuition. She would qualify for about 90% of what it would cost for in-state tuition and room and board in student loans and grants based on our income. We filled out the Fafsa4caster online and that's the figure they came up with. We would have to pay the other additional $10k if she attended CSU and we were living in Arizona. She does play club basketball and is very good but we cannot assume that she will get a scholarship from CSU to play basketball for them. So should we move to Fort Collins next summer to accommodate our daughter's wishes and establish residency or should we make the decision for her and have her attend Northern Ariz. or ASU? We can move as we rent and we did visit the CSU campus and the Fort Collins area last summer and really liked it.We have no relatives living in Arizona and particulary don't care for the summer heat so nothing is really holding us back. What would you do?

I would tell my daughter that she better start mowing lawns now because it's going to be really expensive for her to go to college there.

Last I checked, there is no law on the books that requires you to pay for your daughter's education. If she wishes to attend college out of state, she needs to understand that she is on her own financially.

She can work very, very hard and get an academic scholarship, or she can apply for hardship grants, or she can get a student loan, or she can work her butt off. It has been done many, many times and builds character, which a lot of college students who have their educations handed to them on a silver platter seem to be lacking.

If you are feeling particularly generous, you can offer to pay the amount that you would be paying for in-state tuition and that she is responsible for the difference. There is no way I would move.

20yrsinBranson

[golfgal]

First, there is a good chance she will change her mind like others have said. Second, you don't know if she will get INTO the college to begin with but she will actually have a better chance of being accepted from out of state so moving will decrease your chances. Third, the online FAFSA is just an estimate of what you may or may not have to pay. Every college then does their own calculations depending on how much money they have to give. She will hopefully also apply for outside scholarships-I know our counselor's office has pages and pages of scholarships available.

Don't rule out any school just based on cost. If you look at Harvard, at $54,000/year, most people say "no way can I pay that" but if you make under $60,000, Harvard is free, making is less expensive than a state school anywhere. If you make up to $180,000, it is 10% of your income, so max up to $18,000, again, less than most state schools. Don't college shop on price alone. I attended a private school for $5000/year LESS then any state school because most private schools have large endowments and money to give. If she is a good student, she won't have any problems finding the money to attend.

You being on permanent disability will also help because there is a question on the form that even asks about that, plus, we came across many, many scholarships for children of a parent that is disabled. The money is there if you are willing to do the work to find it.

[LauraC]

You can say "no" and tell your daughter to get a job and work her way through college if that's where she wants to go.

[city_data91]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

I would tell my daughter that she better start mowing lawns now because it's going to be really expensive for her to go to college there.

Last I checked, there is no law on the books that requires you to pay for your daughter's education. If she wishes to attend college out of state, she needs to understand that she is on her own financially.

She can work very, very hard and get an academic scholarship, or she can apply for hardship grants, or she can get a student loan, or she can work her butt off. It has been done many, many times and builds character, which a lot of college students who have their educations handed to them on a silver platter seem to be lacking.

If you are feeling particularly generous, you can offer to pay the amount that you would be paying for in-state tuition and that she is responsible for the difference. There is no way I would move.

20yrsinBranson

What makes you think it's expensive to go to college out of state? I am in college and I went out of state. My parents pay in state tuition. It's no different than if I stayed in state. It might actually be cheaper. I sent the OP a DM about the in state tuition scholarship at my college but he never replied. That's the thanks I get for trying to be helpful

For all you know, they might not offer her major in Arizona. And college has gotten more expensive over the years, even when you factor in inflation. Just because people could pay their way through college in the past doesn't mean the same can be done today. It still happens today (my cousin being an example) but it's more rare and harder than it was in the past.

I just thought your post sounded judgmental.

[janilew]

Interesting how the grass is always greener. My children, who grew up here in Colorado, were not much interested in CSU. Among my son's friends, ASU, was held in higher esteem. My daughter choose to go to Montana State on the WUE. If your daughter does go into wildlife biology, she will need to pursue a graduate degree to have anything beyond an entry level job. The program she attends will matter much more in graduate school so I would say look for the best bargain for undergrad. I am a high school teacher and know that many school districts in CO have a cap on how many years credit they will give on the teacher's salary scale. This can really hurt a teacher's income when changing school districts with more than a few years experience. This varies by district so is worth checking out. Also, some school districts along the front range are closing schools and cutting positions, another reason to do some research.