Since when are parents supposed to pay for college? (dad, cost, graduated)

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Well, you're not pursuing a bachelor's degree at a CC.

There are dozens of threads like this on CD, but the reality is, I do not know anyone who has gone to college w/o some help from someone, be it a parent, a grandparent, student loans, scholarships, etc. ALL of my friends and my kids' friends' parents paid the vast majority of their kids' college expenses. I see that you cannot actually give an example of a specific student. It is also entirely possible that you don't know the whole story with some of these students. "Work-study" is a form of federal aid, for example.

There is NO WAY one could work 1 1/2 jobs and take more than one course per semester, which would mean graduating in 20 years, 13 years if you took a course every summer as well. At some point in time, credits expire as well, so it might be totally impossible to attend college in that manner.

So not true.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Exactly. Degrees from Phoenix and Devry had more value prior to the universities becoming mainly online schools.

Tell me about it. My husband has a degree from an online school that is worthless. It sucks because he worked very hard for it.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

I find it interesting that a person can paint someone with the whole "Bad Parenting" brush based on one single aspect.

Are you surprised at that? This is CD, silly girl! LOL

[jeepgirl27]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

Grew up in a regular middle class town and everyone I know paid for college between some combination of student loans, work and scholarships....

When did this become the parents responsibility?

Its not a parents responsibility.
Most financial experts will tell you to invest in your retirement than pay for your kids college..due to the fact..kids can get grants, loans, scholarships and other means to pay for college...and things like that aren't given to us.
Why parents think it is I dont understand..And when kids have someone else pay for their college..its seems they dont really care about their education..when a kid pays for it themselves they seem to appreciate it more..

[addicted2helping]

Originally Posted by jeepgirl27

.And when kids have someone else pay for their college..its seems they dont really care about their education..when a kid pays for it themselves they seem to appreciate it more..

While in theory yes, I would agree, anyone appreciates something more when it is paid for with your own money, I think it does depend on the person/"child." Also, keep in mind, college isn't just about paying the bill, if it were, we could all get degrees, so it takes work, studying, time-management, or just sheer talent or a combination of all.

My parents paid for my college. I was a good student who wanted to graduate with a degree. So your over-generalization that kids don't care about their education if someone else pays for it, is exactly that, an over-generalization.

I want to pay for my children's college too, I want them to start off with a clean slate, no debt hanging over their heads.

I am also paying for my stepson's college.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by jeepgirl27

Its not a parents responsibility.
Most financial experts will tell you to invest in your retirement than pay for your kids college..due to the fact..kids can get grants, loans, scholarships and other means to pay for college...and things like that aren't given to us.
Why parents think it is I dont understand..And when kids have someone else pay for their college..its seems they dont really care about their education..when a kid pays for it themselves they seem to appreciate it more..

I haven't found that to be true at all. Most people I know have had their parents help with postsecondary education. I can only think of two of them that really didn't give a hoot about succeeding.

[jasper12]

If kids are doing poorly in college, not taking a realistic major with a career goal, then there does need to be a "come to jesus meeting" with the person paying for the party. I was lucky, I never had to have that meeting with my kids.

I know I would not be happy with my sons if they had gone to college for four years, and were still living at home, working at a minimum wage job. They would be off to the military, teach for america, ameri corps, or a fishing boat in alaska. But they would be some place other than on my sofa.

[LeavingMassachusetts]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Tell me about it. My husband has a degree from an online school that is worthless. It sucks because he worked very hard for it.

The trick with online school is to get it from a well-known, respected university. There are a lot of them out there now. The Devry's and Phoenix's of the world are a laughing stock but there really are some great schools you can get a degree from and it looks no different.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by LeavingMassachusetts

The trick with online school is to get it from a well-known, respected university. There are a lot of them out there now. The Devry's and Phoenix's of the world are a laughing stock but there really are some great schools you can get a degree from and it looks no different.

Unfortunately, we made that mistake and are paying for it now.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by jeepgirl27

Its not a parents responsibility.
Most financial experts will tell you to invest in your retirement than pay for your kids college..due to the fact..kids can get grants, loans, scholarships and other means to pay for college...and things like that aren't given to us.
Why parents think it is I dont understand..And when kids have someone else pay for their college..its seems they dont really care about their education..when a kid pays for it themselves they seem to appreciate it more..

Not exactly correct. Most financial planners say to not pay for college if you have to take money out of your retirement funds to do so, or if you can't both pay for college and save for retirement. Everyone's financial situation is different. If you had your kids relatively young, you will be in your 40s when they go to college, and have lots of time afterward (statistically) to save for retirement. If you had them older, you may already have significant savings. Some people get an inheritance from their own parents (the kids' grandparents) that can be used for college. Sometimes grandparents "gift" money to college students.

If a family is solidly middle class, the financial aid is likely to be restricted to loans. The federal student aid program includes an "expected family contribution".

As far as kids whose parents pay for their educations not appreciating it, I will share this story about my daughter. She went to college out of state for a while, and she and some of her friends were talking about failing courses. She told me that she said, "If that happened to me, I'd be on the next plane back to Colorado". We never communicated that to her (and probably wouldn't have been so harsh), but she knew she was getting a pretty good thing, and she had her obligation in the deal.