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Maybe there is more to this...as someone above in this thread said, it used to be one of the marks of the middle class that you could afford to send your kids to college. Maybe that is becoming less and less possible....?
I'm sure you're aware of how much the cost of going to college has changed since the 70's. Meanwhile the cost of everything else has done nearly the same thing....especially home prices. My parent's paid $17,000 for a house in 1975 and an equivalent home today would likely cost $125,000. So that's roughly a 7.5x increase. And cars are pretty much the same deal. Back then you could get an ok car for $2k (or less probably)....now it's like $15k for an equivalent car. In the same time period incomes for a lot professions haven't risen more than 4x (teachers for example...those are supposedly middle class jobs right?).
So yes....it is definitely MUCH more difficult for middle class families to send their kids to school than it once was.
Also for some in the last few years have had their financial lives ruined by the dip in the economy. 401k's cashed in....savings accounts raided....credit accounts maxed. It's tough out there. Some of us are lucky to have emerged unscathed.
Right. 40+ hours a week at work, on the employer's schedule. 15 hours a week in class, needing to be arranged around the work schedule. Need a class during work hours? I guess that's not possible. How does that work when one gets to the higher level classes in one's major, where only 1 or 2 options are available for taking the class? Supposedly, 30+ hours a week outside of class. Let's see, that's now in excess of 95 hours a week, out of the 168 available. Supposedly 56 hours a week for sleeping, another 2 hrs/day preparing meals/eating. We're at a deficit already, and that isn't even counting commute time, or time for some of the other necessities of life, e.g. grocery shopping, occasional clothing shopping, haircuts, paying bills, cleaning the house, doing laundry at a bare minimum. How did you have time to even discuss this issue with your friends? There's NO time for socializing in this scenario.
I'll say it again, I'm tired of the accusation that kids whose parents pay for their education are as a group, out partying 24/7, coming to class hung over, etc.
Some positives and negatives about college students working.
I agree. I put myself through college (GI Bill, loans, worked p/t) and it wasn't easy. The GI bill basically just paid my rent. But what I don't want my kids to have is to start off in debt w/student loans. I ended up bankrupt a year after graduating! So I've started 529s for my kids this year. It probably won't pay for everything, but I think they would do well to work a p/t job for their own spending money at least.
Lets look at it from another direction do you expect or believe your entitled to a collage education and why should your parents be responsible for there adult children by giving them money?
Is it a status symbol like suggested for the parents to brag about at the club? I paid X$ for my kid to attend XYX university.
Lets look at it from another direction do you expect or believe your entitled to a collage education and why should your parents be responsible for there adult children by giving them money?
Is it a status symbol like suggested for the parents to brag about at the club? I paid X$ for my kid to attend XYX university.
I call it the heck of a lot better chance to be gainfully employed and not living with me club.
Lets look at it from another direction do you expect or believe your entitled to a collage education and why should your parents be responsible for there adult children by giving them money?
Is it a status symbol like suggested for the parents to brag about at the club? I paid X$ for my kid to attend XYX university.
I'm a strong believer in the fact that not a single person in the world is entitled to anything. That being said, there is a distinct irresponsibility taking place when the parents can't give their child a single dime toward their college education. I've known many many students whose parents helped pay for college and most of them are incredibly grateful for that (especially after meeting someone who has to deal with student loan debt or work themself silly just to afford their degree that they have no time to study for because they are always working.) There are also a few that do feel entitled and take advantage of their parents all the time. I would also argue that if the child does not realize the value of things given to them, that's also a result of questionable parenting.
I put myself thru school, by working for a year and saving every penny. That money went to my tuition, books, car, car insurance, gas, cloths, etc. My parents paid for only two lab fees. This was back in the early 90's and in that time my tuition doubled (this was a SUNY school). During my schooling, I'd have f/t summer jobs and sometimes I would work p/t during school.
The kicker was that my dad wouldn't even fill out the financial aid forms for me (needed to know his income). He was a retired fireman, so he wasn't rich by any means! But now I can proudly say that I did it on my own.
When my kids go to college, I'm thinking it should be a combination of what I did, with help from us. If they take part in paying for their education, they'll definately take it seriously and they'll have a greater sense of accomplishment. That's my theory, anyway.
I honestly never understood that either...why should parents pay for college? I've met so many people whose parents did pay for their college, they graduate, and decide they don't wanna get a job in that profession, while their parents are stuck with the bill. I see it as kids will take college and their education a lot more serious if theyr're the ones to pay for it. I'm 24 and I refused to take my parents help. I recently started college bc this whole time I didn't know what to go for, and I'm more determined NOT to drop out bc its MY money for MY future!...my parents raised me, clothes me, fed me...and now its my time to take care of myself. It should be a part of life, learning that u sometimes have to spend money on ur education to make money in the future.
I think it's a fairly recent concept. At least for the Middle Class. No one from the Greatest Generation expected their parents to pay for college! Their parents were still recovering from the Depression. The GG knew if they wanted college it meant they worked their way through and/or used the G.I. Bill. Many of them didn't even go to college. It was serve in the war, come home, get married, start working.
The GG's parents worked their way through. (And something like Teacher's College didn't take four years.)
The Boomers looked for scholarships, worked, G.I. Bill for the vets, took out student loans.
Back then, a state school education in my state was $200 a semester. A college bound student could make that in a summer without help. My college was $550 a semester back in 1969. I worked all summer and paid the first semester and my parents would pay for the 2nd semester. I was grateful for their help.
I put myself thru school, by working for a year and saving every penny. That money went to my tuition, books, car, car insurance, gas, cloths, etc. My parents paid for only two lab fees. This was back in the early 90's and in that time my tuition doubled (this was a SUNY school). During my schooling, I'd have f/t summer jobs and sometimes I would work p/t during school.
The kicker was that my dad wouldn't even fill out the financial aid forms for me (needed to know his income). He was a retired fireman, so he wasn't rich by any means! But now I can proudly say that I did it on my own.
When my kids go to college, I'm thinking it should be a combination of what I did, with help from us. If they take part in paying for their education, they'll definately take it seriously and they'll have a greater sense of accomplishment. That's my theory, anyway.
I think you should be proud of what you did.
My dad wouldn't fill out financial aid forms, either. His excuse was that he knew he made too much money. This was unlikely to be true, as he was an engineer and my mom was a SAHM. Many colleges require that form to be filled out to consider you for any financial aid, not just need-based. But he didn't understand that.
In any event, there is no legal requirement for parents to pay for college. However, I think it's just part of some people's culture that it's something they should do, if possible. I think parents who don't save for college, then expect to get need-based financial aid, are trying to pull a fast one. Fortunately for the rest of us, their kids usually get to take out more loans, rather than getting direct aid.
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