$4800
That's the approximate tuition only cost per year of the closest in-state university. I was having a conversation with a friend today about a scholarship program here in Arizona that rewards students who excel on our state mandated test AND never earn below a B in a core class in high school. I only recently discovered the second requirement and was dismayed because the teenager got a "c" in some class or other as a freshman so he's ineligible for this tuition waver. My friend indicated that it wasn't that great of a deal anyway since it's only tuition and you know "tuition is only about $5000 a year anyway".
ONLY??? ONLY???
I feel in some ways that I've done a disservice to my kids by having so many and having them so young and by choosing to stay at home and by choosing other things over college savings funds. We literally have NO money put away for any of our kids for college. None. Zero. And? we don't qualify for need based financial aid which only takes into account how much money you earn, not how many people you are supporting with those earnings. So, my kids will be either earning scholarships or working their way through or taking on loans, all of which Mark and I did. And I feel guilty and negligent for that in some ways and in others I feel like my kids will be earning their way through school and that's not a bad thing. I go back and forth. But to say to me that tuition is ONLY $5000 a year?
I wish the word only ever preceded $5000 in any of my conversations.
posted by Marlene at 4:41 PM
4 Comments:
Well, I guess the ideal situation would be that our children get scholarships or we are able to pay their way and they don't have to work while in school. But really, how many people can do that? I know that as things stand now, we sure can't. Obviously, we only have one child to deal with (so far) and many many years before we have to worry about it, but theoretically, we could have a child getting close to graduating high school, and no way to pay for it. I'm not even sure how we managed to put me through school. Oh yeah, somehow I qualified for financial aid back in those days.
The way they figure out financial aid is stupid and I really wish they would change things. Sure, "on paper", it might look like you can afford to send your child to school and pay his way, but when you factor in trying to care for a family of six, that disposable income dwindles down very quickly. Ugh. That just drives me crazy. It's not fair and it needs to be changed.
In the end, though, they'll get through one way or the other. If they have to work their way through school, hopefully they'll appreciate it that much more.
since we are barely making it now. The kids will have to work for thier college education.
I just hope I do a better job than my mom did in encouraging them continue to college to get a real job.
I'm in the EXACT same boat. My parents also chose other things. And I'm very appreciative of that. I'm not so appreciative of the scholorship people only looking at their income instead of mine. And i'm the one paying. Jerks. ::sigh:: we work through it some how, right? You don't wanna know what kind of debt I'm in, and i'm not even old enough to drink my sorrows away (for 6 days anyway)
I feel your pain. The first 4 years I had grants and scholarships and David paid his own way (tuition was much more affordable back then). The grad degree (many years later) I paid for. Jessica hasn't learned from Rochelle's, but I guess siblings rarely do.
Poor Rochelle hasn't had any help the past 3 years other than loans and work. I take full responsibility for the lack of grants because we were a 2 income family, but the lack of scholarships is on her.
I just received info from the FASFA for Jessica, and she doesn't quailfy for grants, so she will start racking up the loans as Rochelle has. I'm sure I'll receive the results for Rochelle and they will be the same. We are a family of 6 with one income and 2 children in college next school year and I was hoping for some kind of help for the girls.
Talk about feeling guilty for preparing my children to have a quality future only by making them pay for my preparation. I feel like I've set them up to fail before they even started. Teaching responsibility really sucks! David and I have the experience of dropping out of our undergraduate programs to return 3 years later to finish. This was extremely difficult to do because we had already started a family and so on. Because of this experience we have helped Rochelle with extreme expenses (we will also help Jessica) so that she doesn't have to go through this same struggle.
Sorry about the long comment, but thanks for letting me share.
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