Posted on 05/03/2016 1:19:36 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
In early April, my son Dan arrived home from the University of Wisconsin’s Admitted Students Day holding a Wisconsin windshield sticker—and immediately affixed it to our car above his older brother’s University of North Carolina sticker, with a smile I can only describe as vengeful younger-brother joy.
He, too, was going away to a prestigious public university in a storied college town and with a cult-like alumni following.
A couple days earlier I’d photographed him, lanky and beaming, at Bascom Hill, and posted to Facebook: “On Wisconsin! Dan’s a Badger.” Congratulations poured in: 58 “Likes” and 17 comments. He performed the teenage equivalent, recording Snap Stories for his buddies.
All along, he had been clear that he didn’t want to attend a private school because of the price tag: “$70,000 a year! That just makes me angry!” And then he’d laugh at the ridiculousness of those costs. Above average but not a rock star student, he labored through five Advanced Placement classes, including calculus, biology, and statistics; and earned a weighted grade point average well north of 4.0, as well as a very high ACT score.
He’ll graduate next month from a public high school in a New Jersey suburb, one of those places where 98% of the class attends a four-year college. Some go to Ivies or near Ivies, many to prestigious liberal arts colleges, and another group to public research universities. That’s my kids’ peer group. So Dan and I exulted our way through April.
Then, two weeks after we put down the deposit for Wisconsin, we got the financial aid package. We were stunned when he got zero—nada—in aid. Unless you count the $5,500 in federal loans we were offered.
“This must be a mistake,” I thought.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
My oldest daughter joined the Coast Guard when she was 18. It has worked out really well for her. She’s thinking of getting out at the end of her next enlistment (next year?), and going to college full time, but if she’s offered a post on a ship, she’ll probably change her mind. She loves being at sea.
It's like with anything the FedGov subsidizes/secures. Housing subsidies? Cost of rent skyrockets. Secured mortgages? Home prices skyrocket. Healthcare subsidies? Insurance rates skyrocket. In this case, Pell grants - start subsidizing education, and the colleges WILL raise their rates.
Maybe “go somewhere cheaper”???
My granddaughter was asked by a professor why she was at the small college she goes to and why she wasn’t in an Ivy League school. She told him that she wants to be an Occupational Therapist, which is a 2 year degree and a semester of internships. She will have the Associate’s in OT and her bachelor’s in Rehab a month after her 21st birthday.
And the diploma for the Bachelor’s won’t have an asterisk with community college for the first two years on it. It will state the name of the university and the fact that the student met the requirements of earning the diploma.
Agreed that the best scenario for a technical degree is to go to a four-year school.
But we are talking about financial limitations. I think one could explain that during the interview process, particularly if one does well for the upper-division work (which is what matters anyway.)
My neighbor did CC for lower-division work (honors program), and then completed work at a major four-year university and is now employed as a full-time engineer.
Maybe in the old days, living away from overly protective parents was a good thing. But today, it becomes even more of a cocoon. What parent would accept micro-aggressions, safe rooms and soft toys to play with when Milo Yiannopolis comes to town? Sad, really.
College was useless for me. Have a very good sales job. Never once has anyone asked me about a degree.
Thanks for the explanation.
My son went to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for less than that for 4 years.
Something is not right here.
Jobs in the medical field are only going to become more common as the population ages, and there’s always the opportunity to pursue more education. I suggested medical training to my son, as a quick road to financial independence, but heavy equipment maintenance offers higher pay in a shorter time. (He’d be a heck of a pediatric nurse ... maybe someday!)
We keep hearing that jobs go begging, especially for government construction jobs, because otherwise qualified applicants can’t pass a drug test.
Not to hijack the thread, or put down your friends daughter, but why the heck does a four year university have a dance program? Is that something that should require a four year degree. This everyone must go to college mindset is what is causing the price rise.
I guess it's because dance is an Art. Universities have programs in Arts, like painting, sculpture, piano performance, etc.
There are other ways to pursue a career in ballet, but, given how few dancers at the high school level end up as professionals, the advantage of starting a university program is that the rest of the curriculum is there, too.
It's a lot like sports. Most college football (baseball, basketball) players don't make it to the pros, but they have the opportunity to learn a real marketable skill, at least.
Neither my friend nor I think her daughter has a real shot at a pro dance career. We hope she'll find an academic (business, technical) subject at college that she really loves. She's a very good student overall.
You might consider a "REALITY CHECK"..., spend two years at a community college living at home or..., work part-time and take on-line courses (NOT AT A HIGH COST SCHOOL). The other alternatives involve him becoming an indebted serf with dubious prospects of ever becoming debt free or..., you can forget retirement and assume the role of indebted serf for him. Having two Daughters who had "Dream Schools" in their minds..., I laid out their options to them. They both wisely lived at home a few more years and graduated with Honors a few years later..., both obtained Post-Graduate Degrees subsequently... (the same path I chose for myself many years ago).
It’s not just infrastructure. It’s the endowments worth billions which are basically an investment fund they all get money from.
This is an issue I’m very familiar with, as my daughter is going to a state university in another state. She had been accepted to a school in our state that was 1/2 the price, and we were at the point of telling her we would only pay for the in-state school. One of the professors she had interviewed with at the out of state school called her and asked if she was going to accept the offer. She said she wasn’t sure, because her parents were concerned about the tuition compared to the in-state school to which she had also been accepted. The professor called her a week later and said he had put in a request for her to be considered for in-state tuition, and it was granted. She was thrilled since the out of state school was her first choice. I never knew such a thing existed. So I would advise anyone in that position to check into whether the school will offer in state tuition. If the student’s high school transcript and SATs or ACTs are strong enough, they might offer in state tuition or at least a reduction, provided that the student maintains a high GPA.
Tell the college he’s an illegal alien ... Full ride, housing, voter id card ...
My youngest grandson is taking AP classes in high school but when he’s a junior he’ll transfer to the Votec high school and enroll in welding. By the time he is through with high school he should be good to go. Plans to continue at night school and on weekends at a local college and get a degree in architecture but understands that he needs to be able to do something to make money in the meantime so he can support himself.
My son found that welding pay rates are down. Your grandson might consider auto shop instead.
We have that problem here too. My granddaughter’s boyfriend is in mechanic’s school, there will be jobs for them. We literally have one diesel mechanic around here to work on tractors and he is overwhelmed.
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