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I'm not necessarily talking Ivy League. I went to a small, expensive (at the time) private Lutheran college. But depending on what a person wants to do, a community college may be the right place to go. We have one just 22 miles away and many people get a great education there.

There was another private, Lutheran college I was accepted into,with scholarships, but not as good of ones, and with much higher grade requirements, so I made a CHOICE to go to the other college, mostly because of the money.

I guess my point is, people (parents and their kids) need to be thinking ahead, and take responsibility for their actions! They need to work hard thru high school, not just start when they're thinking about college. Now I went to a small town HS. I was in a few extracurricular activities, but not many. There's no way I would have gotten into a really big name school, even if I could have afforded it, but I didn't want to or need to.

IMHO, people can't just expect college to be handed to them just because. If they have worked hard and gotten good grades and/or qualified for loans and grants and scholarships, then they DESERVE to have it (at least partly) paid for. But I don't think it should automatically be a 'given.'

There's no way I would have gotten into a really big name school, even if I could have afforded it, but I didn't want to or need to.

IMHO, people can't just expect college to be handed to them just because. If they have worked hard and gotten good grades and/or qualified for loans and grants and scholarships, then they DESERVE to have it (at least partly) paid for.

Those are 2 points I keep making whenever I can!

I went to a small and not expensive Catholic college. My family had no money, and I was offered better scholarships at secular schools, but my parents wanted me to go to a Catholic school. I got a small scholarship, a campus job, and loans.
My education was perfectly adequate, and in some ways better than what I would have gotten in a "name" school. I was taught by full professors in most classes; in "name" schools, undergraduates often have most classes with TAs.

And yes, I do think that any student who qualifies should be given some kind of financial package that allows them to go to college. But that's hard on 2 counts now - with social promotions, we don't know which students have learned anything in high school. And too many are attracted to the "name" schools, where they can wind up borrowing so much to go that they graduate with overwhelming debt. That shouldn't happen.