For full-pay families: how much do you ask your DC to pay for?

[Anonymous]

Thread title really shouldn't end with a preposition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours got a full merit tuition ride at a private T20. DC applied to lots of external merit aid scholarships and worked on campus (for min wage) to lessen the burden for room and board. It has been an uphill battle, but this coming academic year for the first time DC will be able to fully fund COA on their own, thanks to a relatively well paying summer job. After that unlikely they will be able to continue fully fund COA; academic load gets harder and need to maintain GPA for the merit aid.

May I ask -- what private T20 offers merit aid?

[Anonymous]

We covered tuition, housing, meal plans, books, gas to and from home and they covered their social activities. One joined a sorority and that was on her as well.

[Anonymous]

We are paying all of the direct costs, and they are going to use money from their summer job for the fun stuff.
We are going to highly encourage them to apply for RA positions next year since their college requires 2 years on campus.
They will likely get an on-campus job second semester if they feel like their schedule allows it because they like to have a job.

[Anonymous]

I will fully pay for all three of my kids and ask them to contribute nothing. This is what my parents did for me - and they weren't rich (I am). I clearly remember being filled with gratitude all through college as I watched friends do work study programs and take loans - I did not take it for granted at all that I did not have to contend with those things thanks to my parents' commitment to pay for everything for me.

I respect people who want their kids to have skin in the game and who require them to contribute to the cost of their education. For me personally, I feel it's my responsibility to cover all costs for my kids because a) I can easily afford it, b) they're good kids and c) I want them to have a head start in life.

[Anonymous]

Being someone who had to pay for college myself, and had to work all the way through, I went the opposite with my kids and paid for just about everything.

My only caveat was that I'd pay for one non-food hall meal a week, any beyond that they had to pay for. That's pretty much what their summer job earnings went towards.

[Anonymous]

We pay the direct expenses, or equivalent in rent+$ for food when living off campus. They pay for books and any other day to day expenses. DS blew through his savings freshman year so opted to get a campus job in sophomore year. DD is super frugal and barely even spends any of her summer earnings.

[Anonymous]

Zero. They work summers for spending money.

FWIW- some kids spend a crazy amount and it would dissuade me from a monthly allowance people seem to liberally give. Other threads mention hundreds per month. DC say dorm mates are door dashing coffee and daily meals because they don’t like the dining hall. Such a waste of money, even if it’s the kids own money from the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No job during school year. Work summers.

this and pay for their own going out to eat and drinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours got a full merit tuition ride at a private T20. DC applied to lots of external merit aid scholarships and worked on campus (for min wage) to lessen the burden for room and board. It has been an uphill battle, but this coming academic year for the first time DC will be able to fully fund COA on their own, thanks to a relatively well paying summer job. After that unlikely they will be able to continue fully fund COA; academic load gets harder and need to maintain GPA for the merit aid.

Why did you respond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. We pay for college and give her $75 a month for other things. She got a little 7 hour a week job to have a little more fun money. She worked a good paying job one summer and an unpaid internship the next.

We do almost the same thing although we give a bit less each month. The rest of DC’s fun money comes from their summer job.

[Anonymous]

Zero. We expect them to continue to make good decisions. They're grateful.

[Anonymous]

I had to pay for spending money and food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours got a full merit tuition ride at a private T20. DC applied to lots of external merit aid scholarships and worked on campus (for min wage) to lessen the burden for room and board. It has been an uphill battle, but this coming academic year for the first time DC will be able to fully fund COA on their own, thanks to a relatively well paying summer job. After that unlikely they will be able to continue fully fund COA; academic load gets harder and need to maintain GPA for the merit aid.

May I ask -- what private T20 offers merit aid?

Rice, Vanderbilt, WashU, JHU, ND, Duke, othera

[Anonymous]

Zero for anything school related but does pay for clothing, transportation, and social outings if they are unrelated to school. For example, if kid is in a club and they all go out to eat to celebrate the last meeting of the year, I pay for both the transportation and the meal. If kid wants to go out to eat with roommates, I do not pay for the transportation or meal.