How does most of America pay for these elite schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless my DC gets a large merit scholarship and can give us a good reason, we won't consider sending him to some teeny tiny liberal arts school that no one's heard of outside of the two or three states.

Some of these schools will be nearly six figures by the time DC graduates from HS-- it's ridiculous.

Not sure why you get a veto if kid gets a large merit scholarship and doesn't need your help.

[Anonymous]

To the PP who mentioned getting divorced as a way to make college more affordable, that's not how it works.

Schools look at the income of the parents and any second spouses they may have. So, if married your HHI was $300K, and divorced the husband makes $150K and wife makes $150K, your HHI is still $300K. But guess what? When you were married, you presumably all lived in one house. Now you have to pay for two houses with that same $300K HHI, but the schools don't care about that additional cost, even if you live in NYC, DMV, or the Bay Area. Your expenses DO NOT matter to them. All they look at is your income. Also, if one spouse wants to stay at home to knit or cook soup, your HHI is only what the other spouse brings in. They don't punish you for having a non-earning healthy adult who is not contributing to the finances.

If you make the mistake of marrying somebody new who has a high income, that will also work against your kid getting help. Bet you didn't know that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my DC gets a large merit scholarship and can give us a good reason, we won't consider sending him to some teeny tiny liberal arts school that no one's heard of outside of the two or three states.

Some of these schools will be nearly six figures by the time DC graduates from HS-- it's ridiculous.

Not sure why you get a veto if kid gets a large merit scholarship and doesn't need your help.

There is pretty much no scenario that doesn’t involve parents’ help.

[Anonymous]

Escort side hustle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my DC gets a large merit scholarship and can give us a good reason, we won't consider sending him to some teeny tiny liberal arts school that no one's heard of outside of the two or three states.

Some of these schools will be nearly six figures by the time DC graduates from HS-- it's ridiculous.

Not sure why you get a veto if kid gets a large merit scholarship and doesn't need your help.

There is pretty much no scenario that doesn’t involve parents’ help.

I always forget what weird rich people lives everyone on this board leads. Many kids live on their own and don't receive financial help from their parents all through college. It's not that rare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no thanks
also no evidence whatsoever “serving” makes you a better person

Military train people to kill.
That’s their full-time job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So a funny thing about ROTC.

I was admitted to and really wanted to go to one of the small elite schools. The cost was out of the question for my family and we were offered very little aid because my dad owned his own business and the aid package assume the ability to sell or mortgage several business assets that my dad reasonably did not feel comfortable parting with. Also quite a bit of loans. I also have three siblings and that figured in as well.

I looked into ROTC and was exploring it as an option, but my dad was super discouraging about it. He's kind of an asshole anyway, but he told me I'd never cut it in the program and I'd hate the service after I graduated, etc. I was worried he was right so I gave up on it and on the school (which is not a place where a lot of people do ROTC). I went to a state university where I got a merit scholarship that covered most of my tuition and graduated debt free. No regrets about any of that -- my life has worked out really nicely and I got a good education and I'm really glad I didn't take out a bunch of loans for undergrad.

However, I sometimes think about how my dad handled that and have concluded he was just straight up wrong. I think my willingness to explore ROTC as an option to get something I really wanted reflected a real willingness to sacrifice for my goals at a young age, and I think I would have done fine in the program. I wound up in a field where military experience would have been useful early on, and I probably would have gotten a lot of language experience as well which would have been extra handy. I'm super liberal and I don't think military service would have changed that. I think it would have been pretty formative and interesting.

I don't regret the choices I made but I also think parents sometimes limit their own kids more than necessary. I've put that lesson in my back pocket for my own kids, I think it's worth heeding.

I have a coworker with a military background. His daughter followed his footsteps. She became disabled with a kid. The coworker ended up adopting his own grandchild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nearly all the Ivy schools (and most other universities) have a ROTC program on campus or at a neighboring school they partner with if wanting to participate. They will pay your tuition, but you have to work for it.

really?

Yes, really.

maybe they could also earn the money as gladiators

My kid would LOVE this. And, she'd probably make a lot of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PP who mentioned getting divorced as a way to make college more affordable, that's not how it works.

Schools look at the income of the parents and any second spouses they may have. So, if married your HHI was $300K, and divorced the husband makes $150K and wife makes $150K, your HHI is still $300K. But guess what? When you were married, you presumably all lived in one house. Now you have to pay for two houses with that same $300K HHI, but the schools don't care about that additional cost, even if you live in NYC, DMV, or the Bay Area. Your expenses DO NOT matter to them. All they look at is your income. Also, if one spouse wants to stay at home to knit or cook soup, your HHI is only what the other spouse brings in. They don't punish you for having a non-earning healthy adult who is not contributing to the finances.

If you make the mistake of marrying somebody new who has a high income, that will also work against your kid getting help. Bet you didn't know that!

I think this would only be true if colleges that use css. If the just use fafsa, I'm pretty sure you could get away with not including ex's income. You would have to not have the 2nd spouse though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nearly all the Ivy schools (and most other universities) have a ROTC program on campus or at a neighboring school they partner with if wanting to participate. They will pay your tuition, but you have to work for it.

I know they'd be overjoyed to have my diabetic child and my child who is on ADHD meds!

even Food Allergies disqualify you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no thanks
also no evidence whatsoever “serving” makes you a better person

Military train people to kill.
That’s their full-time job.

You do understand that most of the military does not do this. The people who actually shoot at people is quite small in every branch. Less so in the Marines but that is it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no thanks
also no evidence whatsoever “serving” makes you a better person

Better everything frankly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Escort side hustle.

Sad but true. Send your daughter to college with insufficient funds and this. Happened with a suite mate at a very good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nearly all the Ivy schools (and most other universities) have a ROTC program on campus or at a neighboring school they partner with if wanting to participate. They will pay your tuition, but you have to work for it.

I know they'd be overjoyed to have my diabetic child and my child who is on ADHD meds![/quote]

even Food Allergies disqualify you

+1 or my kid that is both diabetic and ADHD medicated!

[Anonymous]

Most of America doesn’t apply and if they did and get in the average family gets significant aid