Reply to Parental Involvement in College Decision Process

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]To OP - I know others have said this but it's worth repeating.  The college application process has changed dramatically since you and I applied.  I did all my own testing, applications and law school applications.  I can't even tell you what my essays were on because I didn't consider them important.  I don't even remember my SAT or LSAT scores.  I got a $35.00 check from mom and mailed four apps and got into all four colleges.  That world is long gone.  While you want your children to make the decision, you need to realize that picking a college that might cost $72K a year (and might take five or six years to complete) is the cost of buying a home.  That wasn't the case when we went.[/quote]

This is a pretty standard spiel, but I don't quite agree.  Back in the dark ages when I was in college, the elite colleges were not accessible to the vast majority of Americans, no matter how qualified. The cost of attendance was a little over $20k, my mom earned less than the national median wage of $25k, her house was worth less than $100k and the most I could earn work-study was $3.35/hour.  Only half of the Ivies were need blind, gave loans first (with 12% interest!) in their financial aid packages, and retirement and home equity were always included in their calculations.  They gapped regularly - one year, my family contribution was higher than my mom's AGI.  Students on aid couldn't do junior year abroad because you couldn't work overseas. Andover and Exeter still had unofficial slots and legacy did not have to come close to the academic standards held for students like me.

Today, the elite college are more accessible with far greater financial aid budgets than back in the day.  No high school is an Ivy feeder, legacy have higher average stats than others, and students with family incomes below $100k can attend with no family contribution or loans.  There are additional grants available to cover unpaid internships and study/research abroad.  While the pool of qualified students is larger than ever, so are the enrollments (though they haven't kept up with population growth).   It may be tougher on students with incomes in the top 5%, but it is easier for everyone else.

Public universities are where there are real problems now. Before systematic defunding, the public universities used to be far more affordable.  Now there are many public colleges that give more aid to those without financial need than they do to students who need it.  [/quote]

Not accurate.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/18/college-tuition-unaffordable-growth-median-income_n_5505653.html[/quote]

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