Reply to Choosing not to go to Beauvoir

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some don't want a school with a religious affiliation. Some don't want to have to go through the application process again in just a few years. Some don't want to end up in a same-sex school. Some think it's too much of a display of privilege.

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They give so much financial aid that there isn't as much of a display of wealth as you would think. Even the uber wealthy are low key and very understated. There is a lot of old money there, means people do not talk about money or display what they have that much. We were pleasantly surprised by this.[/quote]

I'm not sure where all of that financial aid is going, but it isn't to middle class families like mine, who simply can't keep pace with tuition increases.  We like the school a lot, but we're considering leaving, because it's hard to justify the (increasing) cost, and it feels odd to be a middle class family at a place that clearly doesn't have much of a middle class.  [/quote]

That's something to take up with the school and a good point. They do give a lot of financial aid which is partly why tuition is so expensive because the auction doesn't cover it all. I personally support financial aid but think they should not give so much because you are right the middle class does end up feeling it the most. [/quote]

I would like to see where all of that financial aid is going.  I know a lot goes to faculty kids, which I'm fine with, but they keep increasing tuition, spending money like it's water, and squeezing out the middle.  It's not unique to Beauvoir, but it is really sad and frustrating.  [/quote]

I think this is a very hard question.  In some ways, I think i comes down to differing, and all legitimate, views on how need should be assessed.  Let's say a school has $100 to provide in financial aid.  Should it provide all $100 to a family is in a low SES bracket, as a result of assessing that they have the greatest need to avoid their becoming truly impoverished?  Or, should some of that money go to a middle class family that, without the aid, would not be able to pay tuition without reducing their financial situation taking them out of the middle class financially?  In other words, to what extent is aid there to provide financially needy families with money that they would absolutely need to attend the school, and how much is it to ensure that middle class families at the school are not stretched so thin that they are no longer able to live a middle class lifestyle.  Any to what degree should schools increase tuitions (in part to support financial aid) in a way that results in the middle class families (and others) subsidize lower SES families to the extent that the middle class families have to have significant changes in their lifestyles not just to pay for the operations of the school, but to pay for financial aid provided to others.  I can see both sides.  It's very important to provide to those who need it most, both as mater of good school citizenship and to support diversity.  But at some point it does start looking like a simple redistribution of wealth from one current parent to another given that part of tuition (in addition to endowment draws and dedicated financial aid funds) goes toward financial aid at all the schools my kids have attended.  [/quote]

I will add that middle class families struggling to pay for their own tuition plus someone else's tuition can be difficult to handle no matter how much you support the idea and concept of financial aid. I think schools need to scale back and budget accordingly.[/quote]

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