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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do parents feel such an obligation to pay for college in other parts of the world? It strikes me as odd how often college money is the number 1 priority for a couple, even before their own retirement $$.[/quote]

In other parts of the world, college is free or nearly free. We’re the only nation that allows are young and elderly to take out loans to afford $90k a year schools.[/quote]

College is "free" but you pay 60-70% in taxes.    I don't trust our government to utilize my tax dollars efficiently, so let's not go down that path. Also, most other countries limit who can attend college, quite often that limiting is done at age 10-12---don't make the cut then you don't have an easy path to college. Also don't make the cut then, and you will never major in STEM or premed as you wont get the needed classes in MS/HS.  I prefer not to track kids at age 12---I like our system better.

Besides, in the USA there are paths to cost effective college or close to free.  Start with CC, even better start with CC while in HS and complete Dual entry and earn your AA degree with your HS diploma--only costs are typically transportation to/from the college campus and books.  You can get your AA for less than $1K in book costs.  Then go to a state school, most states have several that are less than $10-12K in tuition.  Live at home if that's possible, because in "the rest of the world" most kids do live at home for college, they don't live in dorms or apartments.  A kid can live at home, work all breaks and PT during the year and pay for most of the $10-12K tuition on their own...if parents help a bit there is no need for loans even.

See, you can get a great education without attending a $90K/year school . In "other parts of the world" most kids do not get to attend an elite university---they go to whatever is local that they were tracked towards at age 12.  [/quote]

I don’t think you have very much information about how a lot of the world operates.  [/quote]

I think you don't have valid information on that either.  This is how much of Europe functions, as well as India.   So please, enlighten the group as to what is incorrect.  This is how Europe works---most of my friends in Europe have their kids live at home and attend a local university.  And yes, kids are tracked early on for what courses they take and what college the might be eligible for.  Sure college is "free" in much of Europe, or relatively cheap, but they pay for it with taxes, high taxes.   Most of Europe is not obsessed with attending Oxford or Cambridge.....the Europe equivalent of T20/Ivies.   [/quote]

Sure.  I’ll enlighten you.  I actually know a lot about the tax structures in Europe. There’s no European nation with an income tax bracket of 60-70%, let alone an effective tax rate that high.  The highest marginal rates are in the 50s. The US is at 37%. Pensions add to it, but they’re pensions like ss, certainly not being used to fund higher education.  The consumption tax, or VAT, isn’t clearly passed onto consumers in the sense that without it prices would be 20% lower.  It certainly has a distortive effect on the economy, but doesn’t equal individual tax payers having an effective rate of 60-70%.

American universities are superior in many ways.  But Ireland, UK, France, and Germany all have multiple world class global universities and students from around Europe and certainly around those countries apply and attend.

In addition, a much higher number of Europeans obtain masters degrees.

And during college, many participate in Erasmus, which is like our study abroad across the EU, but not eye poppingly expensive.

On top of that, they have an excellent transportation infrastructure and some countries deliver excellent healthcare at a relatively low cost.

Any other questions?

[/quote]

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