Anonymous wrote:how much do the pre-paid deal-ios cost?

Depends on the age of your child and the amount of semesters you want. Also if you pay up front vs monthly. For 8 "tier one" semesters ( ie at four year schools like UVA, WM, VT etc) for a 1.5 yr old we are looking at a one time payment of $61k.

how much do the pre-paid deal-ios cost?

Anonymous wrote:Any last minute words of advice? Anyone out there unhappy with their decision to do it? I know it's a great deal but man it's a lot of money to think about spending on college right now for a one year old

I chose MD one because it is backed by a Maryland Legislative Guarantee. Yes, a lot of money...but u have to pay the piper sooner or later.

I got the max. no. of years for each of my kids. Just so they can get a start on a Masters if they want.

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 coworkers who bought the prepaid (no idea when they bought) and their kids are applying to go to college now. Bright kids, good scores, etc. Neither got in early to UVA and one was flat out rejected. They are holding out hope for the others they applied to, but their experience has scared me so far. Seems like the odds of UVA are fairly love in the NoVA area. While I know there are other great VA schools, it just seems like a big gamble to me.

OP here: I actually work in college counseling so I am not worried about that end of things. To be totally honest, UVa is not one of those schools like Harvard that is a total crapshoot. If you have the right numbers, good essays and a reasonable amount of extracurriculars and leadership experience, you will be admitted. Your coworker's kids probably did not have the scores they needed (or the grades). Kids in Northern Virginia who make A's on challenging classes and have 1400/32+ scores are generally admitted.

Anyway, that's not to say my child will or will not have those numbers, just that it's not the crapshoot most people think. I would be happy sending my child to UVa, W&M, or VT. And if she didn't get in to any of those schools, she certainly wouldn't be getting into the kinds of schools that I would pay 3-4x the price of an in state school to attend, so I would just send her to a lower ranked VA school.

My concern is just whether we would relocate in the next 16-17 years.. It's an awesome deal if we stay in state, not so much if we leave.

I just read this and thought it said *Vagina* instead of Virginia!

We bought years ago and are pleased. We have a Junior and a Freshman in HS. So far, I predict at least one will use it.

We looked at it. Ultimately concluded that it wasn't worth it for us.

That should be *low, not *love.

I have 2 coworkers who bought the prepaid (no idea when they bought) and their kids are applying to go to college now. Bright kids, good scores, etc. Neither got in early to UVA and one was flat out rejected. They are holding out hope for the others they applied to, but their experience has scared me so far. Seems like the odds of UVA are fairly love in the NoVA area. While I know there are other great VA schools, it just seems like a big gamble to me.

I have no words of advice, but am also curious as to what tipped the scales in favor of the prepaid for you? I have been thinking about maybe doing one prepaid in hopes that one of my three kids will attend a decent VA school, but haven't made the leap yet. Currently have 529s for all three.

Well the main issue is whether or not you think a 529 would grow faster than tuition. We have friends on both sides of the debate. We got a huge unexpected bonus and are planning to use it all for college but don't know which path to take. We might do 1/2 and 1/2...

Any last minute words of advice? Anyone out there unhappy with their decision to do it? I know it's a great deal but man it's a lot of money to think about spending on college right now for a one year old