Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend was telling me about how her sister is stressed about her high school children and college tuition. The husband makes enough to maintain their everyday lifestyle but they have no college savings. The mom doesn’t work. She has 2 high school kids and all the time in the world and basically hasn’t worked since having kids. This just seems selfish and irresponsible.

I’m a sahm but my Dh earns a seven figure income. If Dh didn’t earn enough for our kids’ college, I absolutely 100% work.

Doesn’t it seem irresponsible and lazy to not work if your family needs the money?

If you stay at home with your kids, you work. Just bc domestic work is undervalued doesn’t mean it isn’t work. My spouse is a 7 figure earner with long hours and lots of travel. I’m at home to give our kids some consistency. And we both appreciate the work that the other person does for our family.

Anonymous wrote:My friend was telling me about how her sister is stressed about her high school children and college tuition. The husband makes enough to maintain their everyday lifestyle but they have no college savings. The mom doesn’t work. She has 2 high school kids and all the time in the world and basically hasn’t worked since having kids. This just seems selfish and irresponsible.

I’m a sahm but my Dh earns a seven figure income. If Dh didn’t earn enough for our kids’ college, I absolutely 100% work.

Doesn’t it seem irresponsible and lazy to not work if your family needs the money?

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

I am sorry to hear that. However, if you choose to move into with a man your parents disprove, they are not required to finance your household. He (the boyfriend) should have supported you. You could have worked and saved for couple years before going to college and accumulating loans. Hope all worked out with that boyfriend.
As to my college, my husband paid for it: I married at 21 right out of parents' house and he just gave me a check for 4 years tuition. I married well and divorced even better. Women have powers - your parents have nothing to do with that

I didn’t live with my boyfriend I was just dating somebody on campus. I lived in a dorm. It wasn’t serious at the time.

Also, I was not interested in a serious relationship. I was just dating. I had no plans to marry before 30. My education mattered to me. My parents going postal and giving me a huge debt load on purpose because they are racist is pure evil. They would have never done that to a son. It wasn’t serious and I didn’t even tell them about the boyfriend they spying on me and found out that I was going on some dates then called the financial aid office and told him never to send them a bill again and then they called me and told me that I had to figure it out because I had to pay what that contribution was and the public university down the street said the same thing and said that the cost would be equal in fact if I transferred I would end up paying more because a lot of my credits wouldn’t transfer and I would have to stay in college longer. I wanted to get my degree. I was not overly focused on a man like you suggest and like you were because there was no way in hell I was getting married at 21.

It was silly of you to loose parents support because of a non-serous relationship. You should have better focused on education or finding a husband who would support you. Yes, I invested my 20s into someone birthing kids, taking care of a large house and cooking dinners and thus that somebody financed my college. And I am more than well off now after divorce with decent job. Everyone makes own choices

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can you read? I went to a private college. I had an academic scholarship that paid 75% of my tuition which was almost the same as the public university nearby. I still had to take our loans for room and board. That is not free.

PP - I get that your parents didn't contribute their EFC and that you had a scholarship that accounted for 75% of the tuition... so you paid between $4 and $5K per year for your tuition. If you took out 40k in loans, that means that you took out another ~$5-6k per year for room and board. Did you work during the summers? I had summer internships in the 90s that paid me ~3k per summer. I also worked during the school year earning roughly that over the academic calendar. Not enough to cover everything, but it made a dent. I also lived in some pretty cruddy apartments with roommates because it was ~1/2 the price of campus room and board. I'm not blaming you, PP, but you ALSO had choices that you didn't make.

Nice try. I worked 30 hours a week the entire de of college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

I am sorry to hear that. However, if you choose to move into with a man your parents disprove, they are not required to finance your household. He (the boyfriend) should have supported you. You could have worked and saved for couple years before going to college and accumulating loans. Hope all worked out with that boyfriend.
As to my college, my husband paid for it: I married at 21 right out of parents' house and he just gave me a check for 4 years tuition. I married well and divorced even better. Women have powers - your parents have nothing to do with that

I didn’t live with my boyfriend I was just dating somebody on campus. I lived in a dorm. It wasn’t serious at the time.

Also, I was not interested in a serious relationship. I was just dating. I had no plans to marry before 30. My education mattered to me. My parents going postal and giving me a huge debt load on purpose because they are racist is pure evil. They would have never done that to a son. It wasn’t serious and I didn’t even tell them about the boyfriend they spying on me and found out that I was going on some dates then called the financial aid office and told him never to send them a bill again and then they called me and told me that I had to figure it out because I had to pay what that contribution was and the public university down the street said the same thing and said that the cost would be equal in fact if I transferred I would end up paying more because a lot of my credits wouldn’t transfer and I would have to stay in college longer. I wanted to get my degree. I was not overly focused on a man like you suggest and like you were because there was no way in hell I was getting married at 21.

It was silly of you to loose parents support because of a non-serous relationship. You should have better focused on education or finding a husband who would support you. Yes, I invested my 20s into someone birthing kids, taking care of a large house and cooking dinners and thus that somebody financed my college. And I am more than well off now after divorce with decent job. Everyone makes own choices

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

I am sorry to hear that. However, if you choose to move into with a man your parents disprove, they are not required to finance your household. He (the boyfriend) should have supported you. You could have worked and saved for couple years before going to college and accumulating loans. Hope all worked out with that boyfriend.
As to my college, my husband paid for it: I married at 21 right out of parents' house and he just gave me a check for 4 years tuition. I married well and divorced even better. Women have powers - your parents have nothing to do with that

I didn’t live with my boyfriend I was just dating somebody on campus. I lived in a dorm. It wasn’t serious at the time.

Also, I was not interested in a serious relationship. I was just dating. I had no plans to marry before 30. My education mattered to me. My parents going postal and giving me a huge debt load on purpose because they are racist is pure evil. They would have never done that to a son. It wasn’t serious and I didn’t even tell them about the boyfriend they spying on me and found out that I was going on some dates then called the financial aid office and told him never to send them a bill again and then they called me and told me that I had to figure it out because I had to pay what that contribution was and the public university down the street said the same thing and said that the cost would be equal in fact if I transferred I would end up paying more because a lot of my credits wouldn’t transfer and I would have to stay in college longer. I wanted to get my degree. I was not overly focused on a man like you suggest and like you were because there was no way in hell I was getting married at 21.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

I am sorry to hear that. However, if you choose to move into with a man your parents disprove, they are not required to finance your household. He (the boyfriend) should have supported you. You could have worked and saved for couple years before going to college and accumulating loans. Hope all worked out with that boyfriend.
As to my college, my husband paid for it: I married at 21 right out of parents' house and he just gave me a check for 4 years tuition. I married well and divorced even better. Women have powers - your parents have nothing to do with that

I didn’t live with my boyfriend I was just dating somebody on campus. I lived in a dorm. It wasn’t serious at the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

I am sorry to hear that. However, if you choose to move into with a man your parents disprove, they are not required to finance your household. He (the boyfriend) should have supported you. You could have worked and saved for couple years before going to college and accumulating loans. Hope all worked out with that boyfriend.
As to my college, my husband paid for it: I married at 21 right out of parents' house and he just gave me a check for 4 years tuition. I married well and divorced even better. Women have powers - your parents have nothing to do with that

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And

Here’s a primer about how the expected family contribution works in the United States from the Wikipedia page so you can better understand what I’m talking about:

In the post-secondary education system of the United States, an expected family contribution (EFC) is an estimate of a student's, and for a dependent student, their parent(s)' or guardian(s)', ability to pay the costs of a year of post-secondary education. The EFC is used in the United States student financial aid process to determine an applicant's eligibility for need-based federal student aid. In most cases, the same estimate is also used for state and institutional (college-based) financial aid. The EFC is included on the Student Aid Report and Institutional Student Information Record, which are sent after filing a form called a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).[1]

A common misconception is that the EFC is a statement of what the family actually will pay. This is usually not the case, and many families pay more, sometimes much more, than the EFC.[citation needed] The college's costs, minus the EFC, gives the student's financial need. Most four-year colleges do not have enough financial aid to meet students' needs, and as a result, the unmet need must be paid by the parents, in addition to the EFC. The federal government offers unsubsidized Stafford Loans, which are available to any family regardless of need, as a source of funds to cover the unmet need.

In cases in which a student qualifies for merit-based (rather than need-based) financial aid, the student and their family may pay less than the EFC.

A well-to-do family's EFC may exceed the cost of attendance at a school, and in that case the student does not have financial need, as defined by the federal financial aid system.

In some cases, despite financial hardship for the student, the student's family will simply be unwilling to pay the full amount, leaving the student to find their own way to finance their college education, or forgo it.[6]

See that last bit? That is why I had to take out private loans. Public university was not cheaper due to my partial scholarship. Most students can get financial aid with grants or cover the rest with federal loans. I could not.

I qualified for financial aid but my single parent still had an EFC that they couldn't pay, so I paid it. I worked three jobs the summer before I started college. I worked every semester of college. I didn't have to give up dance because my parents could never afford dance lessons, or for me to join any school teams. I applied only to inexpensive in state schools because debt scared me and I didn't know that I might qualify for significant financial aid elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

My parents cut me off for not liking a boyfriend. You can’t read. They lived in NY. I was in MD. There was no college where they lived anyway because they lived in a world area where there were no colleges. I literally went to the public university nearby like I said and sat down with their financial aid office and my private college financial aid office and transferring would not have been cheaper I still had to pay my parents expected family contribution and the tuition was equal due to my scholarship I had to take loans for the rest that it did not cover and I had to cover my only cost of living which included room and board school supplies etc. I was not in my parents health insurance I did not have any money whatsoever and I did not speak to them for five years. There was no living at home as an option. I was completely cut off and I had to pay what the government said they had to pay with taking out a combination of the federal loans and the remaining being private loans at a bank at an interest rate three times higher than federal loans. Your foreigner friends had family support and they had little to no income so they didn’t have a family expected contribution and they could live at home.
Once again, this was not my scenario.

Anonymous wrote:

Can you read? I went to a private college. I had an academic scholarship that paid 75% of my tuition which was almost the same as the public university nearby. I still had to take our loans for room and board. That is not free.

PP - I get that your parents didn't contribute their EFC and that you had a scholarship that accounted for 75% of the tuition... so you paid between $4 and $5K per year for your tuition. If you took out 40k in loans, that means that you took out another ~$5-6k per year for room and board. Did you work during the summers? I had summer internships in the 90s that paid me ~3k per summer. I also worked during the school year earning roughly that over the academic calendar. Not enough to cover everything, but it made a dent. I also lived in some pretty cruddy apartments with roommates because it was ~1/2 the price of campus room and board. I'm not blaming you, PP, but you ALSO had choices that you didn't make.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was like this. It was really annoying. They then refused to pay for college but I had to pick up their tab due to the expected family contribution and due to my dad's income, I could not get grants. My dad was not loaded but had enough that I was not grant eligible. I took out private loans at 9% and had 70k in debt from undergrad in 1999.

It really derailed my adult life. I did okay but I could have done better if I did not have that debt because I felt I could not consider professional school. It took all the joy out of my 20s...I worked 3 jobs until 33 to pay it off.

I felt my mom was lazy and had no excuse.

I will never every do that to my kids.

I work full time and have since they were born.

Wait.. YOU picked up THEIR tab? Entitled much?

Yes. I picked up their tab. It is called an expected family contribution. Everyone has this. If your parents make no money, their expectation is $0. My parents had a little so there was no grants for me. I could get some stafford loans but that did not cover the cost of education at even a public school. I went to a private school that was cheaper than public due to a scholarship. I still had the deficit is what the federal govt. says my parents should pay. I could not say they would not pay and redo my financial aid package. I tried. Every student has an EFC. Most kids do not have to go to the bank to take out private loans because their parents refuse to pay. I was not eligible for more aid. It was their tab, according to the government. If my parents were low-income, I could have gotten pell grants and other grants to cover the cost. You do not understand financial aid. The kicker was that I got into a different college that gave me more scholarship money and they refused to let me go there, and then they stopped paying. Transferring would not work because I did not take that scholarship because it had expired because I did not enroll as a freshman. Having to get a 9% loan to cover the cost of what the federal government said they would contribute and would not give me more aid was their tab. Ballooning to 70k in 1999 was unheard of. That is what happens with private loans. Get off my case. They insisted on college and screwed me.

I’m so sorry OP! You still sound angry. I wish you luck.

Of course I am angry. It changed the trajectory of my life and limited me from pursuing professional school (law or medicine). I had too much debt. I could not consider more. I had a $800 student loan payment at 21 with a BA. I barely speak to my parents now. I will never, ever do that to my kids (and the reason they cut me off...they are racist and found out about my boyfriend). This is not a forgivable thing. My kids are are on track to have college paid for.

Girl, it's not your parents fault you took out all that money. Tuition at University of Maryland was $3,500 per year in 1995. You could have gone to a community college for much less. Having $70k of student debt in the 90s from just undergrad is no one's fault but your own. Like, you'd specifically have to TRY to have that much debt. Grow up.

Aha and plenty of people do NOVA online at $1000 per 3 credits now and get employed by big companies. Then go get their masters at Ivy with earned income. Google founder went to UMD. I don't get it either

There was no online education in 1995 to 1999 and I know this because I developed online courses when they started in 2004 and you’re still not understanding than expected family contribution is the same figure whether you go to a private school or a public school which is why they encourage families to apply for private schools because in many many cases it is actually cheaper than a public institution if you get a scholarship but that doesn’t usually include the cost of room and board that you were paying for even if you go to a public school ! Clearly none of you understand how college financial aid works or you had your parents pay so you don’t understand or your parents had no money so you were getting everything in grants and didn’t have to take out loans regardless most students do not have to take out private loans because they’re able to get federal loans based on their parents income. You are failing to understand that I could not get with other students could get because my parents made too much money and they are expected to pay a certain amount so I had to cover the cost it does not matter if the institution was public or private and like I said my private cost was cheaper than transferring to a public institution or I would’ve had to go to school longer due to lost credits and the tuition was virtually the same because of a scholarship. But it did not cover everything which is why I had to get private loans. If there are typos it’s because I’m talking into my phone and I’m not actually typing.

You could still attend George Mason or Nova, then find a job and attend a grand program in parallel. All my foreign born piers/first generation immigrants did this and got masters with zero debt. They did live with families thus had zero living expenses. There were community colleges already back then

Could you have stayed at parents' home attending a community college? Did they kick you out?

Anonymous wrote:You seem judgmental. You have no concept of how someone else might live given your income. It may not pay for her to work and earn minimum wage. After taxes, its not going to make a huge dent in college savings and may hurt with financial aid.