Yep. 49. Ended up going to OOS flagship who gave me a significant merit scholarship.

48. At that time a big chunk of "financial aid" was loans. My cousin got into UPenn a couple of years later, and her parents had to take $10K/year loans, even though their HHI income was around $60K.

OP, if you are interested in how the student loan situation that we have now came to be, read the book The Debt Trap by J.Mitchell. He is a WSJ reporter, and the picture his book paints is not pretty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is me. I’m 52 and grew up in New York. My choices were limited to the SUNYs. But the lesson stuck and I went to a T25 public law school instead of higher ranked private law school.

I’m good with it. Debt really hangs over you and the less you have, the better.

Maybe it was different back then but these days going to a public law school isn’t necessarily cheaper. UVA was the most expensive law school option I had with in state tuition. I went to a different T14 for less.

Law school tuition has sky rocketed. Not sure I would even go to LS today.

I am 44. Got into Harvard early action but could afford to go. I went to a T25 school on a full merit scholarship.

Anonymous wrote:This is me. I’m 52 and grew up in New York. My choices were limited to the SUNYs. But the lesson stuck and I went to a T25 public law school instead of higher ranked private law school.

I’m good with it. Debt really hangs over you and the less you have, the better.

Maybe it was different back then but these days going to a public law school isn’t necessarily cheaper. UVA was the most expensive law school option I had with in state tuition. I went to a different T14 for less.

This is me. I’m 52 and grew up in New York. My choices were limited to the SUNYs. But the lesson stuck and I went to a T25 public law school instead of higher ranked private law school.

I’m good with it. Debt really hangs over you and the less you have, the better.

Anonymous wrote:This thread is fascinating and very helpful.

I may share it with my DD.

I am from a part of the country where the #1 person in a typical high school class goes to a state flagship. Even the guy I knew with a perfect ACT score and a perfect GPA. So living here, where there seems to be a default assumption that people attend the best school that will have them, blows my mind. And is more than a little grating when people who attended some fancy private school seem to have the idea they competed with the whole country and won to get that admission.

I'm 60 and was told apply in state only and my parents would pay fully. I so badly wanted to go out of state but listened to them. I was the oldest of 5. After my first semester I was told I need to take out loans/work to finance the rest as they didn't realize how expensive it would be and I had 4 siblings coming up. Bc of my parents income I was able to get only very small loans. Amazingly - and by working 40 hours a week - I managed to graduate. Like a PP I swore if I ever had kids I would fully pay for there college. I've had 2 at good VA state schools and 1 at a top 10 fully paid for.

This thread is fascinating and very helpful.

I may share it with my DD.

Anonymous wrote:42, could not pay for Georgetown, went to AU with significant scholarship

+1. I'm 52 years old. I was from the Midwest, and always dreamed of going to Georgetown. I got admitted, but my parents (middle class) said no because they didn't want me to take loans. So I went to a state university. I later went to a Top 5 law school.

I was accepted into Case Western and the scholarship I received wasn't quite enough to where I wouldn't graduate with debt. (Needed 1 more point on the ACT to have close to a full ride). Went to Ohio State in the honors program instead as my mom could afford to pay the cost in full and graduated with no debt. I just turned 44.

Anonymous wrote:45, accepted at Princeton and Yale. I'm one of 4 siblings very close in age, one was already attending an Ivy and one got very sick my senior year of HS and finances became a larger concern. Went to UNC (significant merit scholarship) then to Yale for PhD (full scholarship and stipend). It worked out fine for my career. It's great that we have the UNC legacy bump for our kids, but the Princeton and Yale bump would be nicer.

If your DC had to choose between and Ivy and UNC with significant merit now, do you think the Ivy is worth the difference in price?

Anonymous wrote:40. I attended a T50 law school instead of a T10 law school because I got aid and didn't want any debt. Didn't hold me back in my career at all. No regrets.

Subject line says college and OP says undergrad. Grad school is different because you could have gotten all the loans you needed you just didn’t want to. That’s not true for undergrad.

I got into Law School tuition free and did not go as could not afford room and board, getting there and having no salary three years.

54