Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

LOL - I'm sure Harvard will be happy to hear that you disagree with how they dole out their financial aid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

we made half that 18 years ago and still managed to save for college.

And that’s great for your kids that they have good options and don’t need to shop around for the best aid package. We were full pay too, and my kids turned down merit aid to attend their first choice schools. But I understand that not everyone is in that position and that’s what the OP is asking about.

I could argue that my dd going to Harvard was a result of her training in a particular area that cost the amount per year that would have been saved for college. We don't live beyond our means and we live in a 1500 SF house in a high COL area, our kids went to public schools. And, no, of course we didn't make 200K 20 years ago. Regardless, there are a lot of issues surrounding money and some people are great at saving and some people are not, and it's not for me to judge others bc it's not cut and dry. And I would also like to add that the NPC was spot on, so use those as your guide, they vary greatly for each college. Last year our other kid (who is at Columbia) did get great offers financially from Vassar and UPitt (honors college), I think the total COA was high 20s. They gave presidential scholarships etc, and Pitt offered guaranteed admissions to the grad school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

we made half that 18 years ago and still managed to save for college.

And that’s great for your kids that they have good options and don’t need to shop around for the best aid package. We were full pay too, and my kids turned down merit aid to attend their first choice schools. But I understand that not everyone is in that position and that’s what the OP is asking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

we made half that 18 years ago and still managed to save for college.

And that’s great for your kids that they have good options and don’t need to shop around for the best aid package. We were full pay too, and my kids turned down merit aid to attend their first choice schools. But I understand that not everyone is in that position and that’s what the OP is asking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one that is a notch or two below where your kid would get in if you had more money.

I don’t think ranking matters for financial aid. Possibly you’re thinking of merit aid?

We're talking about a donut hole family.

And we're talking about how to fund an education when the schools have discretion about who to give aid. The distinction between financial and merit is blurry.

So no, I am not thinking about merit aid.

. The ‘donut hole family’ is a myth promoted by people that did not make paying for their children’s college a priority.

+1, I have no empathy for parents who choose expensive homes in "nicer" neighborhoods and don't save anything for college. Take out loans and help your kids pay them back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

we made half that 18 years ago and still managed to save for college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

I’m guessing PP didn’t make $200k 18 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard. Very hard to get into but dd did, our HHI was 200K and her total cost of attendance is 23K. That includes books, room, board and transportation. I have one other in college.

That's absurd you got that much aid for an income of $200K when you easily could have saved 8-10K a year at least while kids were out of day care if you used day care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one that is a notch or two below where your kid would get in if you had more money.

I don’t think ranking matters for financial aid. Possibly you’re thinking of merit aid?

We're talking about a donut hole family.

And we're talking about how to fund an education when the schools have discretion about who to give aid. The distinction between financial and merit is blurry.

So no, I am not thinking about merit aid.

. The ‘donut hole family’ is a myth promoted by people that did not make paying for their children’s college a priority.