My parents did not go to college and there was no expectations that I would too. I worked a full-time job and took classes in the evening but only when I had the money for tuition. I didn't know anything about student loans. My father was a cash man, never had a credit card and believed debt was bad. So if I didn't have enough money, I didn't take classes. It took me 10 years to finally receive my bachelor's degree. Now I am doing pretty well and have a good paying job. I plan on paying for my kid's college up to a certain dollar amount (est. $120k). The rest would be on them to come up with the money.

I paid for myself. I worked mostly full time. I had no fun in undergrad but I graduated with no debt. Then I went to law school and let’s ssy there was a little debt involved there.

You're not alone

I went to a NESCAC school in the 90's and I was one of the only people I met who was working two jobs all year (and three in the summer) to pay for school. It was so hard! Most of my friends had their tuition paid and an allowance - and they still complained. My parents didn't pay one cent for my college, though they did fill out FA forms to get some aid for me. Sadly, back then a lot of the "aid package" was loans and I paid those off until I was 35. This is one reason I decided to skip grad school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents did not pay anything for tuition. I was very fortunate to not have to pay anything either. I come for a country with very good, free public education.

Nothing in life is "free."

spoken like an American who has no concept of life beyond these borders.

LOL!!!!!!!! Oh, honey. Your assumptions...well...you know what they say about assumptions...

I only know one person whose parents foot the entire bill. When she started grad school, she called me up and asked, "So does a loan mean that I have to pay it back?" This was her question AFTER she had signed the loan agreement. Let's just say she is in debt close to $100K and she will die before she pays it off. Loans mean you have some skin in the game. Even if I was rich, my kids would take out small loans to help foot the bill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents did not pay anything for tuition. I was very fortunate to not have to pay anything either. I come for a country with very good, free public education.

Nothing in life is "free."

spoken like an American who has no concept of life beyond these borders.

You definitely are not. I’m 35 and just finished paying off my undergrad loans. I worked full-time in college as well.

I finished paying off my undergraduate loans a month before I started graduate school and took out new loans!

My parents could not pay because they had six children and my father was a firefighter.

You are not the only one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll be the guy who supports the OP's side.

If you are a parent who can afford to pay for your child's education but chooses not to, you are a shitty person and a bad parent.

Some parents can’t pay. Some parents can and do. Some can and don’t. Many PPs here in each camp. OP didn’t say whether their parents could but didn’t or just couldn’t.

My parents paid what they could and the rest was scholarships, grants, loans and my wages. I paid for grad school. Like another PP, I never missed a class if I could help it.

Read what you quoted. It refers explicitly to those who can and choose not to.

Those that can't, there are a small number of schools that meet 100% of need and also civic institutions which are affordable.

Anonymous wrote:I'll be the guy who supports the OP's side.

If you are a parent who can afford to pay for your child's education but chooses not to, you are a shitty person and a bad parent.

Some parents can’t pay. Some parents can and do. Some can and don’t. Many PPs here in each camp. OP didn’t say whether their parents could but didn’t or just couldn’t.

My parents paid what they could and the rest was scholarships, grants, loans and my wages. I paid for grad school. Like another PP, I never missed a class if I could help it.

Anonymous wrote:Today's tuition rates are highway robbery. No person should have to go into debt of six figures for an undergraduate degree.

And no one *does* have to, fortunately.

Nope. My husband had no help. He is in the medical field and had to take out massive loans. We lived like crap for many years paying it off.

Anonymous wrote:You are not the only person. All foreign students I know paid their own tuition while working full time. Parents may have helped with a one-way ticket here.

My parents, too. They paid for their own tuiton. They saved until they were 24 years old.

Tuitions are now at a rate that is designed to destroy "the middle class urban family". The tuitions are crippling.