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Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie
I know I'll probably be in the minority in this, but the entire higher education situation is just ridiculous. And I fully realize how much I've benefited from higher education.
Higher ed is hopefully the next big bubble to pop. Young kids today are being saddle with ridiculous amounts of college debt that stay with them to the grave. It isn't acceptable and it can't continue on this trajectory indefinitely. My daughter is in kindergarten so we are a long way off from these decisions. But there is no way things can continue at the same pace for the next ten plus years. What will happen... I have no idea.
I know people are playing the game because they feel they have to and I don't mean this post as a criticism of anyone. I just see it as an entire aspect of life today that is completely ridiculous.
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"They" said that my generation would be the first to NOT do better than their parents and I'm feeling that right now. My dad barely graduated with a 2.0 from a local state commuter college with a degree in Sociology. He got in at General Motors in marketing/market research and they paid him well once he paid his dues at lower levels and worked his way up. When I completed financial aid forms in 1983, his income was a little more than mine is now. However, his house payment was $200/month, gas was $1 a gallon, etc. My college tuition was $45.75/credit hour. My scholarship covered $600/term so my total tuition bill was around $86.25 for 15 credits.
Fast forward to now. The state college I went to is one of the cheapest and it's now $246/credit hour. Cost of living has skyrocketed. I make less than my dad made at this point in life. My house payment is five times what his was (and I live in a house that is almost identical to the one I grew up in!).
I am so stuck in this middle class space where we aren't qualifying for much in the way of grants or needs based scholarships but I don't make enough to pay the tuition outright and still live. We joked yesterday that we could get her a single and I could live in her dorm room with her!
Start saving for your daughter NOW. Don't put it off.
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Originally Posted by WCsweet<3
Being someone in their first year of grad school, I fully agree with you. I feel like everyone feels as though they need to go to college. There are just some people who are not made out for it and practically kill themselves trying to get through. I'm not saying they are unintelligent, they are just not made out for what is expected in college. There is too much pressure to go to college and graduate. It seems like anymore all jobs require you to have at least a bachelors degree. I wish it wasn't so.
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Part of the problem is, the manufacturing jobs are disappearing so what do those people do? Yes, some should be going to school to be plumbers, electricians, etc., but with new house construction at a stand still, where are they going to work? This is the danger of moving to a service oriented society. There aren't many jobs out there that allow you to support yourself without a college degree.
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Originally Posted by Graphola
It's mind-boggling when I hear freshmen talk to each other around campus. They'll say things like, "Yeah, this was only my 5th choice school." You mean you wrote up to 5 admissions essays, filled out up to 5 forms asking for identical information, and paid 5 application fees?! Why not save yourself the time and money, and instead figure out where you would fit in well (academically, socially, AND financially) instead of trying to force yourself into the most highly acclaimed (insert major here) program in the nation?
I applied to only one college for undergrad and just one college for graduate school. My little sister applied to one college. We were accepted to them, and we're happy with our choices.
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With the common app, you don't have to fill out five different ones. You do have to pay 5 application fees, fees to send test scores, etc., but you're doing one app and maybe one or two additional essays for each school (some are more, but most are not). Out of the thousands of schools in this country, there are easily more than 5 that might fit a student.
My daughter's criteria in choosing schools were about a) being around students with passion for learning, b) in locations or with enough "clout" to get really good, interesting internships, c) politically active and aware campuses, and d) enough flexibility in their curriculum that she can try to tailor her courses to her areas of interest and figure out how to combine those into a career someday (english-writing & lit, political science, public policy, communications). Oh yes, and get the hell out of Michigan, a huge priority of hers. She may have accepted that she might have to wait for grad school to accomplish the latter.
She and her friends are all overwhelmed right now. I will be more involved in my son's decisions, but he is also asking me for more guidance already. I will approach things differently and encourage more "safety" schools which will give him merit scholarships.
It's crazy out there.