College bills, who pays?

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A kid without a college degree is practically a waste in modern society, and college no longer comes cheap; somehow or another it's in the best interests of everyone if the kid goes to college.

College degree is not the answer to everything. There are many productive and successful people without a college degree and that's not going to change in the future. You're forgetting one big avenue for those who don't want or need college degree: Trades. Demand for skilled tradesmen far outpace the available talent. With so many people today clueless and lazy to build, install, and fix things, skill trades are booming. Just look at the number of handymen services you see today. People in the past wouldn't be caught dead hiring someone to fix simple stuff around the house. Now people don't even know the simple tools in a tool box set.

That's an interesting point and I'll cede to that. However note that what you've described is still additional education, even if it's not a degree, which I think backs the point that further education is required and a kid without some form is likely going to be a waste.

I personally would(as a white-collar worker) consider such blue-collar work less desirable, but I'm not aware of tradesmen doing significantly worse financially than a college graduate(as compared to a flat-out HS grad). Off of the top of my head I'd also have to be concerned with just how many of such jobs are open, from my knowledge it's a pretty tight field.

 

[foofoo]

my parents could have but would have had to take a 2nd on their house, and they were paying my sister's way through. I chose to work my way through, took 1.5 extra years but ended up not owing them any money.
sadly, working your way through is not really possible any more, even in the state schools. so i'm saving to help my kids through. probably cant swing the whole thing, but they are my children, not just little people who live here and are emancipated on their 18th birthday.

 

[oogabooga]

I had to work, get loans, and my parents helped.

My friend's dad had a pretty good thought on this : "I don't know who should pay for college... all I know is I had to pay for mine. I could have said 'son, i did it you can too' but instead I will pay for his. And I hope he will pay for his son's. I guess someone at sometime will decide for the family which way it should be, and for me I will decide to now, even if the privilege of doing so means I pay for college twice"

 

[gotsmack]

College should be paid for by the person going, but it is appreciated if the parents can help out.

It kinda sucks that I had to work to pay off part of my own education (most of it was paid by my grandfather), all of my books and spending money, but my sisters' are fully paid for (we all went/go to state school).

When I have kids, I'm going to give them enough money to go to State + books and room & board. If they want to go elsewhere they have to pay the difference out of their own pockets (unless it is a top 25 school). I think that is fair.

Its kinda funny how my mom keeps telling me that I have to give her money even though she didn't pay for my education. I set up an allotment of 10% of net a month to shut her up, but she demands 20% of my net salary. I'd be an idiot if I agreed to that.

 

[senseamp]

I think the parents should pay if they can. The main reason being that college financial aid office expects them to pay if they can, and will give less financial aid, so a student with parents who can pay but don't is really in a hard shape financially because he isn't getting money from parents OR financial aid.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Flyback
We made a simple deal: they would assist me and in return I'd let them meet their future grandchildren when they arrive and visit them at the old age home if/when they get there

No one owes you anything like Ronstang said. You gotta earn that right to see the grandkids, baby.

so had they not assistd you then can we inffer they would not have been able to meet there future grandchildren???

 

[Adn4n]

My parents were up until a year ago refugees in this country along with me. We don't pay for school where we're from, it's the right of everyone to receive free education, much like healthcare. I had my multi-cultural scholarship to berkeley taken away due to a "mix-up" in the application process(I'm white). So now I'm at the UofU an my parents are paying for everything. It's a very cheap school and the ME program I'm in is well-ranked nationally. I also intend on helping my parents during their retirement since in this country it's impossible for them to receive enough by only having worked since the age of 40.

So to sum it up, I intend on paying them back because I want to. They are,however, not asking for a dime.

 

[effee]

Parents will pay all 100k of it.. I fully intend to repay them back within 10 years of graduation though...

 

[rchiu]

From a parent's perspective, I would do everything to help my kids successful in their life, within my means. If I have the power, and I have been saving for it, I'd pay for their college. The cost for the college is just too ridiculous for an 18 year old to take on by him/herself. However, I'd make certain that my kids understand that they are not getting a free ride, they got to do their part to get this, like making the grade, doing the research on what college requires, what they will take...etc.

Should every parents do the same? I guess it's their choice, but I don't understand how some parents refuse to help, not even a little, like signing the financial aid paper work and stuff. Well, everyone has a different concept of a family I guess.

 

[FallenHero]

mine helped, and it wasn't like they could afford to help for all of it. I took on half the loan after i graduated, my parents the other half. I protested, saying I should take the whole thing on and they pretty much "too bad. Our job as parents is to help our children."

 

[otispunkmeyer]

i am fortunate... my parents pay tuition fees and rent while i am at uni. i pay for everything else however. a time will come when i can repay my parents for this, i look forward to spoiling them in retirement!

tuition fees, for me at least come to around £1100 a year this is before they were raised i think. but rent this year is coming in at a whopping £3200.

with a student loan of just over £3000 i would struggle to afford uni, even with a part time job i could not make up the difference once you include books, food, transportation etc. the loan is based on what your parents earn, at what i get is the minimum loan amount...so if my parents were mean and didnt help out...id struggle for sure. must note that this loan is interest free and will be taken care of by me and only me.

a part time job, i wouldnt mind doing, i think i might get one when i go back in october, but my course really is just rammed...nearly every hour of the day is spent in lectures or labs. its a full 9 to 5, sometime even 9 - 6 day , every day and thats before you find time to fit in your assignments, reading and other things like exercise and preparing/cooking food for instance (you cant live of microwave meals...trust me i got severely ill for doing so). Also you have to find time to chillax, you absolutely have to...or you will run yourself into the ground and be of no use to anyone or yourself.

you can see how things would quickly become difficult with regards to time if you had to work nights and weekends as well.

some people do do it, im not denying that, one of my good friends had to work and given the type of town my uni is based in, the most readily available decent paying job was barstaff at the union. some people do it, but i am afraid to say all those that do (who i know) dont do very well academically. i think my friend scraped a 2-2 in the end (one up from the lowest possible degree).

id say he was no less capable than i was, but he just didnt have the time of day study properly he'd come in on a evening, grab some food (mostly ready made pasta meals) and be back out the door ready to serve drinks to those who have 5 hours of lectures in a week. i helped him, and others as much as i could..... i feel quite humbled about it really because he personally thanked me many times for helping him every exam period.


i know another guy who actually had to take a bank loan as well, to help pay for uni.... he's riddled with debt now.

i think if parents have the means, they should help out, i know i would. in the long term ( so long as son/daughter doesnt pick a namby pamby basket weaving degree or simply spend every night smashed into oblivion on booze) it should work out. your son/daughter will be able to get a good, proffessional job with professional pay and hopefully return the favour by looking after you in your retirement.

do i intend to pay the total amount my dad has helped me out with? well i would like to...but he wont let me. to him its more than just the money...seeing me graduate in 2 years time will be payment enough according to him...but i still plan on repaying them in my own little ways....whether it be paying for them to go on holiday or small things like doing the weekly shop and making sure the house n gardens are kept nice.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: yankeesfan
The kids are over 18. The parents are not responsible.

Not sure if its been mentioned or not, but if the parents are divorced then they ARE responsible for helping to pay a portion of the school. Total bullshit. Not sure if its like that in every state but I know in some it is.

 

[FoBoT]

my parents only paid my dorm room /meal pass for one semester and they didn't really want to do that
they paid full ride for two of my younger sisters

<shrugs>

i'll pay for my kids if they go to the local (15 miles from home) univ. and live at home, if they want something fancy or to go out of state, they'll have to figure that out themself

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: K1052
If I were a parent I'd consider it my responsibility to provide money for higher education were it something my child wished to pursue.

this is how alot of people feel.... my mum n dad saved money in a high interest account for years as a means to fund me an my brother education wise. my friends dad played the stockmarket...it was risky, but it paid off

i know some who would regard not saving for your offsprings further education as irresponisble.

way i see it, theyre not just investing in your future, but their's too. money make the world go round and the more of it you make in your career the better you'll be able to care for your folks when they cant.

the £3000 i have to live off for the year doesnt stretch too far when you need books, pay utility bills etc. they give you it in 3 installments too.

so without a part time job, i generally have little money floating around but i have managed it well for 3 years already, i dont see why the next 2 will be any different.

i have been so good at managing my money i never once dipped into my overdraft and always have some spare at the end of each term which is then basically saved up.

of course this scenario would be completely upside down if i had to fund absolutely everything

essentially my parents pay for what i need.... ie a roof over my head and paying the uni to teach me. i pay the rest....and if i want somethign i defo have to pay for it myself. ok i do need books to study from, but my loan covers those nicely (though when i go back i can see my bank account taking a massive hit in this regard) ... if i cant afford a book my dad will lend me the money however.

but other than that i take care of bills, food shopping (and if u shop at Aldi your money goes a hell of a long way and the food is all top quality german stuff!), car insurance, petrol and other car related costs.

i work during the summers, buy a few things i want, save the rest for a rainy day or to help out with paying for things at uni. working an internship at the moment, living at home, i pay my parents a couple of hundred a month to help out.

now that i think about it the cost is split nearly evenly, perhaps 60/40 (parents/me)

they definately see it as investment to their quality of life as they get older. plus my dad doesnt want me to do what he does for a living....yes he gets paid well, but boy does he have to work for it.

 

[3NF]

Someone here needs to go to college and study chemical education ...

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

It would be great if the parents could, but by no means should they. People have to learn to exist on their own at some point in time. Having mommy & daddy pay for everything simply breeds no appreciation for what is given to them, and it turns college into an extension of high school.

 

[jackace]

My parents never paid for any tuition or anything, but they allowed me to continue to live at home while I went to college.

 

[Tremulant]

As others have said, if the parents have the means then they should help out.

My parents don't pay for my tuition or books, but they do pay for my car insurance and allow me to live at home.

 

[edro]

Responsible by law? No.

Responsible by wanting to help your offspring succeed? Yes.

 

[JRock]

My parents paid my tuition in full and I will do the same for my kids. I have already started saving for them. One is 1.5 years old and the other is only 5 weeks so I'm getting ahead of the game already.

 

[Kelemvor]

Big difference between Yes and Help Out some.

I vote that they should chip in to help since college is insanely expensive these days. But I don't think the kid should expect that it's all going to be paid for. Should have a part time job in High School to make some money and also apply for sholarships and such too.

 

[maziwanka]

i was (and continue to be) very blessed to have my parents support through school. for undergrad, my parents paid for my tuition/housing/food and i also received what was essentially a monthly stipend from them. i did work during school but anything i earned i could put to savings or to other things (like dj equipment or trips).

they also helped me with the purchase of my first car.

while i pay entirely for law school now, my mom still gives me money where she can.

my parents did the same thing for my brother (although since he's in grad school getting his phd he doesn't have the kind of debt that i do). our family is by no means rich, but my parents put us (my brother and i) first and i am incredibly indebted to them for that.

i certainly plan on treating my kids in the same way.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: edro
Responsible by law? No.

Responsible by wanting to help your offspring succeed? Yes.

Once again, divorced parents are responsible by law in some states.

 

[darthsidious]

Keep in mind; its nearly impossible for someone to work part-time, and pay for college tuition at a top 10 private college on their own. The costs are just way too expensive to handle. Also, do you really want your kids to struggle to pay their way through college, possibly take a hit to their classwork/gpa because of working multiple jobs, and emerge with a staggering loan debt?

On the other hand, I think kids should take some responsibility for their own education, like taking some loans, and atleast working over the summer full-time to make some money. If I had the money, and my kid had the inclination to go to a top school for something that he could actually make money in/be successful, like engineering or finance, I'd be inclined to help pay the steep fees. If he/she wants to major in philosophy or english lit, sorry, I' not paying 40k/year for that. Is it a double standard. Sure. But it's my money, and I'll pay state school tuition for something like that, but not much more.

And no way will I pay for grad school. You should be able to get support in engineering or science grad school easily. With Professional degrees like M.D. and J.D., you make enough later to offset it, so loans should be fine.

 

[Safeway]

Help within reason, definitely. Parents can do their own bit of preparing by putting together college funds for their children ASAP. It is irresponsible not to do so.

My parents are paying for tuition and rent, and I work to cover the rest (books, food, bills, misc). This includes my 4 years of undergrad and 3 years of law.