Will you pay for your child's college?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cookderosa, Aug 16, 2013.

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  1. Indianadreamer

    Indianadreamer New Member

    I don't have kids but if I did ,I would not pay for their education. They would pay for it themselves ,same as me .Where I am cc's are about 2,000 very affordable .
     
  2. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    I had an intern from Florida last year, she was 19 and a college senior at UF because she had already completed an AA degree while in high school.
     
  3. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    The way you stated this, it almost sounds like you're bitter. I get teaching kids responsibility and the like, but refusing to help with their education if you have the means and refuse seems spiteful.
     
  4. ryoder

    ryoder New Member

    All the more reason to evangelize CLEP and DSST. If I had a kid I would force them to take a few CLEPs if they wanted a dime from me for tuition. Once they tried it they would see the benefit.
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Yes, but that was said by a person who doesn't actually have kids. It's easy to talk about badass tough love parenting in advance, but not so easy once the kids are real and you can see how much they would benefit from your help.
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I think that I would be willing to contribute but I don't know that I could afford to simply pay the entire bill. I live in a place where there are lots of colleges and many of them are pretty expensive. If they went to a state school where they could live at home that would decrease expenses substantially. I'd be willing to let them live at home, I'd feed them, etc. Maybe even buy them a car so they could easily get to classes. Depending on circumstances I might expect that they have some sort of part-time job. It's all hypothetical for me though because as others have pointed out, if you're not in that position it's difficult to say what you'd do because there's an emotional component to the situation that makes it less than perfectly predictable.
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I've decided to do my children a favor and not have them. They probably would have thanked me.

    You know who helped pay for my college? DegreeInfo. Not by giving me money, but by giving me information. If only every student out there knew what his or her options really were, many of them would be in a much better position to afford their education.

    There are children in my life, just not my own. THEY are better off for knowing me because I am better off for knowing this community. One friend in particular, a homeschooling HS freshman, has his parents, me and Jennifer Cook Derosa's book guiding him through simultaneous high school and college study. His early adult life will be much better than mine for that reason.

    I really just have to say this to everyone- children are not not your responsibility. For many of them, even a good set of parents just isn't enough.
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    At the risk of delving off a philosophical cliff, I still think that other people's kids are not my responsibility and that I have no duty to support them. However, I would rather live in a world in which people do support those would might benefit from it, that the overall environment is much better than one where people keep to their own and disregard the fates of others. In other words, I believe in the right to be selfish, but see more value in not exercising that right. Hopefully that's close enough to agreeing with you. :smile:
     
  9. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Thanks Maniac, that means a lot! :)
     
  10. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    It's interesting to hear everyone's comments. We moved to a new state so my husband could work as a full time faculty member thus all 4 of our children will have the opportunity to receive a free education. (current tuition rate is $27,000 per year). Best decision we ever made. Whether or not they take advantage of the offer is really on them. Why don't parents do this!?!?! FWIW, the same benefit is extended to janitors, secretaries, cooks, etc. so it's not a case of qualifications necessarily.

    One thing I didn't know ahead of time, was that our local CC offers unlimited enrollment for $0 to all high school students. UNLIMITED. We moved her the last semester of #1 son's high school year, so he only took 1 class; kids 2, 3, and 4 will be taking MAJOR advantage of that opportunity. I have met dozens of homeschoolers in my area here that don't even know about it! <shaking head>

    In my opinion, it's easier to reduce the cost of college than it is to raise the income and pay rack rate.
     
  11. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    When I was in the Marines, my Company Gunny was retiring and I asked what he was going to do. He said he got a job at the University of Maryland (IIRC) on the grounds crew taking care of the grass, flowers, etc. This was a sterotypical Marine big, nasty, was a Sniper in the first Gulf War and a Grunt in the Marines for 20 years. The job did not fit until he said that after working at the college for a few years that his children can attend classes for free. He had three boys and figured this was the best way for them to attend college.

    I think that is a very smart way to do it.

    If I had the means I would pay for my kids school, but I currently do not. They might have to go the military route like their father. My family is decidely average (and white too and there's not a lot of scholarships out there for average white males) and academic and athletic scholarships are out. Maybe all three won't even go to college, just depends on what they want to do.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 20, 2013
  12. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Sounds about right.
     
  13. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Oh, the pride I get in name dropping! "I know the author! Well, no I haven't met her and, uh, no, she wouldn't recognize me nor does she know my real name but... STILL!"
     
  14. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    My children are 100% my responsibility.
     
  15. suelaine

    suelaine Member

    Is there any age limit on that? My children are 100% responsible for themselves. They are all working adults and even now there may be times I would help them with something financially or otherwise, but it is because I just want to, not because I feel it is my responsibility.
     
  16. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    I have to pay for my children's tuition (if I ever have any). My parents paid for my tuition (no loans, no financial aid). I would feel like crap if I could not do the same for my children.
     
  17. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    Mine are 8 & 12, therefore, 100% my responsibility.
     
  18. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Clever trumps scholarship every day of the week. Smart planning, a few CLEP exams, choosing a good school that's close to home, using a community college when possible, etc. will all total MUCH MORE than any scholarship your child chases.
     
  19. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I would, if my kids like this guy. 14 years old, a junior at Colorado School of Mines

    [video=youtube;DBXZWB_dNsw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBXZWB_dNsw[/video]
     
  20. RichC.

    RichC. Member

    That kid reminds me of the great Sheldon Cooper.
     

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