O-Trap;1284645 wrote:Well then give the reps I sent to your dad.

I'd like to do that for my kids as well. Thankfully, my wife's parents did it for her, but it was contingent on her grades. Any class below a B- meant she had to pay them back for that class. Thankfully, only two classes ended up under B-, so she wrote checks from summer jobs and graduated debt-free.

fan_from_texas;1284652 wrote:We're doing that with our kids. It's roughly $500/mo. per child after-tax for 18 years to be pretty comfortable with covering their college expenses. Expensive.

Pick6;1284686 wrote:I feel bad for all the art majors.

Pick6;1284686 wrote:Ill be ~45k in debt after I graduate. I fall into the shittiest category possible. Middle class, no help from the family. I dont even get enough in federal loans to cover tuition. Had to pay 2300 out of pocket this semester, and will have to do the same next semester. Probably will have to take out another private loan. 21 years old, fully independent from parents, and I get 0 grants, and not enough federal loans to cover just tuition. System is fucked up. Ill be alright, though. I feel bad for all the art majors.

O-Trap;1284699 wrote:My biggest beef on that front is not at the college or professional level, or even the lender level. It's at the high school level. Guideance councelors and teachers telling kids to go to school to learn to do something "they want to do."

Don't push them in a direction that is most likely going to impoverish them later in life. Give them ALL the information, and push them to be successful in whatever major they choose.

ernest_t_bass;1284718 wrote:If they go to OU to major in journalism, it's obviously not worth any amount of debt.

O-Trap;1284723 wrote:You know, I don't completely agree with the perception of an objective value assessment on such an education. Educations are "worth" whatever someone who receives them thinks they are, provided that it is not just a means to an end (ei, just to get a job that pays well).

My degree has never had anything to do with my profession, but I believe it was worth every penny. However, I was never under the impression that I'd be able to graduate, get a job in that field, and live successfully that way. I knew full-well that my focus and area of study didn't amount to getting paid well at all, and so I prepared to get into a field that didn't require education in that field.

O-Trap;1284723 wrote:You know, I don't completely agree with the perception of an objective value assessment on such an education. Educations are "worth" whatever someone who receives them thinks they are, provided that it is not just a means to an end (ei, just to get a job that pays well).

BR1986FB;1284675 wrote:Unfortunately, he now has "real world debt" (car loans, apartment rent, etc) which is why he'd hoped to do it online. Kid spent 5 years in college and he's empty handed.

On the one hand, I'd really like to see him get it and become a teacher but on the other hand, it kinda serves him right for ****ing around drinking with his frat "boys" and chasing ass. He knows he ****ed up. Life lessons, I guess....

ernest_t_bass;1284730 wrote:If my child wants to go to a 4-year private school, to obtain a degree which they could receive a lot cheaper at another school, then I will step in and make sure they are properly educated. I will push hard for them to go and get an associates degree first, maybe at a 2-year school, save a ton, and have something to fall back on.

gut;1284733 wrote:100% true. However, the mortgage fraud cases is a good parallel in that you have a large number of people incapable and/or unwilling to properly assess those values.

I'm not going to call it fraud, but there's been a massive disservice to graduating high school and college students. I don't think there's nearly enough honesty in pushing people toward trades as opposed to college. And there's nothing wrong with doing it, but it's not "pc" in a society that doesn't keep score in little league games and refuses to set realistic expectations for kids. Many good, honest jobs in skilled trades - and there's actually a shortage of those workers. But instead we push and enable these kids to struggle thru 5-6 years of college and finally graduate with a useless degree and a mountain of debt. Just look at the vilification of Romney and Santorum for even suggesting college might not be for everyone.

O-Trap;1284742 wrote:See, I like your approach. Get something that you can fall back on, and then allow the kid to pursue their education as they see fit, whether studying business or marine biology.

OSH;1284764 wrote:I don't like the 2-year school option. I honestly don't. I mean, if you want to save money, work, and do this or that...sure, go for it.

To me, there's nothing like the 4-year, dorm-living, relationship-making style that comes with undergraduate studies. There isn't a price tag for that. A 2-year degree can be valuable, no doubt about that. You can do things with it, no doubt about that. But, there are a lot of 4-year schools who don't give money to 2-year students. There's no investment in a 2-year student at a 4-year school. This is especially true at private schools.

Me, I am 100% for the reformation of how we do education in the United States. It won't be done, but there needs to be less emphasis on sitting in a classroom for 6-10 hours. Read this book. Write about that book. Do these math problems. You have 5 hours of homework every night. There are so many other ways to do things. There are more functional ways to do education. Like trade schools. Like apprenticeships. Internships. Real life application to the educational processes. It needs to be done. It needs to be done in high school and up. I'm not saying phase the "read and write" method completely out, there just needs to be more done with what we have.

There is value in education if these steps are taken. I believe it can happen at those private schools (especially smaller ones) quicker than anywhere else. If they do it, then they have a niche in the market that large public schools need to adapt to. These higher education institutions need to do a better job of preparing people for the world.

gut;1284779 wrote:I kind of think an associate's degree is a waste. I haven't seen too many job postings that will take a 2-yr degree. IMO they pretty much get grouped with high school grads in the "non-4yr degree" pool.

Or maybe not - I don't have the data.

I think a college degree is mostly a signal that someone takes their future seriously and is of at least average intelligence (relatively speaking). People who want better candidates are going to look at GPA and school more. Many of the rest are just looking for a degree and will train you anyway, making wasting time & money spinning your wheels on the 6-yr "journey" somewhat of a disaster that schools deserve criticism for.

sleeper;1284780 wrote:Yeah I would never get an associates.