Comments on: Why Must Parents Pay For College

By: Seagull

Seagull — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:43:06 +0000

To: Funny about money,
Yes if “A full-time college schedule IS a job” and he/she treats it as a job not the vacation recess, the parents should do most to help him/her, but what about the contrary, will you have a different opinion then?

By: Belen

Belen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:50:37 +0000

i agree with dawn.
Im also a sophomore in college
and my parents are not paying for my college.
Im paying for everything and i thank my parents theyre letting me live there for free!

thats alot of help!
And yes, now that im paying for school im taking it alot more serious. I have a part time job waiting tables and my GPA in college as of now is at 3.7, which i never had in high school. So ya now that im payong for it and giving it my all and no my job is not interfering with my school or affeting my grades at all.

By: Counting My Pennies » Link Roundup

Counting My Pennies » Link Roundup — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:07:29 +0000

[...] Why Must Parents Pay for College [...]

By: todd

todd — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:20:34 +0000

I don’t necessarily agree with people who think kids shouldn’t have to work during college. I agree that learning should be the primary focus, but they also need to learn to balance their workloads and lives. Having a part time job in school doesn’t necessarily have to take away from the “learning” portion of the college experience. It may even enhance the value of the education.

I will concede that some kids struggle with school more than others, and in those situations allow the kid(s) to focus on their school work is absolutely appropriate. Just my 2 cents though.

By: todd

todd — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:17:11 +0000

Very valid points Megan. I agree that savings of any kind is a good idea, and I’ll likely do the same. I’m still trying to figure out if I can squeeze an extra couple of “teachable moments” out by initially telling my kids that they are on their own when it comes to paying for college. I’ve got 15-18 years to figure that out though, so the question need not be answered immediately.

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:37:09 +0000

I don’t have kids yet, but I plan to help them, and have already started setting aside a bit of money for my as of yet unborn children’s college fund. Ridiculous? Maybe. But saving in any form is good.

Why do I want to help pay for their education? To pay it forward. My mom got help with her education. I got help with my education. So now it’s my turn to help the next generation. I figure that I should be able to save and help my kids since I don’t have crazy loan payments. I’d like to be able to pay it all, but given the rising costs of education, that’s likely not a reasonable goal. So I’ll do what I can.

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:15:32 +0000

My parents helped me with college, but I still had to pay the bulk of it. I went to a community college the first two years, and then transferred to a private college. My parents response: “You can go there, but you’re going to have to figure out how you’re going to pay for it.”

I worked my tail off and got TONS of scholarships and walked away from college with no debt!

My husband and I plan to help our kids with college, but NOT at the expense of our retirement and own plans. Our goal is to give them the tools they need to pay for their own schooling through scholarships and good hard work!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:40:52 +0000

Yes, I definitely plan to pay for my children’s college education. I agree that being a student is a full time “job”.

By: Dr. T

Dr. T — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:09:53 +0000

I agree that it is a very difficult balance between helping and coddling.

I was lucky to live in a state that paid the tuition for any in-state college as long as you met minimal academic requirements in high school(

I worked during the summers for my living expenses during the school year and also worked as an RA to pay for room and board.

That being said I agree with Funny about Money, going to school is a full time job. To be able to compete at a high level one has to be able to focus on the task at hand, which for the college student is their next test or project.

I found being an RA wasn’t too busy. Busy enough to stay on schedule but not so busy that I was chronically fatigued and going to class tired

For my children,
I will be willing to assist with occasional major expenses(major car repairs, etc…) but I will not pay the tuition to a private school when they can get a free ride at a state school.

If they have their heart set on a particular school they can take out the loans and they will have “a skin in the game” I have not been impressed by many of my doctor friends who have high priced educations that mom and dad paid for.

By: Moments of Fame « Funny about Money

Moments of Fame « Funny about Money — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:12:34 +0000

[...] it works to recover from a downturn. Harvesting Dollars has a rumination on whether (and how much) to fund a kid’s college education. Andy at Saving to Invest posts an eye-opener about what it costs to fire an employee in various [...]