Paying for College

[KristinCB]

I have a question.. When it comes to college for your kids. Are you putting money away and paying it for them, relying on scholarships, having them use student loans etc? Will it be different than how you went through college?

We put money away but def not enough. I am planning on having our kids contribute some with student loans.. I am also strongly encouraging them to pursue secondary education that is specific and something they will hopefully get a job from.. ie not just a 4 year univserity education that is like.. bachelor of arts etc..

[kristijoy]

We have been putting money away. I'm a little worried that my son is going to have expensive tastes in schools.

He's only 8 right now so the 'college' discussion is more general at this point rather than a specific experience or degree program.

We do, however, spend a fair amount of time on money in general. What it costs to really live, how much you make an hour, work hours, work ethic, how much food really costs, how do you buy a car, and how the choices you make early in life can either be helpful to a positive end or be challenges because you can never keep up.

A couple weeks ago my son asked a question about something money related and my DH ended up in an hour long lesson on investing and saving your money.

[Misty Cato]

We save, but we aren't going to be able to fund both kiddos completely. Likely we will rely on a combination of everything you mentioned; we will contribute, grandparents will contribute, loans, scholarships (I hope) and the kids will be expected to have summer jobs (if not year round).

[JennNtheBoys]

We are not able to save... I've tried, and failed miserably. My plan is to have SOMETHING for them, even if it's small, and go with student loans. I would like them to have the whole "college experience" and go to university if they wish.... I only went to Community College and I feel like I missed out on a big part of 'growing up' and finding my way.... (then again I had my first child in my first year of college, so that might have something to do with it too )... anyway, to get back on topic... I will give them what I can when they go, and I am pushing them to stay on top of their school work so that scholarships can be an option for them to try for. Other than that, I have it in my mind that I will give them a monthly 'allowance' and care packages (since I'll be saving money from them not eating my food, I won't notice it anyway LOL)... I don't want them to have to focus on juggling school and full time job to pay for it.... if they feel they can handle a part time job, great, but I want to be able to help however I can so they don't get stuck with tough decisions like I had.

[MamaBee]

We have failed in this area, saving for J's college... we have very little saved for this purpose. Both DH and I were very blessed in that college was paid for by our parents... my mom became a mail carrier when I was in 6th grade, with the bulk of her salary going to my college fund. I see that I will have to do the same thing - issue is though, we homeschool, so I'll to wait until either J can stay home alone, or I will be working nights. Maybe we will win the lottery? Or J will get really good at applying for scholarship money!

[SeattleSheri]

I paid for 100% of my educational and living expenses which were not covered by grants and scholarships once I turned 17. I worked about 25 hours per week during college and took out loans to cover the rest. I would have loved support from my parents, but it just wasn't in the cards. I do think there is a tremendous value in working and learning good business ethics, so I will require my boys to have jobs. We put money into the GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) program, which controls for inflation. It will likely only cover 50-60% of their expenses. I will be happy to pay for state schools and if they elect to go to a private school, they will need to find resources to pay for the difference in tuition.

Kristin, to your point. If my boys decided that a 4 year college program wasn't something they'd be interested in, I would support other types of programs as long as they set them up for financial success. I definitely want them to find some sort of career or trade. I've seen people go to university because they were expected to, but it wasn't really a good longterm fit for them.

[KristinCB]

Oh I should clarify that if my kids DO want to do a 4 year program of some sort I would be ok with it I just am hoping that they go to school in hopes of getting a job/career in an area they studied for

I think having kids pay for some of their education on their own is important too.. if they have someone else paying their way it makes it a lot easier to slack off and not take it as seriously when the $$ isn't coming out of your pocket.

[Lyd]

Originally Posted by SeattleSheri

I paid for 100% of my educational and living expenses which were not covered by grants and scholarships once I turned 17. I worked about 25 hours per week during college and took out loans to cover the rest. I would have loved support from my parents, but it just wasn't in the cards. I do think there is a tremendous value in working and learning good business ethics, so I will require my boys to have jobs.

This was me too. My parents just weren't able to help. I had a half-tuition scholarship the first year and some grants that covered everything for that first year. After that, I worked and was super poor. I did leave college with some debt, but it wasn't much, and I had it paid off six months after I graduated (no interest ever accrued).

I would love for my kids to avoid school debt, but I know that's not very realistic anymore. School is so expensive. We are still paying on hubby's student loans. And, we have small savings accounts for the kids, but I don't see us being able to fund very much for college for four kids.

[marlathrall]

I paid for my degree 100% by myself with student loans and scholarships and so did my husband. He actually started farming at 19 and was able to pay his school stuff as he went along. I always had a job during the summer. We were both very busy in college and dedicated to making our hard earned money spent on tuition worth it. I sometimes think that having to pay for your own school makes kids more dedicated in school.

We plan on saving money for future kids, but we will require they have certain grades to get any of our $$$. And they will work it off during the summer and harvest.

[adrianka]

I'm a Master of Arts and went to university with no idea what I 'm going to do in life - I actually chose English/German because I simply enjoyed languages... and ended up with the most fantastic job ever thanks to that... You never know what happens. :-) And I have a friend who did religion and ethnology and ended up with a similarly fab job because she was good at languages, too. That said, I DO get your reasoning, esp when studies are expensive. I got my education for free, it makes a huge difference when considering the applicability of what you study.

[lovely1m]

He has a small savings, but I paid for my own college. Am still paying. I plan to help what I can, but I will not fully support him, I believe it's important you learn how to take care of yourself. I also believe that unlike when I was learning about going to college, just any old degree is no longer the way to go. Its important to have a specific degree, training program.

[catgoddess]

I had this discussion with my 16 year old niece just a couple months ago. Neither of her parents will have the means to help her financially and I'm the only other person in our family to attend college. I'll tell you what I told her...

She's fortunate to live in a State with excellent State Colleges (NY). Use them. Start working now (at age 16) and save as much as possible over the next two years. Don't buy a car or do anything like that as one isn't needed where she lives. She can walk everywhere.

Only pay for a private University if it's well endowed - preferably by companies which she has interest in working for after college. If a private University doesn't have the funds to provide scholarships to good students, it's not worth the extra money and you're making the first mistake of your adult life - paying too much for too little. Most colleges offer little more than hype... especially private ones. Unless the University has a solid relationship with employers, that University offers little to nothing to graduates except for a mountain of debt.

I started working at 14 and graduated HS in 3 years at age 17, so I took a year off in between HS and college and worked (and traveled) as much as possible. I took a couple classes part time right before I started in the Fall semester just to polish off the dust. lol I worked 3 PT jobs while in college where I went to State University for 3 years. I paid for it 100% myself without loans. I then transferred into my private University program for the next 2 years (I was Engineering at the time). I received 1/3 scholarship, continued to work 2 jobs, and took out only the minimum amount necessary in loans.

I did not live at home and paid for all my housing, food, living expenses, etc. myself.

I had plenty of time for the full college experience even with a full load and multiple jobs. Never doubt a young person's desire to do stupid crap. lol I dated, made new friends, went to parties, etc. I did it all while watching my friends waste away their parent's money. I had more respect for my education because I worked for everything myself.

College can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. I also second the statement about other routes. Trade schools are where most college students really should go, but we put such a social stigma on them. It's unfortunate because most tradesmen make a far better living than a run-of-the-mill college graduate.

[mariewilcox]

I also funded my own college education. My parents were both school teachers and we lived comfortably but there wasn't a lot of extra money for saving. There were 3 of us and we all knew we had to find our way through college. I got excellent grades and earned some college credits while in high school and got about a 3/4 ride to UVM and took the rest out in loans and did work study and waitressed all summer during all 4 years. I moved away from home at 17, 2 days after I graduated high school, to take a job in Bar Harbor (BIG tourist town with high end restaurants=BIG TIPS and from there moved to Vermont for college.

Cheyanne has some funds coming her way but who knows how much it will cover thees days; depends on where she goes and what she studies, etc. Right now she has no clue what she wants to pursue (freshman right now) and if she doesn't have a fairly good idea I told her I didn't want her to waste her money on a 4-year college until she was pretty solid on what she wants to study. I get that a liberal arts education can be great but we aren't in a position for her take random classes at those prices. I told her she can go to one of our local junior colleges and take some core classes and work until she decides but I'm hoping she'll find her "calling" before she starts applying for college.

She can't wait to start working and will start saving money for college herself and knows she'll need to keep her grades in great standing and hunt down the scholarships. I think earning at least part of your education makes you appreciate it and keeps you serious about it instead of partying and dropping out or flunking out

ETA: My son (27 now) went to college for 1 year for electrical engineering and hated college - he ended up going into the Marines and when he got out he pursued what he always wanted to do deep down in his heart of hearts; he's now a firefighter and paramedic and couldn't be happier.

[Sherri Tierney]

I have never felt that it is a parent's ultimate responsibility to pay for their child's college education. My college was paid for by grants, scholarships and, by my employer(s). I've always felt strongly that if someone will more appreciate what they work for.

That said, I also, very strongly, do not believe in going into debt for college. I will do everything in my power to keep my children from taking student loans and graduating with debt. Before our debt free transformation using Dave Ramsey's plan, I did not feel quite so strongly about student loans though. I considered them a fact of life. However, I also never saw a world in which we would be able to legitimately pay for our children's college. I always wanted to be able to do so but it just would not have been possible in the past.

Right now we have a pretty solid plan in which we WILL be paying for our children's college. We will encourage them to work for scholarships and to seek out any grants that are applicable, but we will pay for the rest. We will expect them to either take summer classes or to work in the summer and put money towards their tuition, but we will make sure that they have what they need. We will also encourage them to have a plan in mind and not just go to college to go to college. My 9 year old is showing no desire to go to college at this point. We obviously hope to change his mind, but we won't push him to go if it isn't going to help set him up for success. My 12 year old has a solid plan. She knows where she is going, what she is going to do. She wants to be a teacher. My husband makes more than the teachers in our area do and his job doesn't require a college degree. I wouldn't be upset if my son took such a route.

Without having paid off our debt when we did, we wouldn't be on the track we are now. I am thankful we wised up and took control of our finances. We had lived in uncertainty and debt for way too long.

[staciahall]

I was lucky to have my parents pay for my college and masters degree. I did work all through college to make my own spending money and chose to live at home 3 1/2 out of 5 total years. I'm sure it helped that I'm an only child in that respect.

We were lucky that my ex's grandmother purchased 4 year university prepaid college for both of my kids. It pays for tuition and fees for 4 years at a state university. It doesn't cover room and board though.

My oldest received her Masters Degree last December and doesn't have any student loans. If she pursues a doctorate she knows that she'll have to. My youngest is midway through his third year and so far has only lived away from home for 1 semester. Both of them work/ed, her as a student tutor for the last 3 years and him working summers at Philmont Scout Ranch. Both are very cognizant about how lucky they are to NOT have debt at this point.

I started saving for their college in a 529 plan the month I got my divorce 12 years ago because I knew with just my income, starting small and early would be my only chance.

[adi&co.]

Oh I don't even know. my parents had 7 kids and barely had enough money to live on, so there was nothing to save for any of us. I was pretty much thrown to the dogs when I decided to go to college, haha! I hope to not do that to my kids, but I will not be paying it all for them. I want them to get good grades and not work though, because that why I did so awful. I had to pay for rent/food/clothes by working full time while also going ot school full time. I don't want them to fail!

We'll probably just figure it out when we get there.

[rach3975]

DH and I both went to a relatively expensive private college and earned Masters degrees afterward, but our financial situations were different.

Between what my parents saved and what my grandparents left me when they passed away, my college and 1/3 of grad school were paid for. While an undergrad I earned spending money from summer jobs. I waited a few years to go to grad school, and I did most of it part time while working so I wouldn't need to take out loans. Even though I didn't pay for my undergraduate degree myself, I was a responsible enough young adult to understand the value of it. I worked hard and graduated with honors (and a clearly defined career path, though it did change over the years).

DH's parents paid what they could for his undergrad degree, probably about 1/4 of the cost. He worked on campus, had a Resident Advisor position, and took out a few loans. (A very reasonable amount, considering the cost of the 4 year degree.) He went to grad school right after college. He had a Teaching Assistant position that covered his tuition, and he had a part time job to pay his other expenses.

We started saving when our kids were young, but what we're able to pay for our kids is going to depend partly on what college experience they choose. I think we'll be able to fund 100% of a state college, though they'll be expected to earn spending money. If they choose a private college, they'll need to contribute more through either jobs or loans.

My middle son has special needs and is unlikely to go to college. He's too young for us to know if he'll be able to get another kind of post-high school training and support himself, though of course that's what we're working toward. We're likely to be helping him financially for a long time to come, maybe always. So realistically, our need to have money for DS2 may affect how much we can do for the other 2 financially beyond their college funds.

[DawnMarch]

We have some money saved but whether that will be enough depends, like Rachel said, on what colleges the kids decide to go to. My husband is a professor so we would get very inexpensive tuition at his university should the kids go there. I don't see how anybody pays cash for a private university these days though. We have friends whose kids go to Occidental in CA and the estimated tuition plus board is over $60,000/year. My alma mater (Lehigh U) is close to that. Crazy.

[misfitinmn]

We don't have a specific plan in place. We aren't saving specifically for college, but we have invested money in properties/real estate which will fund probably a bit of college and our retirement. My husband and I were on both ends of the spectrum - his parents paid and my parents didn't. We still have a small amount left on my student loan but that is partially by choice - we have like a 1% interest rate on that loan so it's not a priority. My husband is very good at money management so I'll probably defer a lot of financial collegeelated things to him. If I had to guess based on past conversations, if we DO contribute to college, it won't be for the full tuition. We'll probably offer a set amount and let them decide what school to go to and how to make up the difference.

[Megan Turnidge]

We haven't started saving yet and we will probably start saving in the next few years, but I have no plans on covering it all for them. I received ZERO financial help from anyone, so I busted my butt in high school, earned a scholarship to fully cover tuition for 4 years + extra $1000/year, and used grants and small student loans to cover housing + meal plan. I worked part-time through school and the summers.

[LeeAndra]

The university where my dad works paid for my tuition when I was in college so I just had a few thousand in school loans when I graduated. I actually want to work at the same university and so long as I do so by the time my daughter is 12 (you have to work there 5 years before that perk kicks in), my kids will have the same deal. Technically, the university only pays for half of their tuition, but since they are so ridiculously expensive, half of their tuition is more than the entire tuition at a state school.

Otherwise, I doubt they will get much in the way of assistance from us. DH is a terrible spender and we have both been unemployed and underemployed for the last 5 years. It will take us almost that long to get out from under where we are now which is right when his son would start college (if he manages to get himself together and get good enough grades to go to college). My daughter has told us for the last year that she wants to be a vet so she will definitely have lots of school to come up with a way to pay for!

You know what they say: They give you loans for college. They don't give you loans for retirement. That will have to be what we focus on. If DH or I gets a really good job in the next couple years, we'll do what we can, but there's no way we'll be able to pay for their college completely regardless.

[kelley]

My parents helped me financially, but a large part of mine was scholarships and loans. Honestly, I regret going to college at that point because I didn't have a plan in place other than to "go to college." Now I am in a career (medical transcriptionist) that works well for me to be able to stay home and homeschool the kids, but is entirely irrelevant to my education and business studies that I took in college. As far as the kids go, they will be in large part on their own with expenses. Jennah (my 13-year-old) and I have already had many discussions about future choices. We've encouraged her to take college courses at the local community college in high school for free, and then take as many locally as possible before switching to a university should she choose to. I don't want them to just go to college simply to go. I don't think it is worth it without a plan in place!

[JMC1988]

Originally Posted by kelley

Now I am in a career (medical transcriptionist) that works well for me to be able to stay home and homeschool the kids, but is entirely irrelevant to my education and business studies that I took in college.

This is me too! I am a medical transcriptionist as well, but I work in house for a local Internal Medicine and I love it but would love to be able to find a work from home job. Before the doctor's office I did transcription in house for the local hospital and I loved it in some ways more than where I currently work for the variety and not one specific doctor.

I myself have had to pay for college as a I go since graduating Highschool in 2006 and I went straight to local community college the fall after I graduated and still have not gotten a degree. Honestly, I haven't finished a degree because I keep changing my mind on what I want to really do for the rest of my life. I know I want to do medical field related work just not what specifically. I can say that my parents helped/help when they can and did A LOT when I first went onto college but not so much. Another reason I haven't finished is because I do not want to have debt when I finish my degree. I have done so, so far, only taking classes with what my HOPE scholarship and PELL grant pay for and paying for the extra with my little savings I have. I refuse to finish college with huge amounts of debt. And what my parents contributed was not huge amounts but what I couldn't pay for and I also worked at the college part/full time while taking classes in the college book store. I also think you should have to in some way contribute to your college yourself, it really puts things in perspective I think. I did not want to go away to a private/state college for 4 years and basically waste my time and parents $$$.

[britaneejean]

I received help for my schooling but that's because it was heavily discounted because I did it at nights during my HS Senior Year...and it cost $300 (for dental assisting). I planned on going back for dental hygiene but never did.

We've paid 100% for my husband's either through pell grants, scholarships, student loans or extra summer jobs. We've just started paying back his loans and i'm hating it.

For our kids, we haven't started saving for our kids yet. We know we'll have them pay but I just don't know how much we'll be able to help out. My siblings haven't had to pay yet for their schooling & we've seen that they just don't care. My husband cared because we were making that sacrifice, you know??

[Julie Billingsley]

I have one son that is graduated from college (bachelors in civil engineering) and an 11 year old that wants a doctorate in computer games In the US, the college student and the parents have to fill out a FAFSA to determine if they qualify for financial aid (scholarships, grants, work study) and how much student loan can be taken out. The FAFSA is run by the government.

My oldest went to an in-state university that cost about $23K per year for tuition/books/room/board. He had $2K in scholarships, then the FAFSA determined he could get about $7K in student loans, which left $14K a year that the government called "expected parent contribution". Even though the government expected us to be able to cough that money up, it is not something we could do. We could do some, but not all. So we talked to Jacob about it and decided we would take out a parent loan for the remainder, but he would be required to pay the loan when he graduated. That has worked out well for us, but it's not the situation I would have liked. I wish we could have paid that expected parent contribution in cash.

For our youngest son, he is still 6 years away from college and I hope we can do things a bit differently for him. First, I'm encouraging him to do community college for the first 2 years while living at home, then transfer to his university. He will probably have very little debt for those first two years. Then once he is a junior/senior in college, we should be able to pay the expected parent contribution in full, only leaving him with his student loan. Sure, I'd love to pay it all off so he doesn't have any college debt, but my husband will be near retirement at that time. :/

[disneyaddict]

We have done the pre-paid college plus we have some money set aside in an education account. My son is going to private university this fall and will be majoring in chemical engineering plus he has enough true college credits to minor in math and possibly do another minor/major. The employment rate for the school upon graduation is very high as is the acceptance rate to highly ranked graduate schools.. He received a scholarship for over half the tuition and board. With that and what we have plus their monthly payment plan, he will only have to take out a small loan each year. We decided he needed to take some financial responsibility so that he would really apply himself and not screw around.

[carrie1977]

We started funds for our kids when they were born. But, I'm sure that by the time they enter in it won't be nearly enough. I can't even begin to imagine what the fees will be then.

[KristinCB]

this has been a really great thread <3 <3

[kristijoy]

Originally Posted by SeattleSheri

Kristin, to your point. If my boys decided that a 4 year college program wasn't something they'd be interested in, I would support other types of programs as long as they set them up for financial success. I definitely want them to find some sort of career or trade. I've seen people go to university because they were expected to, but it wasn't really a good longterm fit for them.

This is very wise! There are many other areas of 'career' that don't need to be college perse. What's I think is more important is that you find something that works for you, can make a positive contribution to the world (however small) and can make ends meet.

I have many friends that don't earn TONS of money, but they are so much more happier.

[littlekiwi]

Down here in New Zealand I'm doing college 100% with student loans. Tuition is approx $5500-7000 a year but to me its worth it to hopefully be off the benefit at the end of the year and actually working

[Jjriward]

DH and I both worked full-time and went to school part time, and paid 100% of our college expenses. I would love to say that we have been putting money aside for our children's educations, but with me staying home with the kids until recently, that just hasn't been possible. I hope we will be in a position to help with college expenses when the time comes, but I have no intentions of paying 100% of it for them. There is certainly something to be said for the student being at least somewhat responsible for college expenses.

[semantje]

Wow college is expensive out there. It is here as well but the government will give each student a amount of money, wich is like $700-$800 a month for a couple of years wich you don't have to pay back. I think college fees will be like $300-$400 per month and the rest is there for you to enjoy. Then you can either take a small part time job or a loan and do nothing besides school. People at my work have part time jobs who are in school but they are like 1 or two days a week. Not more than that. But if you fail it is your own fault. You will only get the money for a set number of years in your life wich means it will make college and university for free and you even get more money than it costs.

The system is great but students here are the most ungratefull group of people you will ever meet in general. They like to party..... thurday, friday and saturday are drinking nights.... vacations... dining out... and still I have people at my counter at H&M who will ask for discount because being a student..... Most of the months they have more to spend than the average working person...

[Sherri Tierney]

My daughter plans to take community college classes during high school (hopefully dual credit provided they don't do away with it as they are talking about doing in Kansas). She then wants to finish up her 2 year degree at the community college here in town. From there she will transfer to the state university that is about 40 minutes from here. Her plan is to live at home and make the commute for school. Tons of kids around here do that, so it doesn't seem too bad. The tuition at the state university is roughly $6K a year with tuition and fees. If she is living at home, gasoline will be the big expense - definitely cheaper than room/board though. She doesn't have grandiose college plans. She is very practical minded.

My niece is going to a private high school. The tuition is over $25K a year. They were able to get a scholarship that paid for a good chunk of it, but they will still be spending more for her high school than my we will likely be paying for college. This girl also has dreams of Harvard though, so this high school is a good start for her.

I am all about kids pursuing the kind of education that they want. In the end though, I don't believe that the ivy league schools really provide a superior education - especially not for their price tag. However, if someone wants to go that route, more power to them!

[nesser1981]

The Air Force paid for my school. The Navy paid for Sean's, but he's never actually finished, we moved 3 times while he was in school, degree plans change, etc.

I'd say the military is a great option, but these days, I'm not sure everyone will be able to take advantage of that. And with all the downsizing, it's harder to get it. Guard and reservist get so much for school as well, but I don't know the specifics.

We haven't started saving for the kids, but we'll help as much as we can, I really want to open 529 plans for each of them. Sean's parents will probably help as well. But we'll see.

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by DawnMarch

I don't see how anybody pays cash for a private university these days though. We have friends whose kids go to Occidental in CA and the estimated tuition plus board is over $60,000/year. My alma mater (Lehigh U) is close to that. Crazy.

I was curious to see what my college (Brandeis) is charging now, and with everything it also comes to $60,000 a year. Ridiculous! Our state schools generally seem to charge around $10,000 for tuition and $20,000 to $24,000 all inclusive.

[newfiemountiewife]

I will have three kids going at the same time. It's just not going to be possible for us to pay for all of it. I am planning to have the kids do a combination of everything. They also will NOT be going until they decide what they want to do. I won't have them going for 5 years, racking up loans, and then changing their mind. I know people who just go to school continuously for years, and it is such a waste.

I don't care what my kids want to become, I feel as if Benjamin is going to be the one who costs the most, as he will be some type of engineer or something. Amelia is planning to have her own dance studio, and Rachael wants to work at McDonald's like I do LOL

[Sherri Tierney]

Originally Posted by newfiemountiewife

I will have three kids going at the same time.

We have the advantage of our kids being 4 years apart in school. My daughter will be in her senior year of college while my son is in his senior year of high school. That will make it so much easier on the finances. We may be paying for 8 years straight but we won't be paying for more than one at a time.

[scrap2day]

One "radical" thing my parents did was to make each of us kids save half of all our income throughout childhood for college. This included allowance, babysitting money, retail job, birthday gift money, etc. 50% went to the college fund. As a kid it was annoying but it was my parents' non-negotiable.

My parents also helped us but that "required" fund they made each of us save was quite a blessing when it came time to pay for college.

[nesser1981]

Originally Posted by scrap2day

One "radical" thing my parents did was to make each of us kids save half of all our income throughout childhood for college. This included allowance, babysitting money, retail job, birthday gift money, etc. 50% went to the college fund. As a kid it was annoying but it was my parents' non-negotiable.

My parents also helped us but that "required" fund they made each of us save was quite a blessing when it came time to pay for college.

What a great idea!

[StephStrader]

It's ironic that I came across this post last night. Wednesday night I went to Freshman orientation for my oldest and I literally wanted to crawl in a locker and cry. It's the school I went to, also my husband, but so much has changed.

The first words out of the guidance counselors mouth were asking if you knew if your college required 2 or 4 years of Spanish. Assuming, or implying that we should know where they are going, which would generally mean that we/they know what they want to go for. I was in awe, quickly followed by panic, and an overwhelming urge to bolt from the bleacher seats! ....and I'm not even the freshman!! LOL.

We can't pay for all of his college, but I told my husband that the BEST school for EXACTLY what he wants/needs is a private University. Which is twice as much as a Iowa State, but there's the option of sending him somewhere to get his 2 year - (gen eds, etc.) out of the way and they the last 2 major specific courses at the private school.

I also did some research and found out that the private school, typically, with their endowments, etc. are able to cut their "sticker price" in about half - actually making it LESS than the state school. But, the private also offers internships which typically lead to employment at the same place if they are good at what they do.

Our state requires incoming freshman come up with a tentative "four year plan" - I was so surprised considering I'm a 38 year old adult and I've never even had the "five year plan". LOL!! We had to sit down last night and go over all the courses, requirements and electives and come up with a tentative course outline for the next 4 years. He's planning on a graphic design/computer graphics/interactive media career so his coursework is art and computer heavy. Honestly, neither of which I feel like offer ENOUGH in our school and most of these classes are only a semester long.

I don't know honestly how it will all play out in the way of finances. I'm sure there will be student loans/parent loans, but we are also going to have to crack down on deliberately saving.