QOTW:----Expectations of college??
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QOTW:----Expectations of college??
| Mon, 08-07-2006 - 10:27am |
~Question of the Week~
What are your expectations for post secondary education/college?
Do you expect your tween/teen to go to college?

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In our home...college is spoken of as the next step after high school. In hopes, that it will be a given that college IS the next step. We plan to pay for their education whether it be a 2 year, 4 year or trade school. As long as they have a plan. I know that traditional college is NOT for everyone, but being a loser is NOT for anyone.
Dh and I are both college educated and we'd love our children to be as well.
We do encourage college around here.
We have encouraged Rachel & Jamie to go to college but we wouldn't be terribly upset if they didn't. However, we talk about how statistics show that those that go & complete a college degree earn more than those that don't. Right now the focus is to finish school -- one day Rach came home & told us she found out she could drop out at age 16. We then had a discussion on why that wasn't a good idea ;-) and how tough it is to go back to HS when you are older.
We have started college funds for both girls and both their grandparents have contributed as well. Both DH & I had parents that made financial contributions to our college education so we would have no problem paying a large amount towards their college tuition.
Depending on what type of specialized training they wanted we'd be willing to help out too. Also Rach wants to get an athletic scholarship but we tell her there are no guarantees in life so its best to do well in your school work as knowledge is something you will have that nobody can take away. If you get injured & can't play sports at least you will have a degree to fall back on at the very least. And besides even big superstars like Michael Jordan eventually retire & have to do something w/the rest of his life we tell her, LOL!
-- Ang
I too try to instill the value that college is the next step after high school. Trade school? I've never really thought about it but if it was something either felt strongly about I'd be supportive. I want them to follow their dreams, but they also need to be able to support those dreams from somewhere other than my basement! :)
With a 15 yr old right now, the talk is of his first car. We will buy the car (new) but they have to pay US for it. (no payment this month..no car this month) We've gone further saying if they get a scholarship to college (full ride) that car payments will stop as long as they keep the scholarship! So it's a win-win situation...free car AND free college! Figure the car is cheaper than 4 years of college! HAHA!!!
Denise
I expect that Kayleigh will go to college but if she chooses to educate herself in some other way that will result in her being able to support herself, that's fine and it needs to be because at 18, they are legally adults and can do what they want provided they can support themselves financially.
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In our house college is just the natural step after high school, DD and I talk about it often. If she decided to go to a trade school I would have no problem with that at all, as long as its something she really wants to do and will be happy that's what matters. I put myself through college while she was young, so she saw how hard I worked while working full time and raising her. Also my brother dropped out of college and for the past 4 or 5 years has been working at two jobs, waitering, delivering pizzas, etc. 60 hours a week to pay for student loans, a place to live, etc. just making it and is finally going back to college. So I think she has seen firsthand what can happen if you don't have any college under your belt.
DH and I have discussed about paying for it, he has said we will pay for tuition, books and room and board for both my DD and his son when they get to college, I am at a little different opinion. I would like to help DD pay for tuition and books as much as possible, but that would contingent on her getting a summer job or whatever. I worked my way through college paying the entire thing, including lots of student loans. I don't want her to be saddled with student loans forever like I am now, but I also don't want her thinking college is a free ride and she can go off and do what she wants while mom and dad are footing the bill. I don't see her doing that, but I have seen too many people whose parents paid for their education outright and they have this sense of expectation because of it.
When my son was born, I use to joke around that he was going to Duke (my favorite basketball team)...but in reality, he will probably go to one of the many state colleges we have here in NC. I talk to him about going to college all the time. I expect him to continue his education after high school. Even if it's a community college of some sort. (Even though I would prefer that he attends college) He is really good with computers & I suspect that is the field he will go into.
However, (since he was in the 1st grade) if you ask him what he wants to 'be when he grows up' he says a truck driver. Now he says a truck driver & a stand-up comic on the weekends. LOL! I think it's funny. My good friends son was the same way. He always told people he was going to mow lawns when he grew up. People laughed at him all the time. He started his own lawn care service when he was around 14 years old. Well, he just grad from NCState with a degree in turf management last year. Not only does he still have his expanded lawn care business, but he also goes to golf courses & plans the planting for them. Or something like that. To be honest, I'm not exactly 100% sure what he does at them. This 22 year old kid just bought a great house that sits on about 3 acres of land.
We are very lucky & blessed...his great uncle whom has never been married, let alone have children, has invested amazing amount of money for his college education. Unless he goes to a private college, we probably won't have to worry about paying for anything. I suspect that there will be enough left over for him to have a downpayment on his 1st house. Isn't that a really nice gift???
Edited 8/7/2006 12:55 pm ET by onehappymama
I have always expected that my kids would go to college. We started saving when DD was a baby. My parents paid my way through college & I expect to pay my kids way to college. We have always talked about college as the normal course of events.
But of the past few years. I have been coming the to conclusion that college may not be in the cards for DD. She has some minor LD's and struggles at school. She will have lots of friend who will get high GPA, and high SAT and go to top notch schools. She might be better off in some sort of trade school, but I don't know much about them or if they exist much. I certainly expect her to continue education past H.S. If DD goes to college it probably won't be one of the more selective schools. I want her to do something that she is going to excel at and enjoy in the long run.
I continue to talk about college as the logical next step. One never knows and if DD decides there is something she really WANTS to do there may be no stopping her.
Diana (Sara 11 yrs, Timothy 7 yrs)
College is a MAJOR (pun?) goal for both our dc. We are sending them to a private college-prep junior/high school to help them be better prepared and to perhaps earn enough scholarships to offset much of the cost. They each have a 529 Plan in place that we contribute to monthly to set aside a "nest egg" for their college expenses.
When I was growing up, I was going to college. My parents never acted like there were other options. Between the ages of 18-24, I got downright miffed about that. I felt that maybe I'd wasted time and money getting a worthless degree (in Journalism/Advertising) that couldn't get me a good paying job. As my career ramped up, however, I could see my friends without bachelor's degrees hit the ceiling while I continued to rise. My education has also given me more flexibility to change careers (I've been in sales, marketing, editing, graphic design, business management, accounting).
In the long run I can see how forward-thinking and wise my parents were in making sure my sister and I both received a college education. When you don't have a fortune to leave to your kids when you die, the best thing you can do for them is help them secure a future for themselves.
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