If this is the first year your
little darling is going to school, then you know college is VERY expensive. You
do not get what you pay for either when it comes to pricey campuses either.
Most colleges insist freshmen have to stay on campus to get the “college
experience.”
*Loosely translated we will charge
you extravagant fees for a tiny room and a meal ticket. Few things you need to
know about the door. Things disappear a lot. Roommates are sometimes the
culprit. The roommate smokes pot in the room, your child is culpable too. Other
words, he faces penalty for the roommate’s behavior. Even expulsion from the
room you already paid for and there are no refunds.
*Dorms are not as safe as
advertised. People who do not have rooms in the dorm often get in because they
follow someone in, claim they are visiting someone, or a student props the door
open because of a forgotten pass key. Often expensive schools are shiny
opportunities for theft to the poorer communities surrounding the school.
* Security figures used in brochures
often aren’t correct. Sexual assault, assault and theft handled by the campus
police never make it to the regular police. As you can guess that would be bad
publicity for the school. You’d do better to talk to a random student and not a
handpicked ambassador.
*Dorm supplies are an unneeded
expense. See what you have at home. Most things will be ruined while others end
up in the trash at the end of the year because students didn’t want to go to
the trouble of packing. Boys are more accepting of what they get. Trust me, I’ve
moved children in and out of college and am amazed what is tossed. Towels,
blankets, textbooks, even furniture crowd the dumpster.
* The
food at your child’s could be good or barely edible, but he has to get there at
the right time to eat it. Schedules are not planned around your when the
kitchen is open. My daughter consistently missed supper because of her classes.
Most schools don’t provide meals on the weekend. The expensive meal plan has to
be supplemented with other food. Often schools force the freshmen to take the
most expensive meal plan. What is up with that?
Surveys have shown 70% of students
who enter school do not graduate. Most leave after the first year. Colleges
have to squeeze as much money out of the incoming freshmen as they possibly
can. Students and parents wise up after staying around a few years.
In the olden days, you spent two
years taking general core classes and thinking about your major. College wants
your child to sign up for specific classes first. This way when your daughter
decides she doesn’t want to be an art major, she’s tacked on another two years
of school. A college or university that
let you sign up for core classes first is praiseworthy.
Books can be a major expense. One
that often doesn’t merit the bucks spent. Many professors assign several books
while only using one or specify the newest edition. Students can get by with
older versions, buying them used online, electronic versions even checking them
out from the library or renting them. Ask the teacher what book is the most
important to have.
When your student is almost ready to
graduate, an official will come around and tell them they need to sign up for
graduate school. Most will be told they will not be able to get a job in their
profession without going to graduate school. This isn’t true. It is often
counter-productive. New college graduate only merit starting positions staying
in college longer does not make you smarter. Often companies will hire the
student with the BS first. If the company wants you to have a higher degree,
they will have a tuition reimbursement program.
What can you do to beat some of
these expenses?
Commute (This will save you food and housing
expenses.)
·
Say you are commuting if you live less than an
hour away. Look for an apartment. It will be much cheaper than the dorm, especially
if you share it. After your first year, no one cares if you live off campus.
·
Take your first two years of core classes at a
junior college. This will save you thousands.
·
Don’t buy new stuff for the dorm. Cute items
grow legs and walkaway. Items get lost too.
·
Have a fridge and microwave and buy food. It is
cheaper and more dependable than a meal ticket.
·
Don’t buy your books from the bookstore, even
used books. Their ideal of a discount on used books is $6. Don’t sell your books
to the college bookstore either. Then the $125 book becomes worth only $12
bucks, but next semester it will sell for $92 to another gullible student.
Renting books from Clegg is inexpensive. You can even borrow eTextbooks from
Barnes and Noble.
There are endless
expenses associated with higher education. Why pay more?
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