Image credit: Pixabay
My granddaughter is beginning the eleventh grade this year. In crazy, COVID affected USA, life goes on. One of the things we hope that does continue is her education. College looms large on the not-distant horizon.
My granddaughter has expressed an interest in a career path, a very specific one that makes sense in the context of her experience. If she follows this path, there will be at least six years of school ahead. This is quite exciting. Until we look at the price tag.
According to U. S. News and World Report,:
These are the costs she can anticipate:
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Tuition and fees, per year
*Private college (average): $35, 087
*Public college (average): for in-state residents: $9,687
*Public college (average): for out-of-state residents: $21,184
And
According to College Data
Room and Board, per year
*Private college (average): $12, 990
*Public college (average): $11,510
That's four years. But most parents hope their kids will pursue a professional degree. That can be another 2, 3, or even 4 years. And tuition at professional schools is, on the average, higher than at undergraduate schools.
Image credit: Pixabay
Besides the cost of tuition, fees, room and board--there are other expenses, such as books.
What also is left out of the equation is the passive cost, the income forfeited during all those years of schooling.
So what is a middle or low income family to do? In the U. S., plans for this expense begin early--and I'm not talking about saving for college. I'm talking about grooming children so they will be attractive to colleges and will be awarded grants or scholarships.
Image credit: Pixabay
For example, it would be difficult to exaggerate the competition in juvenile sports programs to create prodigies who might catch the eye of a college recruiter. The same is true for any extracurricular activity. The students have to "stand out". They have to be "well rounded". By the time they apply to college, the kids not only must have sterling grades, and stellar standardized test scores. They also have to present to colleges a resume that proves their worth as human beings.
All before they are seventeen years old.
Image credit: Pixabay
I'd like to note before ending that few people actually pay the full tuition at college. There are combinations of grants and scholarships for just about anyone. Figuring them out actually may require the services of a professional advisor.
However, no matter the amount of scholarships and grants, it is rare for students from economically modest backgrounds to graduate without debt. And that debt is often a shared burden between student and parents.
According to LendingTree:
"Among the Class of 2019, 69% of college students took out student loans, and they graduated with an average debt of $29,900...14% of their parents took out an average of $37,200 in federal parent PLUS loans".
So, I'm back where I started. The family is excited about my granddaughter's college plans, whatever they are. But I can't help casting a wistful look at other countries, such as Germany. If we lived there, we could put our sharp pencils away, and not fret about debt. My granddaughter could focus on the important stuff: What does she want to do? What is she suited for? What is the best school to prepare her for her chosen field?
Many questions--none of them having to do with the debt my granddaughter might incur before she even enters the workforce.
Awesome content and an eye opener. Not just the united states. Here in Nigeria, much more than that is expended with a far lesser value drawn. Will love to make some more researches.
However, next time, use https://leofinance.io/ or https://beta.leofinance.io/ to publish so as to earn extra 10% LEO.
Posted Using LeoFinance
There are some other reasons too, here's an old comment of mine explaining them thoroughly: https://leofinance.io/definitely/@trumpman2/qdcgjh
Thanks very much. I thought of doing a comparative study, to see the cost of education around the world and also to see the benefit. I got as far as Greece and Germany and then realized that would have to be for another blog.
It's interesting to get your report about Nigeria. I've read studies that find transportation opportunities increase social and economic mobility. I think the connection with educational opportunity would probably be even more compelling.
I will follow your suggestion about posting on LeoFinance.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Hello dear AG,
even before I had finished reading your article, I thought I had to tell you about Germany, but then you used my fatherland itself as an example.
Fortunately, students here at public colleges don't have to pay fees if they graduate within a given time frame. So a certain equality of opportunity between rich and poor is guaranteed. Unfortunately, the selection here starts much earlier, which I could sing a sad song about as a special education teacher with many disadvantaged kids.
Best wishes for your granddaughter and her paying family!
Warm regards and a strong hug,
Chriddi
Hello friend Chriddi,
So nice to see you here. I'm not surprised to hear you work with children who have special needs. My brief career was also with children who faced unusual difficulties. In my earliest years I was slow...so slow people gave up on me. Then I went through an inexplicable learning spurt and somehow became one of the bright kids. I changed in everyone else's eyes, but not mine. So when I taught my 'special' students I always saw myself.
As for tracking, in this country we track in a different way. We have school districts that are tied to neighborhoods and neighborhoods that are tied to wealth and race. So, though nobody calls it tracking, that's the effect. Every family shops for a home in a "good" school district.
I think people with privilege will always find a way to exert that.
Forgive me the long response.
I hope you, your husband and those beautiful dogs (especially Max) are well.
Very warm, sincere regards,
AG
Welcome ! It's good to have you here :D
Thank you! Some very nice people invited me :))
Free college and universal health care!!