WVU Appears to be in Trouble
- Thread starter acoustimac
- Start date
America. Re-reading I can see that you probably meant for college. To your point though, I think it's fair to ask that those who want to pursue higher education display some level of capability/aptitude for it. Now whether the current methods best identify those people or not is an entirely different discussion. What I don't like about the current setup is it's becoming much more tilted toward who has the financial means to afford higher education. And to me, that's contrary to the very reason this country was founded. The financial class you were born into should not largely determine your path in life.
Yes and no on the financial part. From what I’ve dealt with lately (one graduated, one currently in, and a sophomore in HS looking) is that the middle class incomes are the hardest hit. Several of my kids classmates who came from low income received enough scholarships and grants that it was nearly free (some went JUCO for a year and they made money). The wealthy can obviously afford it but if you are low middle class, it’s either loans or extended time in school to work through.
The one recommendation I have for parents is get heavily involved in the process and get your own answers. The school guidance counselors my kids had (and I had) were awful. Each field has their own quirks, just finding the cheapest school (what my kids counselor only preaches) doesn’t necessarily work. I made a lot of mistakes in my college time(first generation college) and have used that to my kids’ advantage to guide them through.
That's a problem to me and falls right in with what I said about the financial class being a determinant. There's assistance for some who have the right knowledge and access/time to pursue it at the low end, it's not a concern for those at the higher end...........and a lot of people in the middle for whom it's becoming more and more difficult to attain. I don't think the kids of wealthy families are born with anymore intelligence and capability than those with less financial privilege and we only hurt ourselves by letting that limit who can easily pursue higher ed.
We have a high school senior and we’re trying to figure out the best path for him as well. He’s expressed interest in becoming an electrician which I think is great. There are many companies that work with trade school programs that will pay for him to get certified while working on his apprenticeship . It’s a great way to get the experience, make money and be debt free with a full-time job upon completion. However, I don’t want him to live at home with us after high school while he works towards this. Like you said, I don’t want him to miss out on the social and growing up experiences that you get as a college kid. I wish there were programs in place where the “trade school” kids could be integrated into the housing/student activities portion of a 4-year university so they can experience those same social benefits. In my opinion, 99% of college is about learning how to grow up to be an independent person who positively contributes to society. With the exception of a handful of specific majors (medical, law) most professions are learned from training and on the job experience.
I believe that students that attend Hawkeye CC in waterloo/cedar falls can live in the UNI dorms. I think that was an option in the past. I have a friend whose kid lived in the UNI dorms the first year or two and he was attending Allen College for nursing. So there are a few out there.
Why I mentioned low middle class, I factor those as the grouping of 50-80k area. If you are both in professional careers and pulling 100-125k annually and your kid goes to an in-state school; it isn't a huge struggle. Take my daughter, her cost is roughly 20k per year. The government gives 2500 for a tax credit to the parents (parents should be giving this to the kids and not taking it for themselves if the kid is paying their own way, IMO). If they apply and have decent grades or any need, they should get 2k in scholarships. Now consider they have to eat (if they live off campus they can make their meals and it would be similar to living at home almost) so factor in 1k per semester right there. Utilties and water bill will go down give 250/semester there.
So right there is 7k of the 20k per year of college costs. That leaves 13k left that needs to be paid. I think there may be more credits/deductions but can't remember specifically. If the kid works 10 hours week, there is 1500 during each semester and drops you down to 10k to make up. If the parent tells the kid to get a job/internship during the summer to put that towards it, that will either cover it or pull the cost down to a couple thousand out of the parents pocket. At 100-125k for a family, that should be easy, especially if you drop the money into a 529 before giving it and getting a tax deduction for it (300-400 if you each do it).
You can do that at Iowa State as well. Had a high school friend who lived in Helser with me and went to DMACC in Boone for the first couple years of college. This was back in 2006. Brother did the same thing 4 years later.
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We have a wonderful high school counselor but whereas there were two when I was in school, there is only one now. She wasn’t familiar with the common application, which is used for Ivy League schools and Caltech, but probably because few kids at our school apply to those schools, and I suppose if they do, they are smart enough to figure it out on their own. But she has way too much work and overwhelmed with kids who need mental health counseling and the basic survival needs of homeless kids.
My kids school has 3 for a school of barely 500 prek-12, so I don’t think that is a huge issue for them. Then throw in one is just for HS, they should be able to have a decent grasp of the common attended schools for the area.
Indian Hills in Ottumwa has over a dozen "Trade School" options and has on campus dorms. They also have very high placement numbers and a very nice campus area. Sounds like exactly what you're looking for except its a 2 year not 4 year experience.
Just type in "Trade" in the Search all programs box.
Indian Hills Community College
This is a tough decision and if I was in your position I would prob let the kid choose (if that's an option). It prob also might have something to do with your boy is when it comes to social skills at this point. My dad wanted me to do something like getting the GED done locally and then going to college (he only did 2 years at Hawkeye Tech back in the day) while my mom wanted me to go to a 4-year institution. (She went to UNI) I opted to go to ISU simply because my older brother was there and he might actually hang out with me haha.
That said, living in the dorms forced me to make friends. While I had friends growing up, it was easier being from a small town and being around the same kids the entire time I was growing up. I was shy when it came to talking to new people. Living in the dorms helped me here 100% and introduced me to the guys I lived with the rest of my time in college who I'm still great friends with. While paying more for some of the general classes does suck, it allowed me to get used to the college life and again learn to talk to people and make friends.
My wife on the other hand transferred to ISU. She missed out on the "Real" dorm life and lived one year in Buchanan when she started. We both chat about our experiences and she admits she thinks she missed out on a lot of the early college life. We both had great experiences overall, but I'd advocate for the full 4-years if you can afford it.
I should note I was fortunate in that my parents covered ISU. If your son having to skip a couple of fun years puts him on a path to having far less loans in 5 years... I'd be hard pressed to not tell him to go that route. Dealing with school loans is a ***** and is going to get worse it seems.
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