5 colleges slashing tuition

Parents Forum
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<p>Oh for heaven’s sake. We’ve had family members at community colleges, third tier private university, and top 50 schools. We shop at Goodwill and at Nordstrom. We eat at Subway and at very expensive locally owned restaurants. We drive old cars NOW but at one point, they were new. Ditto our house. </p>

<p>I’m with PG on this one. If a family wants to pay for their child to attend any college, this is NOT “flaunting it”…it’s what they have chosen to do. Your “flaunting it” statement could apply to any student who is attending an expensive private university, not only those that are not so worthy. For some, the cost of a community college would be viewed as “flaunting it”.</p>

<p>This is a free country and the choices we have are plentiful. I honestly don’t make my decisions based on what OTHERS think. I base them on what I think is good for my family…including my kids.</p>

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<p>Cobrat - I don’t think you are in your 20s any more, I think you need to get over your aunt and your cousins. My kids rarely think about my brother and sister, except during the holidays. They usually think of their relatives in a very positive way. Not trying to psycho analyze you, but it is very strange that you have such a strong negative view about them.</p>

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<p>Can’t speak for other areas, but where I am the 2 year AA schools are mediocre at best, and usually a feeder for transfer to a 4 year instate school for students who need to either stay home and commute for a variety of reasons or who are not really candidates for a traditional 4 year program right out of HS. I have a friend whose child has severe dyslexia. The 2 year school was supposed to offer a lot of individual assistance. Didnt happen. She lasted a semester. Cant say what would have happened if she had gone elsewhere. All I know is that this was a disappointment to her family. ANother friend has a dyslexic son who went to a second tier 4 year school. He is excelling beyond their wildest dreams, has found opportunities to do research, had summer internships and has published a paper. He is curently a junior. The school is located near some very wonderful resources and he has had opportunities there that he would not have had at the local cc. Just sayin’.</p>

<p>Bottom line- if a child wants to attend a 4 year school, has the capacity to handle it, even if it requires services or assistance, and the family can afford it, who are any of us to look down our noses at the choice they make?</p>

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<p>^^^^^ Like…</p>

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<p>Hmmm, I do notice a fairly strong disdain for community colleges on these forums. Is California unusual in having community colleges where a student seeking a bachelor’s degree can actually take courses that will prepare him/her to succeed at a four year school (including the flagship-level schools) after transferring? Of course, the community colleges also offer courses for non-transfer-bound students studying toward terminal associates degrees, certificates, or just personal interest subjects.</p>

<p>But, given that community colleges do produce transfer students who succeed at the flagship level state universities and go on to PhD study at top universities in their majors, is it fair to characterize them as schools for only low achievers, rather than as a potential stepping stone for students who did poorly in high school but become more committed and studious afterward in order to achieve upgraded aspirations?</p>

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<p>There are certainly those students who make the best of a 2 year school and go on to greater things. That is wonderful. And for what you describe, that is the ideal outcome. From my myopic view from where I sit, the 2 year schools here are disappointing. Hopefully others have better schools where they live. Please don’t twist my words. I have no distain - just unimpressive resources in this area.</p>

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<p>I used the story of my aunt and the older cousin to illustrate a case of what serious pitfalls could befall parents who decide to send an immature academically marginal child directly off to a four-year university without any preparations to immediately deal with possible academic struggling/failure and more importantly…to not be in denial to the point it drags out to 5+ years with its associated costs and extended family drama. </p>

<p>That’s not to say that all academically marginal HS students should be denied a chance at a 4-year education. IMO, that status can be changed if the student in question decides he/she really wants it bad enough and knows him/herself well enough to reach out to get any support he/she needs. </p>

<p>However, there is a comparatively greater risk with such students…especially if they are extremely immature and each family needs to gauge whether that greater risk is worth taking. This could be done outright or with some hedging measures such as clearly communicated minimal academic expectations, mandating commuter school(cc or 4-year with option to transfer), ensuring student gets any necessary tutoring/counseling, periodic parental check-ins, and the willingness to consider the possible need for the student to be pulled out from school temporarily if academic performance deteriorates to unacceptable levels per communicated expectations.</p>

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<p>That’s probably because a critical mass of CC forumites tend to aspire to elite LACs/Universities…whether as students themselves and/or their parents. It’s a mentality I’m familiar with as it’s similar to what I’ve seen in high school classmates and their parents…except much worse. </p>

<p>The level of disdain I’ve seen given by some for cc’s here is similar to the disdain my high school classmates had for all but the few top state/city flagships or highly selective niche programs(i.e. Sophie Davis BA-MD combo program).</p>

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<p>“That’s probably because a critical mass of CC forumites tend to aspire to elite LACs/Universities…whether as students themselves and/or their parents. It’s a mentality I’m familiar with as it’s similar to what I’ve seen in high school classmates and their parents…except much worse.”</p>

<p>I don’t have particular disdain for community colleges, I went to one my first year in college. Though honestly, the only thing I remember from that educational experience is how to kill a man. Really. I suppose it could come in handy some day.</p>

<p>But after spending 250K per kid for private K-12 education, it would be unfathomable to me to have them go to a community college (though kinder to my checkbook). Community colleges definitely can be a great stepping stone to a 4 year university, the perfect place for some students, and there are some phenomenal, caring teachers. But for a highly educated high school student used to challenging work, it would be like going back to grade school.</p>

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<p>I just want to go on the record as saying that I happen to be a big fan of community colleges, particularly in the chicago area. There are a glut of highly educated individuals in this area and even if a kid ends up spending a couple of years in community college, for whatever reason, they will be taught by highly qualified teachers. This is my view.</p>

<p>Also, in this area, the community college performs the function of providing continuing education and credentialing and whatnot for adults, in varioius professions, and I would say many of them have a great deal of education already, far beyond the CCollege level.</p>

<p>I think Jym is right that the area and the way it is used probably effects the CCollege.</p>

<p>That said, around here, most kids go away to college. If they come back, and some do, and they don’t go right away to DePaul, or Northwestern, or Lake Forest College? It is usually because they flunked out and need to take classes at CCollege. I also believe this is a valuable use of these institutions. The second chance. JMO</p>

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<p>Not from this family! Thank goodness for the CC that got one family member back on track. He has a VERY successful career largely because of the success at two community colleges…and then a degree from one of those over priced lower level four year universities who took a risk with him.</p>

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<p>Pulling a C/D level grades in high school and/or scoring 15-19 on the ACT is not what most people I know regard as good evidence of being “a highly educated high school student used to challenging work.” </p>

<p>This was the common perception even when such kids happened to graduate from highly rigorous high schools and only had problems in the GPA department. A reason why most C/D-level HS classmates’ parents…even the ones with ample means tended to send their kids off to a local commutable state/city schools. </p>

<p>The common mentality was…if one was a C/D student, the onus was on him/her to prove him/herself by excelling at a local state/city school first…and then consider transferring to more expensive public/private colleges if they did meet that standard, felt the need, and can wrangle admission there.</p>

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<p>"Pulling a C/D level grades in high school and/or scoring 15-19 on the ACT is not what most people I know regard as good evidence of being “a highly educated high school student used to challenging work.” </p>

<p>?I didn’t say that it was. If your kid was at a highly rigorous (private) high school and they were pulling that sort of overall GPA, not just in a few classes, they’d get booted for academics.</p>

<p>But people can spend their money how they please. Kids have all sorts of issues and priorities in high school, stress, illness and tragedy sometimes. If they are fortunate, they have at least one caring parent to help guide them through.</p>

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<p>There are a few highly rigorous private high schools I know of which do tolerate C/D level students provided their tuition is paid on time and they have no serious disciplinary problems. </p>

<p>A few childhood friends of my LAC classmates were such students. The ones with the parents i described above sent them to commutable ccolleges/4-year state universities. The overly generous parents tended to send such kids off as full-pay students to expensive private schools known for accepting academically marginal rich kids in the late-80’s and 90’s era.</p>

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<p>People can spend their money how they like, but I don’t see what is the big difference between a low-end 4-year school, especially a commuter one, and a community college. Sure, I guess some low-end 4-year schools have some caring faculty but so do community colleges.</p>

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<p>??!? What forums are you reading? If anything, community colleges are greatly overrated here.</p>

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<p>annasdad- So the “reason” for spending money on sending a low achieving kid to an expensive school, where they will get no better education than at a cheap CC, is because we want to? </p>

<p>As I said - if you got it, flaunt it. </p>

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<li>Forgive me, I’m newer here, and I don’t know how to quote yet.</li>
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<p>I think there are two sides being brought up here that need to be thoroughly addressed. </p>

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<li><p>Annasdad - I see what you are attempting to get at. Some kids are not going to succeed in college, and therefore a community college may be an alternative solution. </p></li>
<li><p>Some say that every child should have the chance to succeed in a traditional university setting, despite high school GPA and ACT scores.</p></li>
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<p>I can see where both sides would be debatable. But as someone who has NEVER been able to be a 4.0 student, I can completely sympathize with the fact that parents want to have hope for their children who have always had lower grades. Now, my grades have never been horrible. I’ve always stayed in the low 3.0, high 2.9 range, with an ACT of 28, but I also have Dyslexia. I also understand we are not comparing statistics from my level. What I can say is that, yes, there are students who I would be catagorized as under-achievers, and below average, but I think that if your child has difficult times in school, but nevertheless, makes the attempt to succeed, descpite a 2.0ish GPA, and a 18 ACT, then they deserve to attend a traditional college, or have the chance to. You have to go off the statistics, but you also have to take a look at the individual. GPA and ACT are not the only things colleges take into consideration. </p>

<p>In annasdad’s defense, community colleges are the best option for some students, but absolutely not all. I live in Louisville, Ky, and I know our community college is probably different than others, but we give students who choose to take their gen-eds at JCC the chance, while partnering with UofL. This is not ONLY for below-average students, but for anyone who wants toi pay half the cash for their mandatory classes for 2 years, and then transfer over to UofL for their major. It’s a fantastic opportunity here.</p>

<p>I will also say this. Yes, college IS a money issue, but it shouldn’t be 100% about the tuition, because there are ways to pay. Where someone attends college should be determined on what suits them best. It shouldn’t be a “Good student v.s. bad student” determination, and I don’t think it is flaunting to send your child to a college if that is what a family decides is best for their child. College is also not 100% about grades, unless you intend on going to a selective school.</p>

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<p>Like this:</p>

<p>[noparse]

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<p>I was pretty much laughing all the way through reading this long thread - more like watching a train wreck and not being able to stop UNTIL I got to this last post by notrichenough - I haven’t posted that much and haven’t tried to quote - GREAT INFO!!!</p>

<p>I was poking around CC looking for anything interesting since D is anxiously playing the 2012 ED and such waiting game.</p>