CSS Profile...Expensive!!!

FastLane
Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:58:02 +0000

If you look back at the OP it was a student who was complaining about how expensive the CSS Profile is, especially when you are applying to several schools. That’s all. And many students feel the same way he/she does.

All of the sudden it turns in to a discussion about how irresponsible and ignorant kids are because they apply to too many schools, that we shouldn’t complain about paying $18 (it is actually $23/school) in light of the aid we are looking to receive, and that we should apply to different colleges if we don’t want to pay the fees.

Well no one said they didn’t want to pay the fees, just that they are too high.

I don’t consider myself irresponsible at all. I have worked PT my 4 yrs of HS and FT every summer. I see how hard my parents have to work for their money. I was taught to be responsible with money, to save and to plan. The fact that I am questioning charges that I believe are too expensive for the purpose they serve, means I AM looking out for my money and my parent’s money. I don’t see how this is irresponsible to look out for my own interests. I’m expressing my opinion.

I applied to as many schools as I did, because I had a need to. I applied to the schools I believe will be the best for me and my future. I’m offended by someone telling me that because I applied to more schools than THEY believe is good, or was good for THEIR kid, it makes me ignorant. It does not. All people are different; they have different needs and different situations. Six schools might be the “norm” but it doesn’t mean that everyone will fit in to that category.

I’m also aware that there are thousands of colleges and universities in the US. However, there are only a few that fit MY NEEDS for location, finances and future goals – something no one here knows about. So is it fair for anyone to tell me I should change my schools instead of complaining about the fees? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what is being implied: shut up kid, take it or leave it.

Well it may be easy for some of you to say. From your posts on other threads its obvious that your kids are lucky enough to know exactly where they want to go, that many of them have been accepted or attend top schools, they have done their research thoroughly and that they have parents who are very knowledgeable and concerned about the college process, and many who are college grads. I’m not putting that down, it’s something that you and your kids can be very proud of.

Unfortunately, there are some of us that don’t know exactly where we will fit in yet (according to one poster then we aren’t even ready for college if we don’t know). Some of us have parents that are not knowledgeable about the college process, some of us have parents that are not interested in getting involved, some of us have parents that did not go to college, some of us have parents that are foreigners and can’t help us even if they wanted to. There could be 100 different scenarios.

When you tell us things like “then apply to schools that don’t require the profile”, “then don’t apply to so many schools”, and “colleges aren’t interested in students that don’t know where they fit in”, “community college is always an option”: don’t you see that you are not helping, you’re only squashing our dreams? I don’t think its necessary to bash us simply because we said we thought the fees are too high. The app process is over for many of us; the profiles have already been submitted. We’re talking in retrospect, not much we can change at this point.