<p>Ek, it seems that you meant that you didn’t realize you might get additional funding from the school, rather than that you feel getting need-based aid is somehow wrong?</p>
<p>Yes. Re college, I had heard about savings bonds, buying insurance annuities, and later the GET credit program through the state to pay for college.
I assumed that the reason those things were pushed so heavily was to pay for college.
I knew, very, very few people when I was in high school who went to college. Probably about seven. Four went to community college, three including ones who came from wealthy families, attended an instate university- not the flagship.
When I attended community college, if I had heard about financial aid, I didn’t think I would have qualified even though I was living on social security. ( I had been living on my own since I was 17)
I had tried to apply for food stamps, but was turned down, because my mother and grandmother had pitched in to get me a car that they wouldn’t have to worry about.
Apparently for the food stamp people it was too new. ( it was a year old dealer demo)
They told me I could own a car that was worth $400. ( still a beater back then)
My previous car had cost more than that & if my car was worth that little, I couldn’t have afforded to keep it runnng!</p>
<p>No one in my extended family spoke about college costs or how to pay for them. My H’s family doesn’t “believe” in college, and I was the oldest out of my siblings with the oldest grandchild, no cousins. My brother had a degree, but he had joined the service to pay for school & it took him about fifteen years to graduate.</p>
<p>A lot of people still are in the dark about further education. I used to volunteer at my Ds high school and it wasn’t unusual for students in the spring of jr year or fall of senior year to come inthe office and say they were thinking about going to college.
This was without course planning with college in mind and knowing their family didn’t share their interest.
It was exciting that they were seeing themselves as capable of going to college, but frustrating with so many other obstacles.</p>