Thinking back to what my fellow spring admits have done, those who had just traveled on their parents dimes were the least interesting. Most who had been abroad had worked as au pairs, like me. One of my closed friends had worked for a brewery.
I imagine that at some point or other, OPs kid will have to deal with the fact that all the elite private colleges in the US admit at least 50 percent full pay students and what that means. I was surprised to learn that the socio-economic mix at public flagships may not be that different. I imagine that it depends on a school’s culture rather than on starting dates how much that impacts the experience of a middle class kid.
Or the middle class kid could be like me and be totally oblivious, having to be told by others about the tells that someone else came from money. I mean, I could recognise an expensive car but others could explain clothes, handbags, even mannerisms hat totally passed me by. I only noticed that somehow I wasn’t friends with some people, who seemed to flock together for some reason I couldn’t tell.