How often do parental restrictions lead to having only too-expensive choices?
For example, in this thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1867718-automatic-full-ride-w-my-stats.html
some of the parental restrictions are:
- No in-state publics (OP of the thread is a California resident, based on other threads by the OP).
- Racial composition of students (OP of the thread was interested in an automatic full ride at a HB school, but parents vetoed it).
So the OP of the thread is facing $100,000 in debt.
Can’t answer your question of how often OP, but this kind of situation breaks my heart. The whole admision/affording college is stressful enough without these types of complications.
“How often do parental restrictions lead to having only too-expensive choices?”
- This is an upside down question for the most kids where we live. Most parents here are aiming at some kind of Merit awards and for the most it is a #1 criteria. I myself compiled the list of colleges for my kid for my own fun and entertainment, including only UG that would offer her substantial Merit awards. D. decided to use my list, although she did not have to do that. She ended up attending her college on full tuition Merit scholarship. None of her choices were too expensive, all school offered her some Merit awards and she turned down those that offered too little money. Her college application cycle and later Medical school application cycle were not stressful for either of us, actually we enjoyed the process a lot, great memories for the rest of our lives! I believe that most people bring the stress on themselves while it could be avoided easily. There is a place for each student that would be very happy to have this specific student. Why to knock hard into locked door when you can happily march thru the wide open one?
You’d think the number one parental requirement is affordability because the student can only take on the $27,000 in debt. The rest is on the parents, right? I know parents don’t always do it that way though.
I have seen plenty of threads where parental restrictions- mostly having to do with prestige- result in only unaffordable options. And a few where URM parents located in the North and Northeast rule out affordable schools in the South due to perceived racial problems they do not want their students exposed to. This is all from CC.
From personal experience, I don’t really know because I don’t know what is affordable or not for people I know. And kids here rarely discuss with one another where they are applying and why.
@ucbalumnus, The student you mentioned in the OP said in previous threads that s/he is the one who wants to go OOS. The mom thinks there’s lots of free money to be had at the UCs, so it doesn’t sound like the parents object to in state options.
They might object to the CA in-state options if they believe OP should go to them for free,
The racial requirement - combined with expecting OP to take out large loans - makes me think that OP’s parents are not all that rational about this process.