<p>Simple question but I think a tough answer. Would you have great grades that will get you in to top schools but with absolutely no money at all. You would receive merit aid but not enough to pay for everything. Or would you have buckets of money with average to below average grades that will only get you into a mediocre school but come out of college debt free with not a worry in the world. Let me know what you guys think!</p>
<p>The question is a very selfish one. Students rarely have money, especially not enough to pay for college. So you are asking about the family. College does not occur in a vacuum. Your family is very much part of this journey. So if they do not have any money at all, they will be living a very tough life. So to me, the question has an obvious answer. </p>
<p>Any family/ student that has enough money to pay for college can get rid of all of that money and all of the assets and either use it to pay for the college thereby putting themselves on equal ground as those families who don’t have the money, or rid themselves of the money before hand and let their kids take the chance of getting into a college that will give their student the money to go to college while they pound salt. </p>
<p>The niche that gets a lot of attention is when a kid has a family with money that could, by fin aid formula, pay for college but they won’t or can’t due to issues not taken into account by fin aid. That kid will get zero financial aid even if s/he get accepted by the most generous schools. Compare to his classmate who has a low income family so that s/he qualifies for danged close to full need and gets it so the parent’s feelings and use of money does not come into the picture. This is where the unfairness lies. But it is a small niche compared to the other inequities in life and paying for college. We see it a lot on this board because of the interest in elite schols.</p>