Merit vs. Need-blind marketing

frazzled1
Sun, 17 Apr 2005 09:21:25 +0000

A lot of parents have acheived some of [if not far beyond] what some people believe they are earining with an elite degree. Perhaps they don’t think its worth it to them…which is their perogative. Meeting full need is a question of values.



Well, maybe it is a question of values, but in our case it feels more like a question of financial necessity. Do we “value” our d’s education more than our, um, lifestyle? Yes, but not more than her sisters’ educations or our responsibility to provide for our own retirement. Knowing these kids as I do, they’d trade a shot at Harvard in a heartbeat for the guarantee that mom or dad won’t have to move in with them or depend on them to cover the costs of their senior housing in 25 years or so :).

In terms of value, is the education at Harvard or Williams really so far superior to top merit-aid based schools? Probably yes, if you’ve got the money. If your financial situation is such that you can borrow, get all your kids through school, and still retire with some security, the answer again is probably yes. I’m one parent who is grateful that my kids have had the opportunity to be “bought” by the kinds of school we otherwise just could not afford.