<p>I only have one child, so clearly I’ll treat him equally, but I think it’s important</p>
<p>I really think my kid will do fine at an instate public. He seems like the kind of kid that would thrive there – bright, well rounded, extroverted enough to do well in a large setting, organized and proactive enough to take care of himself in a setting without a lot of handholding from profs, well rounded enough in his interests he’s sure to find a major he’d like etc . . . I also think it’s reasonable to expect him to keep his grades up for merit aid, develop skills (e.g. lifeguarding) that let him earn more than minimum wage and work a part time job/full time summers. </p>
<p>I have a niece who I love who has significant LDs, and I think would be lost at our instate options. I think that if she’s going to do well in college she’ll need a very small setting, with an office specializing in access for kids with disabilities, attentive professors, and courses spread out over 5 or 6 years during which she probably won’t be able to earn a significant amount of money. </p>
<p>If they were both mine, twins, and my budget wasn’t unlimited, I can imagine having to say to one “I can pay instate, if you want to go elsewhere you’ll need to get merit aid and a job to make up the difference” and to the other “I will pay for private”.</p>
<p>Is that “equal”? I guess not, but the playing field is already unequal. Does it provide equal opportunity to graduate?</p>