New York May Offer Free Tuition Soon

[dfrecore]

RE: "Don't most 4-year colleges offer business, psychology, and education? Those are the most popular majors in the country."

*** Yes, that was my point, and that is what I said. 
My point being that it might work out fine when you are going to college for a more common degree (psych, business, education)... but if you are going for a more specialized degree that isn't offered by that many colleges, then you are sort of stuck at the mercy of having to go wherever the degree is offered; 
and if it's not local, you're going to have to spend much more than if you could have stayed living at home with your family.
Plus, I personally know that middle class students are taking out that much because my family and friends children are spending that much paying back student loans for attending state schools!!!
So while it might be true statistically that the average may not be that high for a majority of all students,  but there are many that are carrying a significant student loan debt, and many of their families are carrying parental loan debts!!!

I still maintain that if you work at least part-time 20-30 hours a week, and work a TON over breaks and summer, you can pay for a LOT of this.  If you took a year off before going to school and worked 2-3 jobs and socked away every dime, you might be able to get enough of a head start to take out zero to a very small student loan.  Instead, kids think that they couldn't POSSIBLY work through college, and that they "deserve" their breaks to relax instead of work.  Sorry, welcome to the real world, which for most of us means work.

I also question the judgement of any parent that takes out parent plus loans or home equity lines to help their kids go to school.  That's insanity.  My kids will go where we can afford, or find a way to pay for it themselves, because I will not mortgage my future to have them go to college.  Unless they want to be supporting me in my old age because I went into tremendous debt to help them go to school.  Hope you get a big house kids, because Mama is moving in!

Instead, we started planning long ago (not with money) but with expectations for them and for us.  No, debt isn't an option.  With that in mind, where are you wanting to go and what degree do you want to get, and how do we do it without debt?  If that's your plan from the start, you have a much better chance than someone who is suddenly surprised by the fact that their 18yo senior in HS wants to go to college.  I'm pretty sure you knew college was coming...like a while ago.

If you take debt off the table, you'll be surprised with what you come up with for options.  And there are plenty.  2 years at a CC first while living at home?  A gap year, where you work and save?  A less expensive degree closer to home, and then working for a few years to earn enough to pay for your dream degree?  Applying for multiple scholarships?  Getting a job at the school so that tuition is discounted?

So many ways to look at this, without debt as an option.  It opens your eyes to the many other possibilities out there.