We've been touring college campuses up and down the East Coast since
Saturday. While the campuses have begun to blur together in my mind,
there is one thing that stood out: every college touted how important
it was to make an investment in your child's education, and went to
great lengths to tell us just how easy it is to get student loans. They
brushed off annual tuitions of $40,000 (at state run, public
universities) as trivial in comparison to the gains they would have
through life, beginning as soon as they graduate. I'm not sure what
most kids earn starting fresh out of college, but I'm pretty sure it's
not enough to pay that debt off in a timely manner and start their lives
out on the right foot.
I paid my own way through college. No debt when I graduated. Yes, I had
to work while I took classes, but I have forever been able to say that I
paid for my own education. I went in state, and I went to a nationally
recognized school. My husband also worked his way through college in the
co-op program - a decision that earned him a higher starting salary
upon graduation.
So, we've been looking at schools with an eye on tuition and expenses.
We want our kids to have an excellent education, but we don't want them
saddled with debt, either. Graduating with $160,000 or more in debt is
out of the question.
We've found absolute gems. Hidden within the maze of public
universities, we are finding amazing campuses with fantastic programs at
reasonable prices. (We found one today for $15,000 annually.). We've
found great scholarship programs at some of these schools, and we've
found amazing business partnerships. It's been an eye opening
experience.
The true investment for our kids is going to be the investment in time,
the time to make certain that they find an excellent, affordable
education so that they can begin their journey into adulthood debt free.
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