4 ms·

You say that people underestimate debt, but it goes the other way too. My experience as a poor child growing up was that I could see no way to afford university

You say that people underestimate debt, but it goes the other way too. My experience as a poor child growing up was that I could see no way to afford university fees, because the numbers looked too big. Loans wouldn't make a difference because I couldn't comprehend the subjective experience of making so much more money later in my career. Thankfully, college fees were abolished in my country (Ireland) in 1996. It enabled me personally to envision going to college where I couldn't before.

pdxandi 9y ago
I had the same experience. I knew I was covering my college tuition and even in 2000, I couldn't understand how I could ever afford out of state tuition and room and board. I had near perfect grades and solid test scores, but the financial obligation scared the hell out of me and I had no idea private schools handed out big scholarships for good students. I ended up staying in town and going to my local state college and had a good experience, but I completely missed out on the prospect of going to a top university where I would meet other ambitious and curious people. I worked part-time to full-time for four years to pay for my tuition, and it was tough. I wish I could've been immersed in college and academia and even college-life, but the cost just felt like a huge barrier when I was 18 years old. TL;DR: I fear poorer people may be more afraid to attend college because of the costs, causing an even greater gap between the haves and have-nots.
- _acme 9y ago
  Many top schools (e.g., Harvard) are essentially free (both in terms of tuition and from loans) for children of families making under roughly $100,000.
godelski 9y ago
Some schools also make promises. I went to a school that said that I couldn't get a scholarship the first semester, but that as long as I had over a 3.0 I could get one the following ones. I always had over a 3.0 and never got one (always given "yeah, you can apply", but then a run around until the deadline was past), even when I had several above 3.5. This happened to every person I know that transferred to the university. Transfer students (who did community college first), paid about the same as those that attended all 4 years.

pdxandi 9y ago

I had the same experience. I knew I was covering my college tuition and even in 2000, I couldn't understand how I could ever afford out of state tuition and room and board. I had near perfect grades and solid test scores, but the financial obligation scared the hell out of me and I had no idea private schools handed out big scholarships for good students. I ended up staying in town and going to my local state college and had a good experience, but I completely missed out on the prospect of going to a top university where I would meet other ambitious and curious people. I worked part-time to full-time for four years to pay for my tuition, and it was tough. I wish I could've been immersed in college and academia and even college-life, but the cost just felt like a huge barrier when I was 18 years old. TL;DR: I fear poorer people may be more afraid to attend college because of the costs, causing an even greater gap between the haves and have-nots.

_acme 9y ago
Many top schools (e.g., Harvard) are essentially free (both in terms of tuition and from loans) for children of families making under roughly $100,000.

godelski 9y ago

Some schools also make promises. I went to a school that said that I couldn't get a scholarship the first semester, but that as long as I had over a 3.0 I could get one the following ones. I always had over a 3.0 and never got one (always given "yeah, you can apply", but then a run around until the deadline was past), even when I had several above 3.5. This happened to every person I know that transferred to the university. Transfer students (who did community college first), paid about the same as those that attended all 4 years.