I know, the title isn't a countdown number. I assure you, as I catch up on some thoughts since 2185 occured to me, I will standardize on the posts. There may be the occasional topic that needs a non-numeric title, but I'll try to stay true to the countdown.
Yes, I know college tuition is imposing for many families. It was for us, too. But start early, fund it continuously, and you'll be in better shape than if you simply hope for scholarships. We instilled an incentive in our children that said, "Apply for, earn, and use a scholarship and receive a 10% commission from Mom and me. Think about the value of tuition these days and 10% becomes excellent spending scratch. This provided a bit of an incentive that isn't normally there when writing essays, filling out applications and running all the trap lines for scholarships.
Believe me, I would rather pay 10 cents on the dollar to my child than to pay 100 cents on the dollar to a school for tuition. Scholarships didn't carry the entire burden, but the 10% commission helped significantly.
Why do I tell you that story? It occured to my wife an me recently that we just achieved full funding for our second child's tuition. Our first one threw us a bone and got done in three years. Yes, it took a study abroad one summer and some high school credits that qualified, and some internships and some additional summer classes. But that was our son's decision and we happily supported it.
Now, we have just two years left to get our daughter graduated. Within about $2.98, we are virtually fully funded for the next two years. It has provided us with a new perspective: the hardest part is done. Now, what do we do next? What would you do?
Yes, I know college tuition is imposing for many families. It was for us, too. But start early, fund it continuously, and you'll be in better shape than if you simply hope for scholarships. We instilled an incentive in our children that said, "Apply for, earn, and use a scholarship and receive a 10% commission from Mom and me. Think about the value of tuition these days and 10% becomes excellent spending scratch. This provided a bit of an incentive that isn't normally there when writing essays, filling out applications and running all the trap lines for scholarships.
Believe me, I would rather pay 10 cents on the dollar to my child than to pay 100 cents on the dollar to a school for tuition. Scholarships didn't carry the entire burden, but the 10% commission helped significantly.
Why do I tell you that story? It occured to my wife an me recently that we just achieved full funding for our second child's tuition. Our first one threw us a bone and got done in three years. Yes, it took a study abroad one summer and some high school credits that qualified, and some internships and some additional summer classes. But that was our son's decision and we happily supported it.
Now, we have just two years left to get our daughter graduated. Within about $2.98, we are virtually fully funded for the next two years. It has provided us with a new perspective: the hardest part is done. Now, what do we do next? What would you do?
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