Get Schooled

By jim d

October 20, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this

GoArmy.com

By Ernest

October 20, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this

Something that qualified juniors and seniors should consider is ‘joint enrollment’ with a local college. This assumes that option is available. My son is leveraging that this year and I am still amazed at the potential cost savings down the road. His tuition is paid for by EXCEL, which is a subset of HOPE. I do have out of pocket expenses for books (few hundred dollars) and transportation to and from school (MARTA card @ $37/month). If he decides to attend a college/university in GA, those credits will transfer. He could potentially go in as a sophomore thus only need 3 years to complete his Bachelors degree. When you consider the potential savings, joint enrollment is a good deal. Again, this works if you live in close proximity to a GA college/university.

By bearcasey

October 20, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this

I began buying U.S. savings bonds in 1991 when my son was 4 months old. I have about $80,000 in his college fund. He has done his part by earning AP credit in high school. All that plus the HOPE should just about do it.

By jim d

October 20, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this

Bear,

Should he decide, as mine did, to go out of state that money would be gone in about 5 semesters, without assistance.

He needs to be shopping for money now. There are plenty of grants and scholarships still out there that would allow him his choice of schools in or out of state without creating a financial burden.

Best of luck!

By how much in 2025?

October 20, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this

My husband and I went to our financial advisor the month before our daughter was born. He estimated that, at the rate the tuitions are increasing, our daughter’s university will cost apporximately 500,000.00. Yep, a half a million for a public university. This includes books, tuition, room and board, but I almost fell out. That’s a lot of money a month into a 529 plan.

By Tony

October 20, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

My child at a public university has higher costs than my child at a private university. It seems that the privates have better financial aid possibilities in many cases than public universities.

By dittohead

October 20, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this

By jim d

October 20, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this

Here’s a bit right off a college website regarding our current financial situation and if it will affect students in the fall of 2008. I don’t have any reason to doubt aid will be continued into 2009 and beyond.

The Credit Crunch and Student Loans Don’t React Before Getting the Facts Despite some troubling reports in the media, students will be able to borrow federal student loans and receive financial aid this fall. The federal government has assured colleges that they will not allow recent developments in the credit markets to prevent students from getting loans. Below is a list of myths and facts about the availability of student aid for Fall 2008.

MYTH: Financial aid will not be available to students this fall because troubles in the real estate lending industry have affected student aid.

FACT: Financial aid will be available to students. The credit crunch caused by troubles in the real estate lending industry has no effect on most financial aid including (but not limited to) Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, and education tax benefits.

MYTH:Students won’t be able to get federal student loans due to the credit crunch.

FACT:Students should have no problem getting federal student loans.

MYTH:Students won’t be able to get private or alternative student loans due to the credit crunch.

FACT:Only a few students (some estimate as few as 5%) will have trouble getting private or alternative education loans.

MYTH:Students with too much money don’t qualify for federal student loans.

FACT:Students can borrow federal student loans no matter how much money they have. Needier students are eligible for additional benefits.

MYTH:Students with bad or no credit can’t borrow student loans.

FACT:Students can borrow federal loans even if they have bad credit or no credit.

MYTH:If school costs more than federal loans provide, students have to borrow private loans.

FACT:Federal, state and local governments offer a wide range of financial aid for students. Private loans should only be used as a last resort.

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any other questions or concerns about financial aid or student loans. We look forward to helping you with the financial aid process for the upcoming school year.

By DB

October 20, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this

What worries me is the economy that forces kids to only consider public schools — as if UGa. isn’t hard enough to get in for the above-average student. Kids that would have gone to Vanderbilt, Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, etc. in a heart-beat are being told by their parents — “No way, kiddo — UGa or nothing!” It certainly shoves UGa into the “most selective” category, and forces the less than A+ student to look elsewhere. sigh.

My child actually pays less at their school now than if they had gone to UGa — the grades and SATs were impressive enough that he was offered grants and waivers that stunned us — heck, they even gave him a computer. He’s well on his way to Phi Beta Kappa, so at least the school doesn’t feel that their investment was in vain. So, to parents who are afraid that out-of-state or private schools are out of the question — DON’T. It only costs a bit to apply, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the waivers, etc. your child may receive. We had spread sheets all worked up comparing Vanderbilt, Wake, Duke, UNC, Stanford and UGa — UGa’s financial package didn’t come close to half of these, because with HOPE, they don’t feel they need to offer anything else.

By jim d

October 20, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this

DB,

How very true. Let me also mention that if one doesn’t jump on the first offer there are often second offers to sweeten the pot for out of state students.

By Old School

October 20, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this

The Academic Commonmarket (sreb.org) allowed our daughter to attent MTSU for far less than what we shelled out for the older one’s in-state private college tuition. For certain majors, out of state tuition is waived. It’s worth looking into if your student is seeking a major that is not offered in Georgia.

By tom

October 20, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this

RE: Joint Enrollment

The credits you (your students) earn are college credits, and they should transfer to any colleges - whether those credits count toward your degree programs depend on the courses and programs.

Although it is true that the HOPE (or a sub-program of the HOPE) will cover the tuition, those credits will be deducted from the total available HOPE credits. The savings will come, mainly, in the form of room and board (3yrs vs 4 yrs) and whatever the difference in the tuition may be between the first and the last year of the colleges.

The joint enrollment program is definitely a much better option than AP courses students take at HS. Whether or not you get credits does not depend on how well you perform on a single test given on a specific day. Rather what you earn is based on your semester’s work. In addition, more than likely, the instructors your students will have are much more knowledgeable of the course content than typical HS teachers.

By TheBlogger

October 20, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this

What should students and families do? The real question is what should they already have done?

Is a student makes great grades in high school, does well on the SAT or ACT, and does what they are supposed to do (stays out of trouble and participates in a few things such as sports and clubs), there is no worry about college cost.

At Duke, a great student can get a full scholarship regardless of how poor their family may be. That would include everything from tuition and books to room and board. Similar programs may be found at most State Universities and Colleges.

As a high school teacher, I see way too many “students” drift through high school. They don’t really care about their grades as long as they can have fun and just pass. Then, when they are seniors, they suddenly become ‘concerned’ about college.

Where are the parents and the parenting?

By fred

October 20, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this

The day my children were born, set up a 529 and dumped all i could spare into it. Now, they are both paid for, the youngest started K this year and the oldest is in 1st. I live in VA and there are plenty of good state schools here from William and Mary, VA Teach and UVA.

By Ernest

October 20, 2008 1:57 PM | Link to this

Tom:

Actually whether the college accepts joint enrollment credits varies from school to school. We spoke to one school that indicated the college credits simply substitute for credits he would have earned in HS thus they would not give credit for them. We always ask and include that answer on the ‘scorecard’ we’ve built on different schools.

Though I questioned the value of it initially, I like what joint enrollment is providing for my son. I have the benefit of him learning the college environment while still a HS student. I definitely will feel more comfortable about his ability to adjust when he does make a decision.

You’ll get different perspectives regarding JE over AP classes. For those interested in getting the highest GPA, JE does not provide the ‘value’ point that AP does. In his case, he plans to take the AP exams for the college courses he is taking IF he decides to go to an out of state school. It is interesting that an ‘A’ in an AP course does more for your GPA than an ‘A’ in a college course…..

By Jeff

October 20, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this

I did Joint Enrollment back in the day, walked across the stage at HS Graduation as an incoming Junior at KSU.

Of course, I also stayed on at KSU rather than transferring out somewhere else after HS.

But then, if you were already a JUNIOR, wouldn’t you?

By Ernest

October 20, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this

Jeff:

Can you comment on ‘cost savings’ to you and your family by going that route? In hindsight, would you do it again? What are some of the pro’s and con’s from your perspective?

By Blue Devil

October 20, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this

Athletic Scholarhship….nuff said. By the way, if your kid is a white male, teach them to play golf. It’s about the last “monied” sport that colleges still recgonize.

By td

October 20, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this

I am so tired of hearing all this dread about not being able to afford college. How about this idea, stay home go to a local college, make good grades, get a summer job and in two years transfer to the college you want to go too. My parents did not have the money to send me to college but they told me they could give me a free place to live. I stayed home and went to KSU and worked part time jobs. When I finished school with my degree, the whole thing was paid for entirely. I think the whole experience made me appreciate my time in school and I think I really learned something besides how to party.

By duh

October 20, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

For the student- live at home get a job don’t buy junk go to a local school.

For the parents: helping is one thing. Coddling a lazy adult is another. think about it. Even letting them live at home is a hack of a money saver if you can’t afford anything else, tho.

I went to an out of state school, and my job paid for the equivalent of instate tuition. Financial aid (loans) made up for the rest. If the student pays for it themselves, they don’t take it for granted.

college isn’t a right. college isn’t for everyone.

By Lee

October 20, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this

Here’s another alternative:

Co-op and internship programs.

They allow you to gain valuable experience while establishing contacts. Bonus - you earn some money on the side. Our department has had very good luck hiring our co-ops and interns for full time positions. I estimate that out of all the former interns and co-ops that apply for full time position after college, we hire over 90% of them.

And isn’t that what it is all about, getting that first job after graduation.

By Lee

October 20, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this

Here’s another alternative:

Co-op and internship programs.

They allow you to gain valuable experience while establishing contacts. Bonus - you earn some money on the side. Our department has had very good luck hiring our co-ops and interns for full time positions. I estimate that out of all the former interns and co-ops that apply for full time position after college, we hire over 90% of them.

And isn’t that what it is all about, getting that first job after graduation.

By Teachers Beware

October 20, 2008 11:26 PM | Link to this

Teachers, they’ve already taken away your right to discipline. They’ve done nothing to address the retaliation that is rampant in the profession. They are in the process of trying to take away your rights as CITIZENS, to particpate in local elections (where you live, vote, and PAY TAXES) and now they are trying to take away your pension as well.

Teachers had better learn to STAND UP for themselves, because obviously, no one else will.

By jim d

October 21, 2008 6:47 AM | Link to this

Teachers Beware,

“Teachers had better learn to STAND UP for themselves, because obviously, no one else will.”

You might as well be talking to a wall. I’ve been singing this tune here for a couple of years. The thing is “no one else should”. When working conditions affect ones employment it is the employee’s that should stand up since they are the only ones that truly understand the issues. Crying on blogs don’t get it done.

By jim d

October 21, 2008 6:51 AM | Link to this

Oh yeah and Teachers Beware,

You are aware, of course, that one of the presidential hopefuls is a large supporters of “pay for performance” for teachers. Right?

Y’all think you got problems now? Just Wait!!

By David

October 21, 2008 7:29 AM | Link to this

AP credits got me into Georgia Tech with one less semester to complete, and HOPE covered my first year of school, until like 2/3 of the in-state students at Tech, lost the HOPE scholarship. Thankfully, Tech isn’t too expensive, especially when you take into consideration the caliber of education that you’re getting, and compare it to the other top schools in the various majors around the country. I’ve gotten various scholarships from the Institute itself, very little parental help (less than $500 a year), I work and I’m going to graduate in May with less than $12k in student loans, of which about $6k has been refunded to me this past year because I apparently didn’t need it. It’s not hard to get the financing to pay for college, the hard part is staying disciplined enough to make it count, taking the right number of classes to get done in a reasonable amount of time and not waste your own, or your parents, time and money.

By Jeff

October 21, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this

Ernest:

As far as ‘cost savings’, I don’t know. I would have been on HOPE either way for college. What it DID allow me to do was to complete the extra coursework for a DUAL degree while still on HOPE, because at the time HOPE did not kick in until AFTER HS Graduation. I am unsure if that is still the case. (Didn’t actually GET the dual degree because of my well known problems with KSU’s College of Ed, but that is a whole ‘nother story!)

Would I do it again/ tell my kid to do it? Most certainly. But I was in a spot of LOATHING my HS and LOVING my college, so I was able and willing to do far more coursework at KSU than most JE kids. HOWEVER, because of the way I did it, I do not have any memories of events that many consider to be important, such as Homecoming, Prom, Senior Trips, etc. If those events are important to you or your kid, my path is not for you.

Pros:

I was able to complete coursework for two degrees as well as take courses in a variety of areas that most typically wouldn’t be able to. (Such as advanced courses in the Literatures and Histories, even though I was a Computer Science/Math Education major.)

I was able to grow emotionally/mentally in a FAR more suitable environment than my HS. I was able to be protected when I needed to be, but also challenged to get out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. To the tune that I came to look at people have a decade or more older than me as my true peers rather than the people my own age.

I didn’t have to go through ANY college admission angst. I had already been at KSU for a year and a half when I graduated college, and because I didn’t leave, I didn’t have to apply anywhere else and worry about being admitted. Even if I HAD gone somewhere else after HS graduation, it would have been as a transfer student and not as an incoming freshman, thereby making it FAR easier to get into most places.

Cons:

I was among the youngest people in many of my classes. Had I been at a school where alcohol/partying was more present, this could have been disastrous. Indeed, I was 16yo on my first day at KSU, and I could have graduated with my Computer Science degree BEFORE my 21st birthday. The only class I had where the majority of people were my age was the one ‘Joint Enrollment Students Only’ class I took - ECON something.

Again, I missed many of the more traditional HS experiences. Good or bad, most people have SOME memory of Homecoming, Prom, etc. Because of the path I chose, I do not have ANY.

There may be other pros/cons that I consider to be simply part of the college experience outside of what age you start, so I haven’t mentioned them.

By jim d

October 21, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this

Jeff,

I mean you no offense here.

Have you ever wondered, if you had gone the more traditional route, if you may have been better prepared for the rigors of teaching in the environments you found yourself?

By Jeff

October 21, 2008 12:02 PM | Link to this

jim:

Honestly, NOTHING can prepare you for teaching in the Hades-holes I taught in.

By jim d

October 21, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

LOL!!