Creative ideas to offset college tuition?

Your daughter’s friend must have not had a good advisor.
Oh, she had an advisor ... but the advisor "advises". The girl KNEW what she needed to take, but she thought a different science sounded more fun, so she signed up for that instead. She was told what to do ... but she didn't listen. She just assumed she could trade one science for another, and it'd all work out. For what it's worth, she still graduated on time ... but she had to take a class at the local community college to make up for that mistake.
One thing about the campus jobs. My son has applied for several and he has never even gotten an interview. He looks pretty good on paper and he’s carrying straight As. I don’t know what the problem is.
Several thoughts:
- Lots of people want those on-campus jobs. You have to sell yourself /make yourself stand out from the crowd. Housing really is the easiest starting place because they hire so many people.
- Tell him to keep his eyes open; jobs pop up in unusual places. For example, my oldest had the highest average in her freshman Chem class, so she was asked to work leading a help-session the next semester.
- Some of the on-campus jobs aren't "open to just anyone" because they're Work Study jobs ... only people who've been identified through FAFSA are qualified for those jobs.
We are fortunate that his major does not require expensive textbooks or supplies. His final semester will be spent off campus at an internship. I’m hoping he is able to find a site that provides free housing. That will help a lot. His very basic dorm room costs about $5600 a year.
Yeah, that last semester is scary. Both of my daughters (and my current college girl's roommate) all did internship-type things in their last semester, and -- thing is -- you don't know until the semester before WHERE they're going to place you. Makes it hard to sign up for an apartment or get a job or whatever. I live near a big university, and when students come around to observe high school classes, I give them this advice: You have 1-2 years before your student teaching semester. Put some money aside because your last semester will be more expensive than you expect, and start now building a professional wardrobe.
 
Oh, she had an advisor ... but the advisor "advises". The girl KNEW what she needed to take, but she thought a different science sounded more fun, so she signed up for that instead. She was told what to do ... but she didn't listen. She just assumed she could trade one science for another, and it'd all work out.
Several thoughts:
- Lots of people want those on-campus jobs. You have to sell yourself /make yourself stand out from the crowd. Housing really is the easiest starting place because they hire so many people.
- Tell him to keep his eyes open; jobs pop up in unusual places. For example, my oldest had the highest average in her freshman Chem class, so she was asked to work leading a help-session the next semester.
- Some of the on-campus jobs aren't "open to just anyone" because they're Work Study jobs ... only people who've been identified through FAFSA are qualified for those jobs.
Yeah, that last semester is scary. Both of my daughters (and my current college girl's roommate) all did internship-type things in their last semester, and -- thing is -- you don't know until the semester before WHERE they're going to place you. Makes it hard to sign up for an apartment or get a job or whatever. I live near a big university, and when students come around to observe high school classes, I give them this advice: You have 1-2 years before your student teaching semester. Put some money aside because your last semester will be more expensive than you expect, and start now building a professional wardrobe.
He has to find his own placement. His major is recreation and park administration. He wants to be a park ranger. He had a field work/internship thing this spring semester. It was at a local nature sanctuary. He was given a list of possible sites and had to make contact himself. They asked for a resume and had him interview before accepting him. It was good experience doing that, but very stressful waiting for acceptance. He did enjoy the experience so that’s a good thing.

This summer he is taking the next field work class which requires twice as many hours. Since he will be at home, he had to come up with his own list of places to contact. He has an interview at a state park next week. Hopefully they will accept him. It sounds like they will based on the email correspondence. That will be an ideal placement to give him the experience he needs.

Next step will hopefully be a national park. And hopefully there will also be some pay involved. Lol
 
Well that isn't true for every single person going to a State school, there are many students who do manage to pay their way through school. They work and live at home and commute while in school.
15 hours a week at minimum wage for a year covers state tuition.

My daughter goes to a cheaper state school with very reasonable tuition compared to other schools, and lives at home. 15 hours a week at minimum wage for 52 weeks (even our state's minimum wage, which is 65% higher than the federal amount), minus taxes, would not cover all of her tuition, fees and books. There would be a shortfall of several thousand dollars.

Remember a child living at home during college would generally be subject to taxes at the parent's rate under the kiddie tax. And there's that whole pesky FICA thing.
 
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It does here, my dd's annual tuition is around $7500.
$15 @ $11.10 an hour each week- $166.50
52 weeks- $8,658.
Ok minus all taxes it isn't exactly but it's close, work 20 hours then.

$7500 - does that include fees, or is it just tuition?

Minus 35% for taxes and FICA. (FICA 7.65% round up to 8% for quick math, Federal taxes 22% - kiddie tax applies, 5% state/local taxes - not all states have this, but this is a reasonable amount for those that do, my state it would be higher)

Plus books and other supplies.

And working all 52 weeks in a year? Really? No breaks at all? No holidays? No vacations? Time off to cram for finals? How about using 50, that at least is more reasonable.

So that is now 11,111 at 20 hours a week - bringing you to about 7215 after taxes. You are short on tuition, we don't know about fees and you haven't paid for books/supplies yet.

So now you have to creep up even more than 20 hours. Possible? Sure. But good luck finding a job where you can get that many hours AND works with your changing class schedule from semester to semester, or getting classes that work with your required work schedule. And working 25 hours a week while carrying a full load starts giving students problems. Many of DDs friends tried it, but ended up quitting because their grades were going in the dumper.

I'm on board with students working to help cover their tuition, but expecting them to cover it all these days is not reasonable, even living at home. And living at home is a non-starter for many. So reality is that parents need to come up with money, or someone needs to get loans. Which brings us back to the OPs original post....
 
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Well that isn't true for every single person going to a State school, there are many students who do manage to pay their way through school. They work and live at home and commute while in school.
15 hours a week at minimum wage for a year covers state tuition.


OP my dd's boyfriend is going to a private art school and same situation, his scholarships do not cover all his costs. After his first semester he applied to be a RA which came with free room (not sure if it also included board). That has helped but he still has loans.

You said that you had enough to cover 2 years of tuition, but what happens after that? Won't he be in the same position then? Are you willing to risk losing that money if he decides he can't afford to go and quits? That would be something that would always be in the back of my mind.
If my child was set on attending a specific school, and it was more than I had a budget for they would be responsible 100% for anything above what I had saved for school. I would not touch my retirement savings at all. I would cosign loans, and even pay them but my child would be responsible for paying me back.
I have 3 kids, we have given them everything they have needed and provided many things they have wanted up until the age of 18. We have saved for them for school, but our need for saving for our later years comes first so there is a finite amount they will get. They need to make their own decisions based on that amount.

This is the best post of this thread so far !! AMEN
 
It is crazy to think about spending money on a degree which may never pay you back. It is also crazy to look into how many very costly private schools are hard to transfer out of as other institutions will not accept credits from them if your child decides that after 2-3 years, the program is not for them and they want to start over somewhere else. It is also mind boggling to see how many kids are going to college and deciding to major in areas which will never pay off for them (assuming they are acquiring debt) unless they pursue graduate degrees. Even then, the jobs are very limited and very competitive. Anymore, I am pushing my kids HARD to get into STEM fields. I hate to be the bearer of reality, but STEM fields will continue to be highly sought after and well paying jobs out of college. As another poster mentioned, you can justify taking on larger debt loads with degrees in the STEM fields. For the others, I'd suggest a tech school or finding the cheapest program which you will be happy in and employable in. Lots of 17-18 years old's have "DREAMS" of doing something until the reality of who is going to pay the bills sets in. Why spend $100K on a degree in which you are going to start at $35K out of college? It will take the graduate years to get above water !


My wife and I have a current Junior and 8th grader in school. We have saved close to $100,000 for them in their individual 529's which we started at birth. Both kids know that outside of these funds, they are 100% responsible for their college expenses and choices. They have known this for a long time. My son is going into a STEM field (engineering) after next year and will have 90% of that covered by the scholarships he has already earned. My daughter is already thinking of what she wants to do in 4 years knowing that outside of a full ride somewhere, she is more than likely going to go to one of our state schools. I will never, ever offset my retirement savings to put more towards college expenses than what my wife and I have already saved.

For the original poster, the precedent they are setting for their 1st of 3 kids is scary. What will you tell the others if they want to do the same thing? How can you justify it for one child and then say no to the others. Good luck, glad I am not in your shoes.
 
It is crazy to think about spending money on a degree which may never pay you back. It is also crazy to look into how many very costly private schools are hard to transfer out of as other institutions will not accept credits from them if your child decides that after 2-3 years, the program is not for them and they want to start over somewhere else. It is also mind boggling to see how many kids are going to college and deciding to major in areas which will never pay off for them (assuming they are acquiring debt) unless they pursue graduate degrees. Even then, the jobs are very limited and very competitive. Anymore, I am pushing my kids HARD to get into STEM fields. I hate to be the bearer of reality, but STEM fields will continue to be highly sought after and well paying jobs out of college. As another poster mentioned, you can justify taking on larger debt loads with degrees in the STEM fields. For the others, I'd suggest a tech school or finding the cheapest program which you will be happy in and employable in. Lots of 17-18 years old's have "DREAMS" of doing something until the reality of who is going to pay the bills sets in. Why spend $100K on a degree in which you are going to start at $35K out of college? It will take the graduate years to get above water !


My wife and I have a current Junior and 8th grader in school. We have saved close to $100,000 for them in their individual 529's which we started at birth. Both kids know that outside of these funds, they are 100% responsible for their college expenses and choices. They have known this for a long time. My son is going into a STEM field (engineering) after next year and will have 90% of that covered by the scholarships he has already earned. My daughter is already thinking of what she wants to do in 4 years knowing that outside of a full ride somewhere, she is more than likely going to go to one of our state schools. I will never, ever offset my retirement savings to put more towards college expenses than what my wife and I have already saved.

For the original poster, the precedent they are setting for their 1st of 3 kids is scary. What will you tell the others if they want to do the same thing? How can you justify it for one child and then say no to the others. Good luck, glad I am not in your shoes.

This is all well and good...unless you don't have a STEM kid! And there's no predicting--DH and I are both engineers, we have 1 out of 4 who will likely follow that path (or at least go the STEM route, he's 13, so it's in flux). I have a DD15 who would be great at STEM--acing her math classes, 100 average in chemistry--she's just NOT INTERESTED. She wants to be a lawyer. My geeky little heart keeps hoping she'll change her mind, and I keep telling her that a lawyer who can understand science is very valuable. But--you're just not going to get her to major in chem. Eng. or anything similar. Now, I wish you and your kids the best, and I do hope it works out--STEM fields can be very lucrative, for sure. But, you have no guarantee that your kids will actually go that route.

As to the OP--it's a tricky one, because the arts, generally, don't have a reputation for paying well. This would be true for a musician or theater arts major, too. I understand the thinking of "go to the best school you can, better likelihood of finding a job", but there's also the 2 younger children who deserve at least what the OP gives the oldest. I don't think there's one all-encompassing answer for the college question.
 


$7500 - does that include fees, or is it just tuition?

Minus 35% for taxes and FICA. (FICA 7.65% round up to 8% for quick math, Federal taxes 22% - kiddie tax applies, 5% state/local taxes - not all states have this, but this is a reasonable amount for those that do, my state it would be higher)

Plus books and other supplies.

And working all 52 weeks in a year? Really? No breaks at all? No holidays? No vacations? Time off to cram for finals? How about using 50, that at least is more reasonable.

So that is now 11,111 at 20 hours a week - bringing you to about 7215 after taxes. You are short on tuition, we don't know about fees and you haven't paid for books/supplies yet.

So now you have to creep up even more than 20 hours. Possible? Sure. But good luck finding a job where you can get that many hours AND works with your changing class schedule from semester to semester, or getting classes that work with your required work schedule. And working 25 hours a week while carrying a full load starts giving students problems. Many of DDs friends tried it, but ended up quitting because their grades were going in the dumper.

I'm on board with students working to help cover their tuition, but expecting them to cover it all these days is not reasonable, even living at home. And living at home is a non-starter for many. So reality is that parents need to come up with money, or someone needs to get loans. Which brings us back to the OPs original post....
Well, let's consider a hypothetical kid who has no help from home, doesn't qualify for any financial aid, and doesn't have the grades for any scholarships ... but who is a good long-term planner and is determined to pay for college without going into debt.

I'm using the actual costs from the community college from which my youngest graduated, the university which she currently attends, and her actual job.

He starts at a community college and lives at home for two years. In my area the community college would cost about $1200/semester. He works full time at $8.00/hour (this is what my daughter actually brings home from her retail job -- she actually makes something like $8.75, but I'm figuring $8.00 to account for taxes) for 12 weeks of summer, which nets him $3840 each summer. This is enough to cover community college + books + transportation.

He's smart enough to recognize that he's going to need more money after community college, so during those two years, he works part-time during the school year ... let's say 20 hours/week X $8.00/hour X 15 weeks. This nets him $2,400/semester. He earned enough during the summer to frugally cover his community college needs, so he banks the majority of this towards his university years.

Review:
Summer after high school, he earns $3840 ... spends it on freshman year
During freshman year, he earns $4800 ... saves it
Summer after freshman year, he earns $3840 ... spends it on sophomore year
During sophomore year, he earns $4800 ... saves it
Summer after finishing AA /AS degree, he earns $3840 ... he should have about $13,440 available for university

Having done the math, he realizes this isn't enough.
So he joins the Army reserves, which pays him $3,431 his first year (freshman year in community college) and $3,856 his second year (sophomore year in community college). He banks it, bringing his total to $17,727.

Then he begins university. Tuition is $2,120 ... but fees, including book rental fee, bring it up to $3,692.
A dorm room is $2,305 and a meal plan is $1,357. Add that together and multiple it by two semesters, and junior year is going to cost $14,708. He's able to pay for junior year -- with a scanty $3,019 left over.

He works part-time during junior year and earns the same $4,800 he earned earlier ... bringing his savings up to $7,819.
He works the summer after junior year, earning $3,840 and bringing his coffers up to $11,659.
He continues in the reserves, which earns him $3,856 again, bringing him up to $15,515.
Enough to pay for senior year.

He continues to work part-time during senior year, earning the same $4800.
He continues in the reserves, which earns him again $3,856.
He graduates with $9,463 in the bank ... and no debt.

Of course, this assumes the student has tremendous laser-focus on his goal, and it assumes he has some positives:

- He is healthy, able to work, and nothing /no one else has any claim on his earnings.
- He chooses community college and an affordable university (again, I used my youngest daughter's actual numbers, and she is about to finish her junior year in college).
- He is able to live with his parents during the community college years.
- He has a paid-for car from his high school years, and it lasts through his college years.
- And the toughest of all: He is extremely savings-focused and doesn't spend on clothing, meals out, etc. often at all.

On the other hand, it also assumes some negatives:

- He had literally no financial help from any side. Most parents or grandparents are going to slip a kid a $20 or a tank of gas now and then.
- He didn't work during school breaks; the above assumes he works only 42 weeks (12 weeks of summer + two 15-week semesters) out of the year ... if he also works those other 10 weeks /Christmas break, for example, he has a lot more wiggle-room in the budget.
- He only worked 20 hours a week during semesters; I personally worked a whole lot more. Why? Because I had to do so.
- He never once received a raise.
- He never earned a penny of interest from his savings.

Easy? Not even remotely. Possible? Yes, with good long-term planning and consistent good choices.
It is crazy to think about spending money on a degree which may never pay you back ... Why spend $100K on a degree in which you are going to start at $35K out of college? It will take the graduate years to get above water ! ... For the original poster, the precedent they are setting for their 1st of 3 kids is scary. What will you tell the others if they want to do the same thing? How can you justify it for one child and then say no to the others ...
I agree with each of these comments.
This is all well and good...unless you don't have a STEM kid! And there's no predicting.
Agree. Kids are who they are, and they aren't all going into engineering.
 
Agree. Kids are who they are, and they aren't all going into engineering



I agree, my son compared to my daughter is night and day, but STEM fields are not all engineering. My daughter is looking into the health profession, which again is a career path which is highly desirable and very different from the STEM field my son is going in to. Those who are spending $100K for a history degree, journalism degree, sociology degree, arts degree, etc are the ones I just shake my head at. I am on the faculty of a state University and I don't get it at all.
 
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Has he applied for any other scholarships? Local scholarship? My DS is a senior this year and has applied for everything he can get his hands on. Every $500 or $1000 helps.
 
what if he went to the full ride school and finished up at the other? credits transfer and he can work a part time job

As the parent of a student who graduated from an art college, this likely will not work.

Fine Arts degrees are not the same as liberal arts - of the 120 credits my daughter needed for her degree over 90 were specifically art-related; only 30 were considered 'general education'. The usual 60 credits obtained after two years at another school would transfer, but it is entirely possible that at least half would not count towards the final degree.

In addition, when it comes to obtaining an art degree, many schools require a foundation year of courses that MUST be taken at the school where the degree is sought. Taking art classes someplace else and expecting them to transfer is not wise as they often will not count towards the final degree.

To those who feel the student can work and pay their tuition - I agree, that is possible. But it won't get them a degree in 4-5 years at most schools. My daughter's best friend has been working her way through school, starting at community college and transferring after her associates' degree to a four-year state school. She has been in school for ten years and will finally graduate this May.
 
Our son was faced with a similar situation a few years ago. He was offered a full ride to a local state university, a scholarship ($17k/yr) that would have paid about half to a local private university, and $5500 to a popular out-of-state university. He was also accepted by three other out-of-state schools (tops for his chosen degree) that offered no money. As his parent, I wanted to let him make the decision as I felt it was his choice. I didn’t want to hold him back in any way. His first choice was the local private, even tho it would have put him in debt.

One of our son’s teachers who he greatly respected advised he couldn’t walk away from a full ride. He chose that school in the end. After two semesters, he changed his major. With AP and dual credit classes, he finished with two bachelors and no debt.

Today, he’s a semester away from finishing his masters. By working as a grad assistant, he’s avoided debt again. He’ll be 25 with a masters, no debt, and thousands in the bank. He’s worked multiple internships and summer gigs to gain experience in his field. The planets are aligning for a full time job with the state in the next couple of months.

I’ve asked over the years if he felt that he made the right college choice. He is 100% convinced that he did. He is so relieved today that he doesn’t have massive debt hanging over his head like so many of his friends.

I don’t envy your position. I agree with others that the full ride might be the best option to start and then transfer later or consider the art school as grad work. As the advice goes, it’s hard to walk away from a full ride, especially today. Good luck!
 
Our son was faced with a similar situation a few years ago. He was offered a full ride to a local state university, a scholarship ($17k/yr) that would have paid about half to a local private university, and $5500 to a popular out-of-state university. He was also accepted by three other out-of-state schools (tops for his chosen degree) that offered no money. As his parent, I wanted to let him make the decision as I felt it was his choice. I didn’t want to hold him back in any way. His first choice was the local private, even tho it would have put him in debt.

One of our son’s teachers who he greatly respected advised he couldn’t walk away from a full ride. He chose that school in the end. After two semesters, he changed his major. With AP and dual credit classes, he finished with two bachelors and no debt.

Today, he’s a semester away from finishing his masters. By working as a grad assistant, he’s avoided debt again. He’ll be 25 with a masters, no debt, and thousands in the bank. He’s worked multiple internships and summer gigs to gain experience in his field. The planets are aligning for a full time job with the state in the next couple of months.

I’ve asked over the years if he felt that he made the right college choice. He is 100% convinced that he did. He is so relieved today that he doesn’t have massive debt hanging over his head like so many of his friends.

I don’t envy your position. I agree with others that the full ride might be the best option to start and then transfer later or consider the art school as grad work. As the advice goes, it’s hard to walk away from a full ride, especially today. Good luck!

This was essentially the path my kids took -- the lesser-ranked school with more aid over the higher-ranked school with less aid. So far it has worked out well -- the jury is still out on the last two, but the first two are in grad schools that are top in their fields with substantial aid. While I did worry that the colleges they chose might hinder them in terms of grad school opportunities, that has turned out not to be the case. In fact, I think going to the lesser-ranked schools actually helped them, because they stood out a bit and got attention and support from their professors, which was critical in terms of things like letters of recommendation and winning department awards.

ETA: Not saying this path will necessarily work for art schools; I don't know how a BA from a non-arts school plus an MA would compare to an undergrad degree from an arts school.
 
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This was essentially the path my kids took -- the lesser-ranked school with more aid over the higher-ranked school with less aid. So far it has worked out well -- the jury is still out on the last two, but the first two are in grad schools that are top in their fields with substantial aid. While I did worry that the colleges they chose might hinder them in terms of grad school opportunities, that has turned out not to be the case. In fact, I think going to the lesser-ranked schools actually helped them, because they stood out a bit and got attention and support from their professors, which was critical in terms of things like letters of recommendation and winning department awards.

ETA: Not saying this path will necessarily work for art schools; I don't know how a BA from a non-arts school plus an MA would compare to an undergrad degree from an arts school.

It's not necessarily a lesser school but often a smaller or less expensive school. I got two bachelors at two different cal state schools. The only class in 6 years that was that was taught by a grad student was thr lab for my botany class, the rest were professors or people that worked in the industry. My hospitality law class had a practicing lawyer, my sports media class was the PR guy from the 49ers. Most of my classes were under 50 students and really most were 30 or less. My schools has the same accrededation as the bigger schools, ucla or harvard etc, but I feel like I got a better education due to the teachers I had and the access to them. They'd know who you were and some I'd have for more than one class. I don't feel that my pieces of paper saying I graduated are worth less than the other schools.

I do agree that a lot of the ideaa here aren't feasible for her son going to art school. That piece of paper for him saying he got a degree in illustration from the school in savannah (I think that's where he's going) is worth ao much more in his industry than a degree from LSU is. I also don't believe he'd need a masters to do well so while he might save in the long run he'd be getting less education in illustration by only doing a masters and would be in school longer than necessary.
 
Go work for the college/university where your son wants to go. I've heard some give discounted or free tuition to their employees' dependents

Usually there are criteria you must meet before qualifying for this benefit. The schools I have experience with (private, liberal arts) have required 7 years at full-time status.

So, this likely would not help the OP, but it is definitely something to think about when choosing a job (especially if you have more than one child that you expect will likely be attending college). Some schools will pay whatever the cost of their tuition for ANY school your child chooses to attend. The school I went to and worked at pays half of their tuition cost for any school. Their current tuition cost is $57,695 (that does NOT include room and board) so a student could likely attend a cheaper school for free especially if they received any merit scholarships.
 
My daughter is looking into the health profession
Random thoughts:
- Any student who is considering any career in health care MUST take the "this is nursing" classes (names vary widely, but our school offers 4 classes, the senior year being largely a hands-on experience) in high school, even if nursing isn't the student's goal. These classes introduce students to a world of vocabulary and terms that'll be useful in any branch of medicine, and they help students realize the spectrum of options available in the health care field. My daughter, who DID become a nurse, says that almost everyone in her university nursing class had taken these classes in high school, and the few who hadn't ... kind of "ran behind" the group and had trouble keeping up.
- In addition to the above-referenced classes helping my daughter in her classes, she finished high school having already earned a CNA-1 license. This allowed her to get a job in her university health center, which provided her with some (low level) professional experience.
- She says that the best jobs in health care today are PA (Physician's Assistant) or RN + specialty masters. She says becoming a doctor takes too many years, then the work load is horrible. She says these other two options are attainable with six years of college, and they allow for a better work-life balance. She herself is only two years out of college, and she's trying to pick a specialty; she doesn't want to jump into a program 'til she's sure.
Those who are spending $100K for a history degree, journalism degree, sociology degree, arts degree, etc are the ones I just shake my head at. I am on the faculty of a state University and I don't get it at all.
True. Isn't Journalism often ranked as the least useful degree these days?
My daughter's best friend has been working her way through school, starting at community college and transferring after her associates' degree to a four-year state school. She has been in school for ten years and will finally graduate this May.
Respectfully, I suspect your daughter's friend isn't a particularly good student -- or isn't a particularly good long-term planner.
... Most of my classes were under 50 students and really most were 30 or less. My schools has the same accrededation as the bigger schools, ucla or harvard etc, but I feel like I got a better education due to the teachers I had and the access to them ...
I chose a big university, and I was never intimidated by classes of 200+ students, and I never understood the magic of small classes. I knew my professors. Why? Because I made an effort to do so. I always-always sat on the second row (couldn't quite do first row), I asked questions, and I spoke to them before /after class. When I ran into them between classes, they always knew my name. Was that true of EVERY student? Probably no, but -- as I said -- I made an effort.

Large schools can offer a greater range of classes, more resources in the library and beyond, more opportunities across the board. Larger schools tend to be less expensive, and they often have greater name recognition. When my students say, "I don't know what I want to study", I often recommend that they choose a large university because it means they can change majors without changing schools.
I do agree that a lot of the ideaa here aren't feasible for her son going to art school. That piece of paper for him saying he got a degree in illustration from the school in savannah (I think that's where he's going) is worth ao much more in his industry than a degree from LSU is. I also don't believe he'd need a masters to do well so while he might save in the long run he'd be getting less education in illustration by only doing a masters and would be in school longer than necessary.
Savannah? SCAD? Proceed with caution. SCAD is one of the colleges with the worst ROI. I know this because the girl who ended up being my daugther's college roomie had originally considered it, but her parents said NO, it wasn't a reasonable spend.

A quick google search tells me: #2 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Georgia’s private design school graduates 66% of its students. A similar amount get financial aid. Graduates can expect a 30 year ROI of negative $242,000.

Notice that said NEGATIVE $242,000. Which means over the course of 30 years, the average SCAD grad has $242,000 LESS than he would've had if he had never attended college. I know several students who've attended, and I know that the place is rife with financial issues. Of the students I know personally who've graduated from SCAD, one is working as an event planner (her degree is graphic design, which is often described as I-want-to-work-in-art-but-I-also-want-to-eat), one is working behind the scenes with an HGTV-type show in Canada (she studied furniture design), and one is still unemployed two years after graduation (her degree is animation).
 
It's not necessarily a lesser school but often a smaller or less expensive school. I got two bachelors at two different cal state schools. The only class in 6 years that was that was taught by a grad student was thr lab for my botany class, the rest were professors or people that worked in the industry. My hospitality law class had a practicing lawyer, my sports media class was the PR guy from the 49ers. Most of my classes were under 50 students and really most were 30 or less. My schools has the same accrededation as the bigger schools, ucla or harvard etc, but I feel like I got a better education due to the teachers I had and the access to them. They'd know who you were and some I'd have for more than one class. I don't feel that my pieces of paper saying I graduated are worth less than the other schools.

I agree -- that's why I was careful to say "lesser-ranked" schools. My kids are all pretty competitive, and it was hard to turn down the well-known, high-prestige school for the school few people had heard of. I think in the end it was not harmful to them, and in some ways it was beneficial--and I don't think any of my kids regrets their decision--but that's in hindsight.
 
I chose a big university, and I was never intimidated by classes of 200+ students, and I never understood the magic of small classes. I knew my professors. Why? Because I made an effort to do so. I always-always sat on the second row (couldn't quite do first row), I asked questions, and I spoke to them before /after class. When I ran into them between classes, they always knew my name. Was that true of EVERY student? Probably no, but -- as I said -- I made an effort.

Large schools can offer a greater range of classes, more resources in the library and beyond, more opportunities across the board. Larger schools tend to be less expensive, and they often have greater name recognition. When my students say, "I don't know what I want to study", I often recommend that they choose a large university because it means they can change majors without changing schools.

I'm not talking about smaller schools, both of the California State University system schools I went to had around 30k students compared to other big schools like UCLA and USC that are close to or over 40k my schools didn't offer anything lesser they just aren't as known. And that was my point as @AmyAnne mentioned lesser schools but as she clarified it was more that her kids didn't go to the huge named school that everyone would know but still went to a good college.

And a lot of students aren't like you, they won't go up and talk with a professor or be comfortable in a 200+ person lecture, which is why a slightly smaller school that's less money could be a better fit for them. I still lived in the dorms and was in a sorority but it was a different experience where I went than it would be at a bigger school where more people lived on campus etc. For most degree's it's really just the fact that you have the degree, especially for a bachelors now. When you start getting into grad school and beyond is when the school matters more for the program you are doing, especially for things like medicine and law but that still doesn't mean that all schools of various sizes even for those programs aren't accredited the same.
 
We were in a situation where my DD got accepted to “THE Best” school and she just HAD to go. Like you OP I was willing to do whatever it took to get her there. I was desperate to do it, even to the detriment of my future financial security and that of two more kids coming up. It certainly would look good on paper, open doors and get her jobs, the whole spiel. Thankfully I had people in my life who talked me down and in turn I was able to talk her down. I told her how much I could pay in addition to the scholarships she’d received and that the rest would be on her. She was an adult (well almost, 17 at the time) and it was time to make adult decisions. Her choices were to stay here and graduate debt free or go to the dream school and come out with the equivalent of a small mortgage in debt. She chose to stay here and has been able to build her career as she goes. I’ve asked her if she regrets it and she doesn’t. The friends she has who went to that school got their degrees sooner but they’re also not working in their field and have mounds of debt. That school ended up working against them. The jobs promised? *crickets*

I realize my DD’s story is a use case scenario, her chosen profession is the heartbeat of this city. Staying here and starting from the bottom is what has opened doors. I realize that may not be probable for your son but take those “opening doors and job promises” with a grain of salt. As mentioned above this will likely leave him financially upside down for a very long time. You have to realistically weigh those job promises against the financial burden and the impact it will have on not just him but you/your DH and his siblings. If it were me I would encourage taking the full ride.
 

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