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Did you pay for your own education?

For my undergrad, in part: I paid back the government loans I took out myself.

For my prerequisitites to medical school, yes. Living on $800 a month for everything, including tuition to 3 classes a semester and rent, is something that'll learn ya really fast how to be thrifty.

For med school, hell no. Who does that?
 
Undergrad: partial scholarship + familial 'dole'.
Grad: loans + teaching + research fellowships from the state of california.

It's very much unfair, but I probably would have done a great deal worse if my parents didn't provide for me during undergrad. I'm going to try to repay the 'karmic debt' if I ever get out of school. ;)

ebola
 
my parents pay for almost all of my expenses.

school, car, rent, dues, most of my food

i have to pay for gas, and most of my alcohol


i dont see what the big deal is. my mother is a teacher, never made too much money. my fathers job enabled him to be in a position where he could pay for his childrens schooling. why would a person privileged enough to be able to pay for their childs education not want to do so???
 
zigzag| dta said:
my parents pay for almost all of my expenses.

school, car, rent, dues, most of my food

i have to pay for gas, and most of my alcohol


i dont see what the big deal is. my mother is a teacher, never made too much money. my fathers job enabled him to be in a position where he could pay for his childrens schooling. why would a person privileged enough to be able to pay for their childs education not want to do so???
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This may come as a shock so brace yourself. A lot of adults (with kids) are terrible with money.

Single parents are probably the worst offenders. On top of only having one income, single parents may also be without a mortgage, a vehicle, are more prone to alcoholism and drug addiction, and will be more likely to think of the immediate future rather than the long-term. Perhaps that's all they can afford, but more likely they've convinced themselves they can't afford stuff like a College fund. We are emotional creatures, and we tend to spend money emotionally.

A stable, nuclear family that revolves around the kids is much more conducive to things like saving, since the solidarity of the family unit lends itself to frugality, job stability, a steady schedule, and structure.

My mother raised me by herself for the most part. She had a good job throughout the latter half of my upbringing, but she was more apt to buy me a pack of cigarettes than a textbook. When I decided to pursue College, it was through blind faith and an internet connection. I was already three years out of high school, so I had zero resources.
 
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zigzag| dta said:
my parents pay for almost all of my expenses.

school, car, rent, dues, most of my food

i have to pay for gas, and most of my alcohol


i dont see what the big deal is. my mother is a teacher, never made too much money. my fathers job enabled him to be in a position where he could pay for his childrens schooling. why would a person privileged enough to be able to pay for their childs education not want to do so???
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You remind me of all those kids I knew who just feel so entitled and who lived off the hard work of their parents. There are so many kids who are born into poor families (which has nothing to do with that person's worth) and have to struggle so hard to put themselves through class.

I understand why parents would want to pay for their kids tuition - it's obviously something that is a huge burden - but why would they also pay their expenses? Pay for you own shit, work part time, balance your budget, and work out what it means to struggle for a couple of years. It will only do you good.
 
^ That's what I was thinking, but I bit my tongue.

Seriously, "most of your alcohol"?

You poor thing. It's a shame your parents won't cover all of your entertainment expenses. I also see by your avatar that you "heart" marijuana. I'm going to hazard a guess and say, liberal arts major? Good for you. I'm glad that University is filling your head with profound ideas. Keep up the good work. Maybe you'll be someone's boss someday.
 
AmorRoark said:
I find your snap judgment of liberal arts universities totally ridiculous and illogical.
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Seriously, what the fuck is that about anyway?

I have many of my expenses taken care of as well (gas and apartment), but I am paying for my own tuition (student loans). Tuition where I go is $15,480 each semester so my parent's take care of most of my living expenses while I pick up the tuition tab. They'll most likely help me pay off my loans, too.

I have a part time job, but it only pays minimum wage and I can only afford to work 15 hours/week with my current class schedule. I make enough to afford my own groceries and entertainment expenses, I don't expect my parent's to cover that because it has nothing to do with my future.

I think it's pathetic that a parent would rather focus on spending their money on petty luxury items rather than investing in the future of their children. If you disagree, then maybe you should think twice about ever having kids. But hey what do I know, I'm going to a school that pumps useless "profound" ideas into my head 8)
 
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up all night said:
You remind me of all those kids I knew who just feel so entitled and who lived off the hard work of their parents. There are so many kids who are born into poor families (which has nothing to do with that person's worth) and have to struggle so hard to put themselves through class.

I understand why parents would want to pay for their kids tuition - it's obviously something that is a huge burden - but why would they also pay their expenses? Pay for you own shit, work part time, balance your budget, and work out what it means to struggle for a couple of years. It will only do you good.
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i do work part time(while it may be a shit job) i try and save my money, and my parents encourage my savings and investment.

and yes i pay for most of my alcohol, whats the big deal of every now and then my mom drops a bit of cash in my account. i work hard. im a vice president in my fraternity, i maintain a high gpa, i work, and i regularly volunteer for various charity organizations. youd be hard pressed to say that i dont work hard, and i dont earn everything i have. im sorry if im more "privileged" than others, but im living in the situation i was born into. could you honestly say that you wouldnt do the same if you were in my position?
 
no im not a liberal arts major.

and my tuition is no where near 15K a semester. my tuition, books, and meal plan per semester is somewhere around 5500$.

and dont take shots at my parents. you dont know them, they arent on here talking to you. keep it directed at me.
 
I think it's pathetic that a parent would rather focus on spending their money on petty luxury items rather than investing in the future of their children. If you disagree, then maybe you should think twice about ever having kids. But hey what do I know, I'm going to a school that pumps useless "profound" ideas into my head 8)
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I am in total agreement that it's pathetic. People think that just because you have kids, it suddenly means you're responsible with money. Not necessarily. You may provide all the day-to-day necessities like food, shelter, and clothing, and spend the rest on a gambling habit, or a cocaine addiction, or vacations to Mexico every 3 months. Different parents have different ideas about what is necessary and what isn't.

As for my dig at liberal arts, it was a joke to make me feel better about having to pay for everything. I've spoken to RR about this, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone. As you probably know, I like to stir the pot from time to time.
RR - check your PM.
 
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In case anyone has forgotten, Bluelight is a Harm Reduction site. Not everyone on this board, or even in this forum, has a happy-go-lucky life. Stop passing judgement at other members starting NOW.
 
Three-quarters of my education was paid for, the rest I paid for. For the 8 years I was at university which my parents largely paid for, the trade off was that I had to live at home (I didnt move out till I was 26) and I worked a truck load of shit house jobs on the weekends (washing dishes at a restaurant, etc) to earn some extra cash. So yeah, it was a 'free ride' in part but I also really didnt start living my life till I left home. But Ive used the 'free' education and it's gotten me to a great place. My parents placed a high emphasis on education and I inherited that. I dont apologise for what I was lucky to have gotten. I put in alot of hard work.
 
I might very well be more motivated and successful if my parents had not paid for my education. However, they used to make around $1,000,000 a year and started talking about my college education when I was 5. Both of them had their educations paid for and thought it was very important to give the same gift to their own children.

I do feel like it was handed to me, and I don't feel like I completely earned it. That said, I wrote all of the papers, took all of the tests, and now have a degree with no debt. For that I am very thankful.

It is what it is Kyk. I'm no less of a person for being born into a rich family.
 
^^ I agree Mehm.

My mom is not rich by any means being a teacher.. but my grandma has a ton of money from stocks in the company my grandfather founded back when he was still alive. She chooses to spend part of that money on my college education, expenses, and my car. Am I lucky? Hell yeah, and I know it and appriciate it. I do very well in school, been on the dean's list every semester, I don't take advantage of her generousity.

I'm not saying this in reference to anyone here (I haven't even read the whole thread) but I hate when people try to tell me I'm spoiled b\c I don't have to work. What am I supposed to do, refuse the tution and spending money, and sacrifice my grades to make time for a job I don't need??

That said, I really admire the fact that people get out there and earn their own way... truthfully I'd be scared as hell to do it. I think the bottom line is to do well in school, whether it's being paid for or not. As long as I get into grad school, I'm happy, and I won't appologize for how I got there.
 
It is what it is Kyk. I'm no less of a person for being born into a rich family.
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That's sort of the point. You are more of a person in a certain way. I'm not just talking about the fact that your parents are millionaires (grats, by the way) but all of the good stuff that comes with it. You probably knew at a very early age that you were destined for University. That decision was made for you and more importantly, it's the right one! It took me a long time to figure that out, and when I did, there were obstacles in the way.

I think it's important for people to come to terms with, and be vocal about the inequities of life. That doesn't mean bitching and whining that the guy next to you has more, but asking relevant questions that shed light on individual situations, and asking ourselves as a society what we can do to fix them.

I find people getting sorry and defensive about having their College paid for as disingenuous. I have yet to see one person come in this thread and say, "Yeah, I got a full ride. I'd like to see education reform" or "I'd like to see more scholarships for people in unique situations."

No, it's just "Yeah, I got a full ride. I got lucky. Get off my nuts."

If you are the future philanthropists, then I'm a little worried about socioeconomic disparity in the coming years.
 
You're right, I am defensive.. which maybe wasn't the best attitude to have when responding to the thread.

But I went back and read through some posts... It's just hard to be concerned about some else's inequalities when they have this attitude that getting "a full ride from mommy and daddy" is so "obnixious". I know that not everyone is like this. I'm talking about those who are. Comments like that are so rude. <--- If you magically could come up with enough money to pay for your college, you'd take it, and you know it. So, yeah, get off my nuts is what I'd like to say to those people.

However, I personally would like to see education reform. With the job I'm going into, I'm not sure if I could make enough money to pay my kids full tution (if I have them). I could certainly help them out, but not in same way that I've been. I do think it's bullshit that youth are expected to go to college for a shot at a decent career, but then it costs so freaking much that some people 1) can't go or 2) they go into debt taking out loans. It's almost like some people are set up to fail. I think that's wrong. It's ideal to think that you can work your way up in the U.S., but it's not as easy as some people make it out to be, and I realise that. Working your way from lower class is not as simple as just working hard... if you don't have certain resources, it really does limit your opprotunities.. if you can't afford a nice suit, you won't get hired in a job interview for example.

I'm not some rich snob or anything, I really do care about the welfare of the stuggling student.... just not when they critisize me for having a wealthy relative, like certain people do. There's nothing wrong with being rich.
 
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For the record, my parents' business failed, my dad went back to work as a car salesman at age 60, and while they were rich, they squandered all of their money away on nice houses, vacations, and the stock market. Now I pay my own way 100% and have no trust fund etc. Good for me, I'm sure my self-esteem will benefit in the long run. Seriously.

Also, I would like to see education completely socialized :)
 
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