Chinatown/YouTube Debate Question: Paying for Kids' College

Hi my name is David Ng. we came here from New Jersey and we are in New York's Chinatown.
My daughter is currently 8 years old and by the time she is in college, I might have been able to save about one year's worth of tuition. I'm asking the candidates how would they help us with college tuitions? Especially in the Chinatown community where there are many low income people that I am sure have not saved as much as I have, even though I have not saved that much.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Asia
• Society
• Chinatown
• New
• York
• College
• Tuition

[subwaysleuth]

NJ has good public institutions, but NYC has CUNY and SUNY (medicine). For Chinatown and NY residents, CUNY is public, affordable, and if you go all the way to CUNY grad-school the level is completely comparable with Ivy League education. The CUNY B.A. and the Honors programs are especially good.

[luminositee21]

4:

If the average college student would have to work 52 hours per week at a minimum wage job, year-round, to pay for his/her schooling, is this acceptable? Is this conducive to higher education and critical thinking? Does this make our students competitive in a global economy?

The answer is no. Invest in the students of today and the students of tomorrow. We are tomorrow's leaders. We are our country's future--your future. Choose to support your future. I will; will you?

[luminositee21]

Please consider:

-If a college education becomes increasingly unaffordable for all, who will have control over the government? Who will have primed his/her critical thinking skills? Tesselator, who will be able to think about the "real" issues you have proposed?

If, in fifty years, only an oligarchical elite are left in our universities, public and private, who will control society? Will we be "free" then?

[mfitzy111]

As far a school goes...no free rides, sorry. Student loans work. Most people borrow or they don't go. Only half the people that leave high school get to go. (yeah it's sad and unfair- but it's life.)

Your child can always join the military and earn tuition -like many proud americans do.

You should have started saving for school when you found out your wife was expecting.

[mfitzy111]

All reasons to go after the current administraton. You do know that reason #2 was all Bill Clinton right? And you do know that reason #9 will happen qucikly in 2008 when the Dems gain control of all parts of gov. The total disarmament of the free people of the USA. Sadly most of the REPs are on the same page as the DEMs with this one.

Ron Paul is the only pro-constitution fore runner.

[ThePostFOB]

If your child is planning to go to grad school, remember it's more important where she's gotten her masters/phds from than her undergrads. So to keep costs low stay in-state. Out-of-state tuition costs the same or more than most private schools w/ less financial aid.

I hope my advice as an a recent UCSD out-of-state alumni helps! Good luck. 

[ThePostFOB]

the next option will be federal grants & work study, but they only amount to a few thousand dollars a year at most, you also have federal subsidized student loans.

Try to stay away from PLUS loans (you'll have to pay the interest while your child's in school) & private student loans (they're a quick way to get money, but they'll put you & your child in a difficult situation after college).

[ThePostFOB]

These days a undergraduate education doesn't give you much leverage in landing a professional job.

The best case would be a full ride offered by the school, but that doesn't come often. A few options are scholarships from various organizations, especially if your child is from a minority group or has certain talents/skills, essay contests for students,

[streetgypsy44]

"Most decent colleges have very good financial aid"

And whoever would say thats never had to deal with F-AID or sniffs crack. A fucking PELL grant isnt going to do jack for a $40,000/pub school or $160,000/priv school and loans dont pay for shit they only create debt.

[nikeswooshguy]

Most decent colleges have very good financial aid.