My days are now filled with high school seniors who are facing a tough reality. These smart, diligent, ambitious teens who started high school with a plan to go to a four-year college have now realized that despite their hard work, Advanced Placement classes, and summer enrichment programs they are headed for community colleges. The reason is financial. Qualified and deserving students are being priced out of colleges due to rising costs and shrinking financial aid.
The truth is, if parents want their kids to go to college they'd better start a serious savings plan. The days of working to pay one's way through college are long gone because it is simply too expensive. When I went to college in the 1970s I was able to pay my own way by being a part-time waitress. Today, the wages of a part-time waitress would not cover the costs of one semester's worth of books!
Low income students will be able to pick up enough financial aid to pay for college but it is the middle class families that suffer. Middle class students this year are faced with a choice: a mountain of education loan debt or switch over to the community college track. When you've worked so hard for that college admission letter it is really hard not to feel demoralized.
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