but in most of those cases I see mommy and daddy footing the bill, further delaying reality for those kids. Do I sound like a total curmudgeon yet? I'm only 33
I see nothing wrong with "mommy and daddy footing the bill" for their child's education, as long as that child is well-grounded and doing what they are supposed to do: learn. If they are getting a free ride and just partying every night and never getting anywhere...then I agree it's not beneficial.
I am very fortunate and always thankful that my parents paid for tuition, books/supplies, room/board, and most expenses. The plus side to this was that in the mid 90's, my college was cheap as hell, especially since I got resident status my second year. I think I calculated that my entire four years of college, including tuition and almost all expenses, was less than one year of my sister's tuition at her fancy school.
I didn't have a cell phone or a laptop (mid 90s), just a discontinued Mac LCII we bought for dirt cheap. I don't know what my freshman dorm cost, but when I moved to an apartment, my rent was only $180-$280 a month for my own place two blocks from campus and I think most of the utilities were included. Other stuff was dirt cheap. I had a used car that I bought in high school, but I didn't have to drive very much as I never lived further than half a mile from campus.
My parents decided it was more beneficial for me to work towards gaining experience in my field (theater/production) rather than having to work delivering pizza for next to nothing. I did work for the student activities council doing all their sound and lighting production, for which I was paid a small amount. I used this for my living expenses outside of the base (I paid to get a larger apt, for all my "activities", etc). But the amount of experience I got doing that far outweighed any job I could have gotten in that town.
I can't imagine having to pay for school by yourself these days. It is SO much more expensive than when I went, and there are so many more "requirements" (like laptops, cell phones, internet, etc). From what I can find online, four years of tuition at Auburn from '93-'97 was $12,555 total (about $18,500 in today's dollars). Four years now would cost almost $50,000...and that's for a base undergraduate degree. That is a MASSIVE increase, yet not nearly as expensive as many other schools (my sister's school is now over $32k a year).
Yet, I turned out pretty good...employed in my field the day I left school and haven't been a penny in debt since (except for the house, which most people don't count).
But, I do know the types you're talking about. I was in school with one guy who dropped all his classes but didn't tell his parents. So they were paying his tuition, rent, etc...and he was just living the college life, sans classes. When they found out, I think they cut him off completely.
