My parents paid my tuition fees and books plus about 1/2 of my living expenses of a shared, ghetto neighborhood apartment. (cheap rent). I lived on raman and quesadillas. I had a part time job that paid the other half of my frugal living.
I plan to offer similar to my kids. With the same caveats my dad had:
- 4 year public school. (Mind you in CA public schools include UCSD, Berkeley, UCLA, Cal Poly... so some seriously academic choices, although I went to SDSU - which was not top tier - but my engineering degree was just as valid.)
- books/tuition/fees/legitimate school expenses - 100% paid by me.
- Living - barely subsidence covered by me. No bandwidth for car, partying, eating out in restaurants. Kid can get a job (which cuts into partying time) and ride a bike, bus, or low cost motorcycle (which is what I had) on their own dime.
- Degree has to be something that will result in a job.
Lots of people don't agree with that last one. My dad insisted on it for me - crushing my dreams of being a poli sci major. So glad he did... since that would have meant grad school at minimum, and likely lower income for my adult life. Instead I graduated in a field I'm good at, with income potential from day one of graduating.
My boys already know the rules. Their plan (which is likely to change since they're only 11 and 13) is to go to the same campus and share a cheap apartment. I'm not discouraging this plan.
I plan to offer similar to my kids. With the same caveats my dad had:
- 4 year public school. (Mind you in CA public schools include UCSD, Berkeley, UCLA, Cal Poly... so some seriously academic choices, although I went to SDSU - which was not top tier - but my engineering degree was just as valid.)
- books/tuition/fees/legitimate school expenses - 100% paid by me.
- Living - barely subsidence covered by me. No bandwidth for car, partying, eating out in restaurants. Kid can get a job (which cuts into partying time) and ride a bike, bus, or low cost motorcycle (which is what I had) on their own dime.
- Degree has to be something that will result in a job.
Lots of people don't agree with that last one. My dad insisted on it for me - crushing my dreams of being a poli sci major. So glad he did... since that would have meant grad school at minimum, and likely lower income for my adult life. Instead I graduated in a field I'm good at, with income potential from day one of graduating.
My boys already know the rules. Their plan (which is likely to change since they're only 11 and 13) is to go to the same campus and share a cheap apartment. I'm not discouraging this plan.