Is it parents' responsibility to pay for kids' college?

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

What's wrong with theater, mathematics and religious studies?

Mathematics and religious studies are not liberal arts.

Some examples of liberal arts:
Humanities - English Literature, Modern Languages, History, and Philosophy.
Social Sciences - Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, and Sociology.
Creative Arts - Fine Art, Theatre, Speech, and Creative Writing.

The problem with your typical liberal arts degrees is that they are virtually worthless in the sense of the return you get based on how much money you invest to get them. You'll be lucky to make a living wage, let alone enough to actually live comfortably and pay of your pile of student dept.

My major was in English/Linguistics, and I am pretty lucky to actually be working in a position that uses that degree. It took a lot of time and work to get in, though. And I only got sort of "comfortable" with money within the last couple of years. Still not enough to be able to do a whole lot extra outside of the cost of living, though.

Unfortunately, the role of the parents in paying for a degree is largely going to be determined by class. My parents threw some money at my schooling, but there was no account set aside for me, and I was stuck with the loan payments at the end. I kind of never bothered to try to get into anything better than a nearby state school, because I knew my parents would never pay for it.

If anything, I wish they would have supported me going to the school of my choice instead of guilting me since birth about the cost of anything and everything. If the parents truly can't put up any money towards school, it should at least be a collaborative effort between the parents and the student to make it possible for them to go to the best school for what they want to do.

If a student doesn't know what they want to do, then they should be doing two years of community college before transferring to a four-year school. But if the student has shown an ability and a drive for a specific goal, be a good parent and help them get there.