That works in theory 100% of the time, too bad it does not always work out quite that way 100% of the time in real life. :D

If I wanted to get rid of my wife, I think I could make it work most of the time. ;) :D

Interesting input...truth be known, my stepson really wants to do much of it himself but I don't want to see him get into debt. He has stated if he didn't get substantial scholardhip/grant money he'd likely go to local community college for the first year since his tuition would be free and he could save on living expenses. So he does have some idea that it is a financial burden on his mother.

His dad has flat out stated that he doesn't think he's ready for college so he's not really keen on helping him much if at all. Of course Dad has just recently "retired" and moved to Ventura Beach with his new wife...a certified country music heiress he met in rehab (his fifth episode; her third admission). And as so often happens with an unearned windfall he thinks he's so knowledgeable about everything. He's clueless about what's really going on with his son...he's really a great kid.

But I digress...I think the kid is capable and deserves a chance to show what he can do despite the fact that his grades have slid a bit in some areas due to a severe case of "senior-itis." That being said, I think he's entitled to know what is expected for our continued financial support.

BTW....I agree wholeheartedly that you shouldn't micromaqnage their college experience...definitely a time for them to be responsible for their own choices.

That is a really great idea. It makes your child have a significant financial investment in their education. $400 to $500 would have been 25% of all the money I typically made in a summer.

I think setting a GPA requirement is a little silly. If you make it based on GPA then I would simply choose the easiest major on campus. Say communications. Personally I would rather see my child study engineering or a science and get C's than study communications and get A's.

(No offense to communications majors here. I went to school in Colorado and that was probably the easiest major.)

If I were to give one piece of advice to someone going into college it would be to GET INTERNSHIPS! The value of working those summers is 100% worth it in the long run. It will first give you an idea about what it is like in the work enviroment you are choosing and secondly it will get you in contact with people who make decisions about hiring after you graduate. Honestly I think internships are more valuable than a high GPA. GPA doesn't have to go on a resume, experience does!

Good luck with your son.

Rich

The best check I wrote every month was for my student loans. I paid them off in 2-3 yrs and was happy to do so. I paid for grad school myself, couldnt imagine asking the rents for help.

I've thought about helping on the backend, after graduation. Student loan rates are low, and getting lower, nothing wrong with paying after the fact.

Being a current college student I might be able to offer some advice on this subject. My parents have been nice enough to pay for my education up to this point. I started going to a ~30k a year private school, did that for 2 1/2 years. First year I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do, took some exploratory classes and general bull**** that I figured would be good to have. At the end of my freshmen year I decided I wanted to enroll in the engineering program. A year and a half later I realized that it wasn't for me and I was sick of the math. I applied to a state school within driving distance of my parents house and I'm commuting this semester.

The biggest problem someone will have coming directly from high school is if they don’t have the work ethic and don’t know how to study. Get it in his mind now, not after his first semester that if he is going to take college seriously he needs to show up for every class and do every reading and every assignment no exceptions, even if it means he can’t go to the bar on Thursday night because he has a paper to write.

Performance expectations. Everyone expects different things out of people. If you want your stepson to maintain a certain GPA during school that should be acceptable because it is your money. Some other suggestions to motivate him to do well in all his classes is to have him pay for the full cost of a class if he drops it or doesn't meet the GPA expectation in that course. The first time he is hit with that 500-3,000$ it will be a real eye-opener.

Also if he is going to live on campus encourage him to get involved. Not only will it allow him to meet other people on campus it will help improve his resume by having clubs or organizations listed. If you find he is not getting involved try to work out some barter system, something like if he joins a club then in one class he can get away with a C+ instead of a B and not have to suffer any consequences.

My parents are currently paying for me to go to an out-of-state private school. But I am currently getting 2 scholarships that total $7,000 a year. If I lose my scholarships then I have to pay that difference, but I will likely face more severe consequences than that because I am a pretty bright kid and there is no reason I should slip that far. I believe that this system is fair because hey, my parents are shelling out almost $30K a year, they deserve to have some expectations. Until I screw up to bad (and I hope I don't) my parents will continue to cover tuition, room and board, meal plan, and my books. I pay for anything else I do (which was roughly $650 the first semester) such as eating out and partying. If as a parent you can afford to help out your kids, I really think you can do it, because putting them into heavy debt when they are 18 years old doesn't help them at all. I'll admit that my parents do a lot for me but I have learned the value of a dollar and I work hard to get what I do. I've also got $15K in the bank, all of it I earned, which I think few 18 year olds can say.

Good for you gprsh924, it sounds like you have your head on straight. Good luck with you college experience!