Posted on 05/17/2012 7:54:11 AM PDT by reaganaut1
It may be possible to provide too much support to your college-age children — too much financial support, at least.
Researchers from the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University wondered whether the degree to which parents provided financial support to their college students had any impact on these emerging adults’ “beliefs, behaviors and identity development.” In their paper “Affording Emerging Adulthood” (published in the Journal of Adult Development) the researchers describe finding distinct patterns among parents: those who provided minimal financial support to their children in college; those who provided nearly full support; and those who supported their children jointly with the students’ own efforts (paying, for example, for tuition and books but not personal expenses, or the other way around).
The researchers found a striking correlation: the group of college students least likely to report engaging in risky behavior (drinking, binge drinking, marijuana use and smoking) were those who contributed the most, financially, to their own education. Those students were also more likely to identify strongly with their future occupational identity — the ultimate goal of their degree. To Laura Padilla-Walker, who led the study, and her colleagues this suggests that the level of parental financial support provided to college students may be an important factor in determining whether they flourish or flounder at their academic pursuits.
Dr. Padilla-Walker points out that there are other risks for students who are responsible for paying for most, or all, of their higher education costs: it takes them longer to finish, and they’re more likely to fail to graduate. Correlation is also not causation — the children’s behaviors could shape their parents’ financial support, rather than the other way around. The studied group also skewed heavily toward white, middle-class families, and was entirely composed of students attending four-year colleges.
(Excerpt) Read more at parenting.blogs.nytimes.com ...
I worked my way through college. And I can guarantee you that when you work to finance your college career - you count every single penny.
Going out to party with the guys, meant about a week’s worth of groceries that couldn’t be purchased. So, the parties I attended were few, and far between. Looking back, this was both good and bad - I didn’t party much, but I also wasn’t able to date much either.
wouldn’t this also apply to the moocher class in general?
Knock me over with a feather!
I suppose if you applied the same research methodology to explore the drug and excessive alcohol use of those on the government dole and trust fund brats to the general population who had to buy drugs and alcohol with money they actually earned, you would find the rates of consumption much lower among the group which had to work.
But even engaging in such research would be considered racism and judgmental against the poor.
Helping kids through with a modest allowance really helps ... especially in desperate situations.
One problem with this idea and the college pricing policies is that most colleges charge students based on their parents income and taxes, and they demand the parents sign a waiver for the IRS to send the college their tax returns official copies.
Failure to submit to this invasion results in the student being charged the top tuition sometimes 30K per year which few can afford.
Agree 100%. But, letting them get into desperate situations and make sacrifices to get themselves out can also be highly beneficial. Help them, but not too much.
There are plenty of times I wish my parents were able to have helped me out far more than they did. Like when with fixing my junker of a car. Making minimum wage, working 30-40hrs a week and paying for college yourself means you don't have the time you need to study. Add to that incidentals like a junker car, tires, auto insurance, fixing and towing said junker car - and life is almost unbearable. So, yes; helping is great. But, you learn alot about self-reliance by being forced to be self-reliant.
read later
[ I worked my way through college. And I can guarantee you that when you work to finance your college career - you count every single penny.
Going out to party with the guys, meant about a week’s worth of groceries that couldn’t be purchased. So, the parties I attended were few, and far between. Looking back, this was both good and bad - I didn’t party much, but I also wasn’t able to date much either. ]
I worked through college too and I didn’t party at all. I only partied when I had a good reason to like when I graduated from college or when I got a new job or when i bought a house. And those occasions were no excuse to binge drink either, but to celebrate with restraint.
——It may be possible to provide too much support to your college-age children — too much financial support, at least. ——
Slowly, sanity years its ugly head....
Where’s the captain obvious sticker? They need a study to tell this?
I’ve been telling me friends for years, who are envious of the way my kids turned out - they need to be responsible for as much of their own way as possible. It’s far more than just tuition.
Even if you provide tuition, for instance, make them pay for their own vehicle, their gas (for a commuter school).
As far as live-away school goes, unless it offers an education you desperately want but can’t get otherwise, I don’t believe in it. Keep ‘em home.
-—but I also wasn’t able to date much either.-—
My engineering school was 9-1 M/F. That could have had a lot to do with it. It’s a lot easier to begin relationships in a non-threatening environment, like a classroom, instead of having to drive to girls schools.
-—Failure to submit to this invasion results in the student being charged the top tuition sometimes 30K per year which few can afford.-——
Which is why I say, f-em.
My first is going to college next year. She’ll commute. Her tuition at the local, crappy state u will be $7k/year. She’ll soon have 2 years tuition already saved from working part time. I’ve explained to her how the system works. She gets it. She wants to teach at a Catholic school, and has to get her piece of paper.
This is one reason why tuition skyrockets, few actually pay it.
It also leaves students whose parents were successful left with crushing student loan debt, and those whose parents were losers graduate debt free. The child pays for the sins (being successful) of parents.
So voters demand more and more tax money, which again goes to the bottom.
Want Your College Student to Party Less? Withdraw all funding.
My daughter is responsible for 1/4 of her education with another 1/4 due on a monthly basis after graduation. If she comes home wearing a Che t-shirt, funding stops. If she comes home praising Obama, funding stops.
Remoinds me of a line from Casablanca, about Rich being a true Democrat.
“Helping kids through with a modest allowance really helps...”
I agree. I worked 34-38 hours per week and attended college full time. Did I party? No. However, I did struggle at times and not in a nice way. I would rather supplement my kid’s via some modest funding than have them walking around without a dollar in their pocket. As with most things in life... it has to be based on common sense. That opinion is simply based on my own personal experience.
She's now enjoying spectacular success in business and marriage.
It did teach me how to work and study (essential time management skills). However, I did collapse my Sophomore year at work. Apparently, not sleeping for about three days will do that to you. Between studying for finals, working till 2 a.m., and working on two major papers did their toll. Sometimes we bite off more than our bodies can chew.
If I had it to do over, my sons would not have gone away to college for dorm life at all. It is totally destructive, expensive and makes no sense. There are no rules and the lowest common denominator sets the pace.
School is just working by another name. It is not a playpen brawl. So many young people are totally destroyed (spiritually and economically) by the experience.
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