Lots of Biology and Can you save for your child's college education?

A reoccurring question that is asked by students and others is saving for my college education.  Yeah sure!

I was once at a teacher biotech program at Princeton University when my children were small.  An older teacher there was telling me about his son that had graduated a few years back from Bates College (Maine). I asked him how being a teacher he could have saved enough money to send his son there (one of the best small colleges in the country)?  He looked at me smiling and said, "Rick, you and your wife will never be able to save enough money to send you kids to a great school."  He, of course, was correct.

His point was that even if you do save a considerable amount of money for your child to go to college your first child will use that all up the first year or two, you will never qualify to need based aid and sometimes ruin your chances for other aid since your financial statement will show that money saved for that purpose.  What to do for you second or third child? 

This person went on to say that he thought the best chance to give your child a chance to go to a great school was spend all your extra money to enrich that child's life ... spend the money for every travel opportunity, books, camps and every other educational opportunities ... and hope it would be enough for a merit scholarship.  Even then, he said it would not be enough, but try to get them in and maybe they would find a way to stay.

When I went to Centre in the fall of 1971 (Wow! that seems old!) the cost for tuition,  room and board at Centre for the year was $3000.  I was signed, sealed and ready to be delivered to THE Ohio State University when fate stepped in and I scored 37 points in a basketball game vs Fairfield HS and the referee in that game (a friend of the coach at Centre then) made a phone call to make the connection there.  Long story short, I go to Centre instead of OSU.  The point is, that now it costs over $40,000  to go to Centre.  College tuition and room/board is out of control and even though there is more money available to some kids today, if you are a child of a dual family income, you are not going to get any/much need-based aid.

To finish this ... best case scenario and my advice to students here ... they will be parents soon enough ... save what you can, but, read to your children every day ...  then enrich their lives in every way you can ... and pray that will be enough to get them to that college AND they will be smart enough to stay/graduate.

Sorry ... all above was precipitated by a conversation today.  College cost is a monster ... if Centre continues on this pathway ... a child going to college in 2051 would pay over $500,000 a year. 

On to today's events ...

In AP today we handed in our Photosynthesis Lab, did a little technique prep for our Diffusion and Osmosis Lab tomorrow ... started our study of cells ... review biochem and played a little Biochem Poker ... first block winners were Buff, Hannah and Lauren ... second block winners were Brittney, Katie and Caleb.  Picts tomorrow!  Also tomorrow is the start of our Diffusion Osmosis Lab ... AP Lab #1

In Selected Topics we did some readings in science, followed by, a start on cell biology ... tomorrow, we will be doing a microscope lab ... mitosis of onion tip cells, and more.

rr