In 1989, I wrote a letter to a co-worker's son who was graduating high school. He found me - 20 years later - through Facebook. That's mind-boggling by itself because I have such a common name.
He contacted me and sent a copy of the letter I wrote so long ago:
He also was kind enough to say that he did not take any of my advice. That's okay. Even I don't follow my own advice!
Now, of course, I don't give that advice. College is no longer the universal answer for everyone. Instead, the parents' money can be well spent teaching high school graduates plumbing, heating/air conditioning, lawnmowing/landscaping, vehicle repair, tools, etc... These are blue-collar jobs that cannot go to China or be done by a computer like white-collar jobs.
The other advice I give parents when they complain about the cost of college is that schools in India are in English and cost three times as much for US students as Indian native students. Indian kids pay $100 a year. So, the United States kids have to pay $300 a year. And they are welcome. The more Americans students the better. They are happy to learn about our culture to be able to fit in better when they come here. I happened to run into a girl who was a recent graduate from an Indian university and she was happy she attended school there.
Of course, airfare would add to these costs. It gives the ''semester abroad'' a whole new meaning! And they would need a whole lot of vaccinations before going. Hope they like crowds and spicy foods!
I love telling this to parents. I see the dad seriously considering it, and the mom getting flustered at the thought of her baby being dumped in a Third World country! I figure one way to keep the airfare down would be to let the students stay there four years - only fly them back if they graduate!
-=j=-
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