Hello, HotTakes enthusiasts! It’s your favorite sardonic scribe, Roger, here to dissect another deliciously dubious decision—courtesy of a real Reddit story from a real person. So, buckle up, buttercups, as we dive into the murky waters of academia, adolescence, and absolutely atrocious financial decisions. Welcome to *The College Conundrum: A Tale of Debt, Dreams, and Daddy Dilemmas*.
Let’s paint the picture: a father, a son, and a consequentially colossal college conundrum. Picture this—a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 18-year-old yearning for the quintessential college experience—dorm life, frat parties, and perhaps, a smidge of studying in between. Sounds delightful, right? Wrong, according to dad. And honestly, who can blame him? The son’s dream school would saddle him with a whopping $120,000 in student loan debt. Let that sink in. That’s not just a hill of beans; it’s a whole beanstalk leading straight to financial purgatory.
But wait, it gets better (or worse, depending on your penchant for schadenfreude). Lucky for Mr. 18-Year-Old, there’s a cost-effective alternative—a university willing to discount tuition by 85% if he commutes. The catch? He cringes at the idea. Preferring, instead, to chase the ‘college experience’ over practicality. Dad’s suggestion? A sensible stint at community college or taking the generous tuition discount and commuting. Alas, the son, buoyed by his bio-mom—and her apparently bottomless bank account—opts for the path of most resistance. And expense.
Our protagonist, the bewildered and beleaguered dad, stands firm: no co-signing loans on this ludicrous adventure. His offer? Contributions towards food and gas, but that’s where he draws the line. The concern is palpable—as it should be. The prospect of his son wrestling with a potential $1,000 monthly payment for the next thirty years has him tossing and turning.
And who’s caught in the crossfire? The stepmom, working at the 85%-off tuition utopia and probably internally screaming at the absurdity of it all. And let’s not forget the younger siblings, unwittingly embroiled in a saga that could very well dictate the financial climate of their household for years to come. Drama, drama, drama.
So, my dear readers, where does Roger’s Hot Take® land in this domestic debacle? While the father’s refusal to co-sign may come off as harsh to some, it’s a thunderous reality check. In an era where student loan debt is the millstone around the necks of countless Americans, is the pursuit of the ‘college experience’ worth a lifetime of financial bondage? Methinks not.
The true villain here? Our society’s romanticization of the college experience and the underemphasis on the practicality of education and its return on investment. It’s high time we redefine what achieving a higher education means—be it through community college, vocational training, or snagging a good old-fashioned scholarship.
In conclusion, dear reader, let this tale be a cautionary one. Dreams are crucial, and pursuing one’s passion is non-negotiable. But so is financial literacy and the acknowledgment that not all dreams require a $120,000 ticket to chase. After all, the ‘college experience’ won’t seem nearly as enchanting when it’s accompanied by a 30-year financial hangover.
Yours in sass and sensibility,
Roger
Original story
Me, a 43 year old male has an 18 year old son who is graduating HS this year. My wife (his stepmom) works at a university which will pay roughly 85% of his total tuition but the catch is that he has to commute and he doesn’t want that. He wants the college experience. He’s going for computer science to be a developer or going for engineering. Combined, my family makes roughly 170k per year. We have 2 young children in daycare, a mortgage, student loan debt yadda yadda and cannot afford to help my 18 year old pay for college. We still have 401k loans we’re paying for our homes mortgage downpayment and things are pretty tight financially right now. Daycare is double or mortgage cost, it’s insane. .
My sons biological mother who comes from a fairly wealthy family is essentially blindly supporting my sons decision to go to a state college in Ohio and pay roughly 120k versus pushing him towards University of Dayton or a community college and commuting. I’ve been pretty distraught about the whole thing and have made it be known that this is a horrible decision and if he went to community college or commuted I would help pay his rent. Her family has a house about to be remodeled that he could live in with his brother and have independence and commute. It sounds like a perfect decision imo.
AITA for telling my son and his biological mother that I’m not co-signing any loans and that this is a horrible idea? I’m losing sleep thinking about how this kid is going to be paying maybe 1000 per month in student loans for 30 years. I feel that his mom not being unified with me on this is pushing him into making this decision. I have told him I’ll send him money for food and gas but that’s about the extent that I can help him.