I would add another good point and that is: be content if you have to start off at a Community College. The tuition is a fraction of many universities.

Many people are ‘scared’ of going to Community College since we live in a society where if you aren’t driving an expensive car you feel like an outcast. The truth is, Community College classrooms can have a fraction of the student size, a more friendly environment, and getting taught by the professor himself rather than a teachers assistant.

The education opportunities are actually better at community college for your first two years of college before you transfer. I was taking advanced math and science classes at community college and later found out all the major universities in the area used the same textbook as the community college. The only difference was my class size was about 20 students (compared to hundreds at university), my tuition for the quarter was around $1,000 (compared to thousands at university), the professor himself taught us (compared to teachers assistants at university), and I lived close to home so I could save money on room and board (compared to thousands spent in dorm expenses).

To me there is no greater error made when choosing college than failing to consider community college. And last but not least, most Catholic Universities fail miserably when it comes to teaching the Faith, with this being a leading cause in kids falling away from the faith, yet they charge very high amounts to attend.

Borrow?

Exodus 22:25-27
Leviticus 25:35-37
Deuteronomy 23:19,20
Nehemiah 5:10,11
Psalm 15:5
Proverbs 28:8
Ezekiel 18:13

Usury is wickedness.

This video explains why college is so expensive and constantly gets more expensive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwEbO_t30cg

Since when is paying for a child’s college the parents’ responsibility?  What’s a Catholic family of very modest means (less than 60K annually) to do?  Have one child?  Have the mom go to work and neglect any other children to pay for one?  We tell our 6 kids that if they NEED a degree for a job they desire, that they can go wherever they want ~ because they’re paying!

This is great advice, though, most is common sense. Unfortunately, many large Catholic families can not save for college funds and many with mortgages (the average it seems nowadays) at $1000 a month (higher if you include property taxes), it is unlikely they will have their home paid off by the time their eldest reaches college age. I know our family can not even have an emergency savings fund at this time given the cost of bills, food and gas for the car. Every penny goes to necessary expenses. It is very scary to wonder how we will pay for college in the future or even how we will pay for our own college now, since we have to gain better skills to find jobs you can live off of!

A better article would have been, how to pay off your own college expenses in middle age and then find a way to help your own kids.  I don’t think there is a way to do that but that is the norm for many families today.

I agree with all of your comments so far.  It is true, the Catholic Universities have failed miserably in teaching the faith.  With a Community College at least you have 2 years to keep an eye on your child’s morals.
As a grandparent I had hoped to be able to finance some college help, but that is not happening
because of the economy and the losses of my 401K.  We need a lot of prayers and help from our God
for this problem.

I read a wonderful book on this very subject.  Thriving in the 21st Century by Barbara Frank, a Christian woman.  She agrees with most of what Phil says above.  But she makes the true, but alarming, point that college today is a pretty bad investment, dollar-wise.  You shell out so much money.  But upon graduation, and for years to come, you can’t possibly get your dollar back in terms of earning!  She highly advises—and I’m taking this one to heart—that your kids have a side-gig lined up, something they can do to bring in extra money, something practical.  She also contends that not everyone needs to or ought to go to college.  You must balance what you need to spend against the earning possibilities that come later.  Maybe going to a certification program to become a dental hygienist or a plumber isn’t such a bad idea.  What she doesn’t take into account is the idea of college as Learning for It’s Own Sake, ala Thomas Aquinas College and others.  If you can afford THAT, it’s worth it, regardless of the earnings that it will bring.

My husband and I talk about this from time to time and our kids are 6 and 4.  Most colleges are anti-faith/family/Catholic so I’m concerned about paying all that money if they are going to learn immoral things.
I’m now becoming a huge fan of trade schools and community colleges.  I went to community college and as one of 6 kids, so did many of my siblings.  I transferred to a 4 year school with most of my school done.  Between the community college and the 4 year school, the education was better at the community college.  When I graduated from college, the thing that got me my job was that I had gone to a trade school and learned a specific skill (technology).  I did get paid more once I had the 4 year degree and was able to take on better jobs, but what got me in the door was the skills I gained in the trade school.

One final note - some companies will pay for you to go to school, or help with the costs if it helps your career there.  One thing to consider is to get your foot in the door with a skill and find a company that will help with some of your education.  Then you’re working and making money while in school, and chances are you are less likely to go to school for something worthless.

College scholarships are still available to students with excellent grades and a good record of extracurricular activities. The college scholarship your child receives may not pay for everything, but it can make a good-sized dent in the costs.

How to obtain these scholarships? Start when your child is an infant. Turn off the TV and read, read, read to him or her. Encourage your child to fall in love with the written word, with discussing, with inquiring, with answering questions, with looking things up by modelling these activities yourselves.

Around the family dinner table, don’t have TV or loud music, nor should the younger children be allowed to scream or babble endlessly so as to dominate the gathering. (Some babies seem to love to get attention in this way). There should be intelligent conversation about each family member’s day, or events in the community, the nation, or the world.

Let TV and video games be kept to a minimum, and let most of the TV be intelligent and informative programs. Most areas have one or more classical music radio stations; scientific studies have found classical music to be good for childrens’ brain development. (Not so, so-called “children’s music” like Sesame Street and Barney music)

Don’t talk down to your children, encourage them to reach up to you . . . and help them to do so. Don’t entertain down to them all the time, encourage them to reach up to you . . . and help them to do so.

All these things will help your children to do well in school.

The thing most people are missing is that College is for learning, not for getting a job.  The point of education is thinking, not making you a worker in the system.  If one learns to think they may be better served spending a few years in the library rather than going off to college.  The interaction with other thinkers can be gained on the web these days.