Paying for College

Paying for my children’s college educations has been a source of anxiety for me for several years. I would venture to guess that quite a few other middle-class American parents share my anxiety. Many career paths now require a 4-year degree as a minimum while the cost of higher education has gotten ridiculously expensive.

Yes, there are many ways to save and pay for college. Often times it requires a lot of planning ahead. There are pre-paid programs, 529 investment accounts, athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, ROTC (Reserved Officer Training Corps) scholarships, the GI Bill, financial aid, and more.

Unfortunately, I experienced a couple of financial setbacks in my life that I never totally recovered. Basically, my divorce and my ex-husband. They say love is grand but divorce is twenty grand. So true.

As part of the divorce agreement, I was to fund and manage G-Man’s college fund and the Ex was to fund and manage Mr. A’s account. The Ex readily accepted after it was noted that I would be paying into G-Man’s account for three years longer than he would have to pay into Mr. A’s account.

Why, oh why did I think this was a good idea? This is the man that ran up every credit card he had in his possession and drained every bank account that he had access to. I thought it would be different because he was investing in his son’s future.

He proved me wrong. He proved me so wrong. He took the money and never looked back.

For years I felt guilty over the situation. I didn’t tell Mr. A. I never shared my anxiety about paying for college. I hoped, prayed, and put away as much money as I could.

Then in the 7th grade, Mr. A announced that he wanted to attend the US Naval Academy and that Notre Dame would be his “back-up” school.

I always knew that he would do well in a structured environment and make an excellent military officer. Both my Sweetie and I told him that we would support his decision to apply to the Academy but not pressure him. However, I did choke when he mentioned Notre Dame. I asked him who was going to pay for that school because it’s one of the most expensive in the country. He simply replied, “The Navy. Notre Dame has NROTC.”

I was impressed. My son was more squared away in regards to college in the 7th grade than I ever was as a senior in high school. The boy had a goal, did his research, and knew what he needed to do to accomplish it.

Mr. A’s goal is still to attend the US Naval Academy and to become a Naval Officer. The application process for the Academy is arduous and he’s in the thick of it right now. He has been working his tail off filling out multiple applications, going on interviews, and training for and completing a physical fitness test. I would like to point out that Mr. A really has been doing all the work himself. My husband and I have been Mr. A’s moral support, his proofreaders, and sometimes nudges.

True to his plan, Mr. A applied for a Navy ROTC scholarship as his back-up plan. However, he changed his choice of schools to University of South Florida in lieu of Notre Dame. He said that since he didn’t get a chance to visit ND, he felt unsure about putting it down as his first pick NROTC school. I think it might also have to do with the fact that Notre Dame doesn’t have co-ed dorms.

Mr. A is beginning to reap the fruits of his efforts. Tuesday night he received a letter awarding him a Navy ROTC scholarship to the University of South Florida. His back-up plan is in place. If for some reason he doesn’t make it into the Academy, then he has a 4-year scholarship to USF.

I can barely describe how proud I am of my son and all of his hard work. At sometime during his application process I did share with him the facts of what happened to his original college fund. I think the information made him work that much harder (if that was even possible).

The other night I sat on the sofa with a contented smile on my face. My heart was full of pride for my son and the rest of me slowly breathed a sigh of relief.