[quote=spdrun]If he lives at home, aren’t the UC schools closer to $13k/yr? Community college degrees get no respect.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure that’s still the case. It’s not a whole lot higher than that. Outside of the tuition (or fees, as the case may be), the costs should be roughly the same. Similar books. Still gotta eat and have a roof over their heads. Might save a little bit on hoodies. (Do kids really want a sweatshirt that says “MESA COLLEGE”?)
You’re right that community college degrees don’t get any respect, but that’s moot if the kid continues on and gets a 4 year degree. The degree is identical to the kids that went to the more expensive school for all 4 years.
But there is something to be said for the college experience. Can you really justify telling your kid to be $25 to $40K more in debt at the end of their college life in order for them to have 2 years that might be better at a UC or CSU school than at a community college?
One of my kids went the community college route, and then to UC, the other went to directly to UC. I was fortunate enough (or I guess they were) to be able to pay for it. And they both ended up with pretty good experiences. I’d be hard pressed to say which one made the better choice. But I know which one was cheaper.
