[carli]

walter, sounds like your kid is a great candidate for CC and would take advantage of all it offers while also gaining other super valuable life skills such as working for awhile as well as having fun, growing up a little, etc.

Other kids aren’t quite as “smart” and ready for that environment, and it’s almost like they need a bridge from high school to the next stage, where there’s an environment that – well, let’s just say it – coddles them a bit more. Of course, we hate to admit it and feel guilty that our kids at this stage can’t just suck it up and be self-motivated enough to ignore distractions. And it goes without saying that plenty of distractions also exist at private colleges.

But, here’s an example of one kid we know well who got “derailed” at CC…this kid was bright, interesting and successful all during high school. She was super creative and a great writer, and got a partial merit scholarship to a small private liberal arts school. She went for one year and although she loved it, raved about it, said it felt like “home”, she came back with way less than stellar grades. Her parents said “enough” and thought they’d teach her a lesson by enrolling her in the local CC for at least a semester, which she started the following fall. She also took a part-time job.

Long story short, it’s now about 3 years later and she met a guy the first few weeks of attending CC who ended up being a disaster for her, to put it mildly, and she left school by the end of that year, moved in with him and got married to him within 6 months. She worked at Victoria’s Secret in the mall, and he worked in a tattoo shop. Who knows what else is going on because she stopped communicating with her family very often. Now, several years later, she recently broke down and told her mom in a tearful phone conversation that she’s been physically and emotionally abused in the relationship and wants to divorce the guy and move back home (almost 22 now) and start all over.

Of course, her attendance at CC did not “cause” this situation, and other bad things probably would have happened in her life had she continued at private college since obviously her maturity and judgment was lacking in many ways. BUT, her parents often wonder if it would have been better, even with her floundering a bit at her private liberal arts school, to just send her back there and let her slug it out through a few more years. I think they think she would have been in a more positive environment there because the private college had MUCH more oversight and counseling and direct involvement with her. And most kids were fairly motivated to finish their 4 years.

Just a single story…your mileage may (hopefully will!) vary.

[carli]

As a parent who is in the midst of college apps with a high school (soon to be) senior, and another one in college, I generally agree with the theme of the article, which is a very popular sentiment these days.

However, especially for those of us in CA, there CAN be financial deals out there at private schools, especially those further away. For example, with several private schools on the east coast, for child #1, we found it cost about the same as a UC (which is currently approx 30-32k/year inc room and board) taking merit aid/grants into account (private school full cost without aid is 50k-ish). The difference is that private schools value having a mix of students, not only ethnically but geographically and based on skills, talents, socio-economic background, etc. They look more closely at the individual, and if your child fits a piece of the puzzle they’re looking for or find valuable, then some aid will come his/her way. Doesn’t always happen, but if your child applies to a range of schools, and has a unique characteristic or two, there are bound to be one or two that will hit.

The community college route (ideally with a later transfer in to a UC) is of course the best financial deal going. Sometimes, though, a community college environment is not at all the right fit for an 18-yr-old, and I’ve heard countless stories of very unsuccessful academic experiences at CCs when the kid becomes completey derailed, and then you’re wasting 100% of your tuition and ending up with a kid who usually ends up in a dead-end job and has wasted a lot of time so no bargain there. For many kids, this time of life is an important fork in the road, and like it or not, the maturity, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision-making skills and judgment may not be sufficiently developed for such a young person to take advantage of all that a CC offers. Yes, we can all comment on how these kids “should” be and the skills that they “should” have at this stage, but each kid matures differently. It all just depends on the individual.

[carli]

As a parent who is in the midst of college apps with a high school (soon to be) senior, and another one in college, I generally agree with the theme of the article, which is a very popular sentiment these days.

However, especially for those of us in CA, there CAN be financial deals out there at private schools, especially those further away. For example, with several private schools on the east coast, for child #1, we found it cost about the same as a UC (which is currently approx 30-32k/year inc room and board) taking merit aid/grants into account (private school full cost without aid is 50k-ish). The difference is that private schools value having a mix of students, not only ethnically but geographically and based on skills, talents, socio-economic background, etc. They look more closely at the individual, and if your child fits a piece of the puzzle they’re looking for or find valuable, then some aid will come his/her way. Doesn’t always happen, but if your child applies to a range of schools, and has a unique characteristic or two, there are bound to be one or two that will hit.

The community college route (ideally with a later transfer in to a UC) is of course the best financial deal going. Sometimes, though, a community college environment is not at all the right fit for an 18-yr-old, and I’ve heard countless stories of very unsuccessful academic experiences at CCs when the kid becomes completey derailed, and then you’re wasting 100% of your tuition and ending up with a kid who usually ends up in a dead-end job and has wasted a lot of time so no bargain there. For many kids, this time of life is an important fork in the road, and like it or not, the maturity, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision-making skills and judgment may not be sufficiently developed for such a young person to take advantage of all that a CC offers. Yes, we can all comment on how these kids “should” be and the skills that they “should” have at this stage, but each kid matures differently. It all just depends on the individual.

[carli]

As a parent who is in the midst of college apps with a high school (soon to be) senior, and another one in college, I generally agree with the theme of the article, which is a very popular sentiment these days.

However, especially for those of us in CA, there CAN be financial deals out there at private schools, especially those further away. For example, with several private schools on the east coast, for child #1, we found it cost about the same as a UC (which is currently approx 30-32k/year inc room and board) taking merit aid/grants into account (private school full cost without aid is 50k-ish). The difference is that private schools value having a mix of students, not only ethnically but geographically and based on skills, talents, socio-economic background, etc. They look more closely at the individual, and if your child fits a piece of the puzzle they’re looking for or find valuable, then some aid will come his/her way. Doesn’t always happen, but if your child applies to a range of schools, and has a unique characteristic or two, there are bound to be one or two that will hit.

The community college route (ideally with a later transfer in to a UC) is of course the best financial deal going. Sometimes, though, a community college environment is not at all the right fit for an 18-yr-old, and I’ve heard countless stories of very unsuccessful academic experiences at CCs when the kid becomes completey derailed, and then you’re wasting 100% of your tuition and ending up with a kid who usually ends up in a dead-end job and has wasted a lot of time so no bargain there. For many kids, this time of life is an important fork in the road, and like it or not, the maturity, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision-making skills and judgment may not be sufficiently developed for such a young person to take advantage of all that a CC offers. Yes, we can all comment on how these kids “should” be and the skills that they “should” have at this stage, but each kid matures differently. It all just depends on the individual.

[carli]

As a parent who is in the midst of college apps with a high school (soon to be) senior, and another one in college, I generally agree with the theme of the article, which is a very popular sentiment these days.

However, especially for those of us in CA, there CAN be financial deals out there at private schools, especially those further away. For example, with several private schools on the east coast, for child #1, we found it cost about the same as a UC (which is currently approx 30-32k/year inc room and board) taking merit aid/grants into account (private school full cost without aid is 50k-ish). The difference is that private schools value having a mix of students, not only ethnically but geographically and based on skills, talents, socio-economic background, etc. They look more closely at the individual, and if your child fits a piece of the puzzle they’re looking for or find valuable, then some aid will come his/her way. Doesn’t always happen, but if your child applies to a range of schools, and has a unique characteristic or two, there are bound to be one or two that will hit.

The community college route (ideally with a later transfer in to a UC) is of course the best financial deal going. Sometimes, though, a community college environment is not at all the right fit for an 18-yr-old, and I’ve heard countless stories of very unsuccessful academic experiences at CCs when the kid becomes completey derailed, and then you’re wasting 100% of your tuition and ending up with a kid who usually ends up in a dead-end job and has wasted a lot of time so no bargain there. For many kids, this time of life is an important fork in the road, and like it or not, the maturity, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision-making skills and judgment may not be sufficiently developed for such a young person to take advantage of all that a CC offers. Yes, we can all comment on how these kids “should” be and the skills that they “should” have at this stage, but each kid matures differently. It all just depends on the individual.

[carli]

As a parent who is in the midst of college apps with a high school (soon to be) senior, and another one in college, I generally agree with the theme of the article, which is a very popular sentiment these days.

However, especially for those of us in CA, there CAN be financial deals out there at private schools, especially those further away. For example, with several private schools on the east coast, for child #1, we found it cost about the same as a UC (which is currently approx 30-32k/year inc room and board) taking merit aid/grants into account (private school full cost without aid is 50k-ish). The difference is that private schools value having a mix of students, not only ethnically but geographically and based on skills, talents, socio-economic background, etc. They look more closely at the individual, and if your child fits a piece of the puzzle they’re looking for or find valuable, then some aid will come his/her way. Doesn’t always happen, but if your child applies to a range of schools, and has a unique characteristic or two, there are bound to be one or two that will hit.

The community college route (ideally with a later transfer in to a UC) is of course the best financial deal going. Sometimes, though, a community college environment is not at all the right fit for an 18-yr-old, and I’ve heard countless stories of very unsuccessful academic experiences at CCs when the kid becomes completey derailed, and then you’re wasting 100% of your tuition and ending up with a kid who usually ends up in a dead-end job and has wasted a lot of time so no bargain there. For many kids, this time of life is an important fork in the road, and like it or not, the maturity, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision-making skills and judgment may not be sufficiently developed for such a young person to take advantage of all that a CC offers. Yes, we can all comment on how these kids “should” be and the skills that they “should” have at this stage, but each kid matures differently. It all just depends on the individual.

[carli]

This is my (and my husband’s) favorite place to run. It’s also great for hikers and mountain bikers. There is such variety and so many trails, we’re constantly discovering new places and never get bored. Our favorite is the out and back trail (starting from the western parking lot on Sorrento Valley Blvd) over gently rolling hills to the eastern side of the preserve, where there’s a parking lot and a camping area. It’s almost 12 miles, but it’s a beautiful trail and you can just go any distance and turn around. It gets shadier the farther in you go, crossing a couple brooks.

We’ve seen amazing wildlife there, and to think that it’s hidden in the middle of so much residential and commercial development is hard to believe. We live in Del Mar so the closest parking lot for us is the lot on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Pkwy.

Here’s a link to the park info: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/penasq.shtml

Funny story – a couple years ago, someone in our running group told us that Los Penasquitos is one of Meb Keflezighi’s favorite runs (he’s the US silver medalist in the marathon ’04 Athens Olympics as well as NYC Marathon winner, etc). Sure enough, one day, we were loping along at our 10-min mile pace and there goes Meb, just whizzing by us on a hill. My husband said, “Hey, Meb!” and he turned around, stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Enjoy!

[carli]

This is my (and my husband’s) favorite place to run. It’s also great for hikers and mountain bikers. There is such variety and so many trails, we’re constantly discovering new places and never get bored. Our favorite is the out and back trail (starting from the western parking lot on Sorrento Valley Blvd) over gently rolling hills to the eastern side of the preserve, where there’s a parking lot and a camping area. It’s almost 12 miles, but it’s a beautiful trail and you can just go any distance and turn around. It gets shadier the farther in you go, crossing a couple brooks.

We’ve seen amazing wildlife there, and to think that it’s hidden in the middle of so much residential and commercial development is hard to believe. We live in Del Mar so the closest parking lot for us is the lot on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Pkwy.

Here’s a link to the park info: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/penasq.shtml

Funny story – a couple years ago, someone in our running group told us that Los Penasquitos is one of Meb Keflezighi’s favorite runs (he’s the US silver medalist in the marathon ’04 Athens Olympics as well as NYC Marathon winner, etc). Sure enough, one day, we were loping along at our 10-min mile pace and there goes Meb, just whizzing by us on a hill. My husband said, “Hey, Meb!” and he turned around, stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Enjoy!

[carli]

This is my (and my husband’s) favorite place to run. It’s also great for hikers and mountain bikers. There is such variety and so many trails, we’re constantly discovering new places and never get bored. Our favorite is the out and back trail (starting from the western parking lot on Sorrento Valley Blvd) over gently rolling hills to the eastern side of the preserve, where there’s a parking lot and a camping area. It’s almost 12 miles, but it’s a beautiful trail and you can just go any distance and turn around. It gets shadier the farther in you go, crossing a couple brooks.

We’ve seen amazing wildlife there, and to think that it’s hidden in the middle of so much residential and commercial development is hard to believe. We live in Del Mar so the closest parking lot for us is the lot on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Pkwy.

Here’s a link to the park info: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/penasq.shtml

Funny story – a couple years ago, someone in our running group told us that Los Penasquitos is one of Meb Keflezighi’s favorite runs (he’s the US silver medalist in the marathon ’04 Athens Olympics as well as NYC Marathon winner, etc). Sure enough, one day, we were loping along at our 10-min mile pace and there goes Meb, just whizzing by us on a hill. My husband said, “Hey, Meb!” and he turned around, stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Enjoy!

[carli]

This is my (and my husband’s) favorite place to run. It’s also great for hikers and mountain bikers. There is such variety and so many trails, we’re constantly discovering new places and never get bored. Our favorite is the out and back trail (starting from the western parking lot on Sorrento Valley Blvd) over gently rolling hills to the eastern side of the preserve, where there’s a parking lot and a camping area. It’s almost 12 miles, but it’s a beautiful trail and you can just go any distance and turn around. It gets shadier the farther in you go, crossing a couple brooks.

We’ve seen amazing wildlife there, and to think that it’s hidden in the middle of so much residential and commercial development is hard to believe. We live in Del Mar so the closest parking lot for us is the lot on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Pkwy.

Here’s a link to the park info: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/penasq.shtml

Funny story – a couple years ago, someone in our running group told us that Los Penasquitos is one of Meb Keflezighi’s favorite runs (he’s the US silver medalist in the marathon ’04 Athens Olympics as well as NYC Marathon winner, etc). Sure enough, one day, we were loping along at our 10-min mile pace and there goes Meb, just whizzing by us on a hill. My husband said, “Hey, Meb!” and he turned around, stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Enjoy!

[carli]

This is my (and my husband’s) favorite place to run. It’s also great for hikers and mountain bikers. There is such variety and so many trails, we’re constantly discovering new places and never get bored. Our favorite is the out and back trail (starting from the western parking lot on Sorrento Valley Blvd) over gently rolling hills to the eastern side of the preserve, where there’s a parking lot and a camping area. It’s almost 12 miles, but it’s a beautiful trail and you can just go any distance and turn around. It gets shadier the farther in you go, crossing a couple brooks.

We’ve seen amazing wildlife there, and to think that it’s hidden in the middle of so much residential and commercial development is hard to believe. We live in Del Mar so the closest parking lot for us is the lot on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Pkwy.

Here’s a link to the park info: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/penasq.shtml

Funny story – a couple years ago, someone in our running group told us that Los Penasquitos is one of Meb Keflezighi’s favorite runs (he’s the US silver medalist in the marathon ’04 Athens Olympics as well as NYC Marathon winner, etc). Sure enough, one day, we were loping along at our 10-min mile pace and there goes Meb, just whizzing by us on a hill. My husband said, “Hey, Meb!” and he turned around, stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Enjoy!

[carli]

UCGal has provided a great checklist for the due diligence homeowners need to do before hiring a contractor.

As someone who has hired contractors at least a half dozen times (and been burned by a couple), I will hold onto these handy links for future reference should we be brave enough to undertake yet another project someday.

Thanks, UCGal!

[carli]

UCGal has provided a great checklist for the due diligence homeowners need to do before hiring a contractor.

As someone who has hired contractors at least a half dozen times (and been burned by a couple), I will hold onto these handy links for future reference should we be brave enough to undertake yet another project someday.

Thanks, UCGal!

[carli]

UCGal has provided a great checklist for the due diligence homeowners need to do before hiring a contractor.

As someone who has hired contractors at least a half dozen times (and been burned by a couple), I will hold onto these handy links for future reference should we be brave enough to undertake yet another project someday.

Thanks, UCGal!

[carli]

UCGal has provided a great checklist for the due diligence homeowners need to do before hiring a contractor.

As someone who has hired contractors at least a half dozen times (and been burned by a couple), I will hold onto these handy links for future reference should we be brave enough to undertake yet another project someday.

Thanks, UCGal!

[Author]

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