Student Loan Debt?

[MossRoad]

No.
Notre Dame also has excellent mens basketball, mens lacrosse and other sports.
They compete at the highest level with the best in the country at almost everything, not just football.

Maybe what you should have said is “if it wasnt for sports, it would be just some weird catholic college in the middle of nowhere”.

Also, why is it “weird” to be a Catholic college?

Notre Dame has really nice identical facilities for men's and women's basketball.... except for those 2 trophies on the women's side.

 

[Hay Dude]

Notre Dame has really nice identical facilities for men's and women's basketball.... except for those 2 trophies on the women's side.

You don’t have to win national championships to be a great program.

ND competes and usually wins at the highest level and that‘s great, IMO.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

The whole college "experience" irks me. I think it's irresponsible to make kids believe college is required. By and large k-12 education pushes the college route with little regard for career planning. The thought process is go to college to get the education and find out what you want to do. There are a few benefits of going straight to college. There are more scholarships available to traditional students that are just not available to non-traditional. Vocational - aside from trades, I'm pro-trades - If the youngling is sure they want to do something that actually requires the education; healthcare (is this a trade?), accounting/ finance, teaching, and I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of.

Aside from that, get out in the world and get a job. Figure out what you want to do and get paid while you do so. If you like the field you picked set your sights on the position you think you would like in the next 5 years, figure out what it takes to get into that position, then start working towards it. If it's college, do that, - if it's certifications, get them. If you don't like the field you picked, look for a job in a different field and do the same thing. Most people happen into their career for the most part. My advice to youngsters is to put yourself into positions to find something you really like by inserting yourself into jobs within a field that interests you. That way, you are there to happen into a position you really like. If you are on your mom's couch between classes while "trying to figure it out" it's going to take you a lot longer to happen into that spot. Then you might still have to get additional training or certifications when you spot that next rung on the ladder.

I feel college is an investment that should be weighed. I'm sure I think that way because that's the way it worked for me. I started in manufacturing - working on the production floor, then as a lead, then a supervisor. I tried to move up or out and realized, without a degree I couldn't make the money I was making anywhere else or move up. So I got my degree at night. I'm in purchasing now, making double what I was as a supervisor, the investment paid off. Plus, since I was working towards a real goal, not just going to college because it was expected, I got a lot from the classes and I was able to immediately apply what I was learning.

 

[two_bit_score]

Both my kids were on D-1 teams and their teams lost a prolific amount of money. This was not big time football or basketball.
The coaches both made well over 100K and got full state benefits for themselves and their families. I bet that’s worth 250K. Then there’s assistant coaches. Then there’s travel expenses, uniforms, helmets, cleats, etc. etc.
My guess is each program cost their respective universities about 1 million each.
When you attended the games, it was big attendance if 200 people came. I mean we would play Johns Hopkins at lacrosse and maybe 250 people watched, mostly students, who attend for free. My daughters field hockey team would play Ohio State and there was 35-50 people there lol.

Now put 20 of those money losing teams on each college campus in the USA, and you get the idea how much the football team has to make in ticket & TV revs to pay for all that.

Most sports programs at the HS through College level don't make money.

UT, A&M, 'Bama, etc, yes they make a lot of money and really benefit the schools because of the booster contributions not only to the program but to other areas of the school as well.

Saban was the best investment Alabama made said the Chancellor. No question.

 

[Hay Dude]

Most sports programs at the HS through College level don't make money.

UT, A&M, 'Bama, etc, yes they make a lot of money and really benefit the schools because of the booster contributions not only to the program but to other areas of the school as well.

Saban was the best investment Alabama made said the Chancellor. No question.

Yes! There are a few exceptions.
However, there’s like 3,000 colleges in the US and each one could have between 5-35 sports programs. That’s like 50,000 sports programs! lol

 

[ultrarunner]

My nephew switched to a Catholic school and at first my sister in law was 100% against it… she thought indoctrination and such.

Looking back she said it was nothing like she had imagined and my nephew thrived.

In public school they actually suggested drugs… he was never in trouble but very active and was always asking questions… the second grade teacher with the backing of the school said it’s not unusual to have students on Ritalin and my brother was having none of that.

 

[kenmbz]

My son wants to be an educator, so college is a must.
We have been saving for this.

I don't understand how the government is so entrenched at using our tax dollars to "forgive" loan contracts.
If you default on a contract there are repercussions.

Will these people start looking at getting car loans and mortgages forgiven too?

If you don't have to earn something or struggle in the least, what lesson does that give?

If the government went after the colleges, that would be so very different, or rejected loans for degrees that could never repay the loan. But then we get back to the government getting more involved.
Between the gov loans, and the gov mortgages, so much funneling into the pockets of the few.

 

[MossRoad]

My nephew switched to a Catholic school and at first my sister in law was 100% against it… she thought indoctrination and such.

Looking back she said it was nothing like she had imagined and my nephew thrived.

In public school they actually suggested drugs… he was never in trouble but very active and was always asking questions… the second grade teacher with the backing of the school said it’s not unusual to have students on Ritalin and my brother was having none of that.

As a 12 year veteran of the Catholic school system... there are just as many social problems at Catholic schools as public schools. There just isn't as much violence. As for Catholic high school, lots of alcohol and drugs. Always was, still is.

 

[2manyrocks]

There are many private denominational colleges in the US that most of us have never heard of. Some have codes of conduct that many would consider restrictive and therefore wouldn't appeal to the students who want freedom to party as they please.

One friend of mine had a son who attended a public 4 year college majoring in accounting. He was a straight A student who never was a problem until second semester of his junior year when she saw his account was overdrawn. After checking, she found out he wasn't going to his classes and had dropped out due to drug addition that started in his frat. She paid for $65k of detox. He got out and went back to drugs. Paid for more detox. Back to drugs ...after a few years, he died in another state. I can't help but think he might still be alive if he had gone to a denominational college.

 

[tractortroof]

Thank You... Intrusive is the word that escaped me.

What I found odd is my nephew was 20 at the time he applied and had already completed 2 years at the local community college...

So why are the parents compelled to be involved?

Turned out with parents gainfully employed and owning a farm the mandatory assistance application was for naught... just as my brother had thought.

Finally proof of systemic discrimination. Not the right victim though