I killed my teenager’s fancy college dreams
&gt; While other parents cheerfully promise that “if you get in, we’ll figure out the money part,”<p>That is literally the worst mindset to go in to this about.<p>I profoundly want to see college be free for all, and debt zeroed out. Failing that rather utopian vision, the smart bet is to get a degree that you can pay off in under 10 years without a miracle.<p>I plan to save up enough to help my kid out, which might well involve &quot;we&#x27;ll send you internationally: those colleges are just as good, you&#x27;ll get more independent, and you will be about debt free when you get out&quot;.