Something for the Parents

Two 21-year-old white males apply for a job at a high-tech company in New York City. The first has his BA in Business Administration from Harvard. The second is a high school graduate.

During the interview with the first man, the boss is impressed by all of the recommendation letters from this boy's professors and co-workers. This young man graduated in the top 10% of his class, with honors, and an incredible GPA. When the boss asks the young man what his father did, he replies, "My father is a construction worker," blushing with embarrassment.

The boss asks again, "If I might be so bold, how were your parents able to fund a Harvard education?"

"Well," the young man replies, "My family has always considered education important, and my dad was determined to help me get a college degree. So we applied for student aid, and I went to Harvard, and here I am now."

"That is very impressive," replies the boss. He tells the young man that he will be in touch and calls in the next applicant.

The next young man is well dressed, and articulate. As he hands his resume to the boss, the boss sees a red flag.

"May I inquire why you didn't attend college?'

"Well sir," he squirmed, "My family wasn't poor, and my dad was very proud. He couldn't afford to send me to college on his own and wouldn't allow me to apply for aid, because he said it was charity."

"I see," the boss replies. With that, for all intents and purposes, the interview is over.

Do you think that this is an uncommon scenario? I'm afraid that it is. Many parents today feel that financial aid is a "hand-out" and "charity," so their children are given the same attitude and some lose out on an education that they deserved. And so, they wind up flipping burgers at McDonald's because their parents were "proud."

To all of you "proud" parents, I would like to help and clear up some very misguided ideas about financial aid. First of all, financial aid is NOT charity. The federal student aid program is build around the idea that students should hold higher education and the costs thereof in high standing. Since, in most cases, students, themselves don't have the means to pay for college, and many parents can't afford the total cost either, financial aid is there to help. It isn't welfare, nor is it a handout. It's a program designed to help America's youth, and who wouldn't want to do that?

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