First World Sob Story of the Day

Get the box of tissues ready. This one will break your heart.

May 2, 2016
My Son Was Accepted to a College He Can’t Afford. Now What?

I guess they thought we would magically come up with that full freight, as did the other big universities where Dan was admitted, all of which charge between $46,000 and $51,000 for tuition, room, board, and fees for out-of-state students. We’d been aware of the Wisconsin budget drama, but somehow thought this would not affect us so harshly.

As hard as this might be to understand, perhaps the universities don't really magically expect that anyone will attend an out-of-state university unless the person can actually afford to pay extra. I mean, really. That's a lot of extra money to pour right down the drain. I certainly wouldn't/didn't do it. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

So off to Rutgers he goes instead. How will he ever endure the pain of attending an ivy league school in New Jersey? Oh, the humanity! If only they had a gorgeous new business school building to help numb the suffering!

We drove and walked the campus, admiring the gorgeous new business school building and winding our way through the streets surrounding the university. Dan bought a $20 T-shirt. But no back-of-the-car sticker.

$20 for a t-shirt! That's an awesome purchase for those worried about money! Heck, some of the factory workers in China might spend a few days wages on that. Therefore, just think of the resale value! So, you know what? Perhaps this isn't a total loss after all. He's already learning to adapt to his miserable conditions.

No back-of-the-car sticker though? Huge mistake! How will everyone outside of Rutgers know he's attending Rutgers unless he ends up telling the whole world? You know, just like his mom. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

I knew what to expect when I read the headline, but I severely underestimated the tragedy. I may never recover. Some things, once read, cannot be unread. I wish him well. May he someday become CEO of a Fortune 500 company and make upwards of 1000 times that of the typical worker. We can only hope.