what dude??

"i won't keep them from their careers but i WILL say a bunch of things in order to try to talk them out of something that might be beneficial to them later on"

my parents both made their way through school (one as a nurse the other as a doctor, so we're talking a lot of school) on loans, and it took them forever to pay it off, but thanks to that they're living comfortably now instead of the poverty they grew up in

Well, what are the benefits of going to a 4-year, as opposed to taking advantage of the California TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) program -- which allows us to get rid of our general education for really cheap through community college and guarantees us a spot in any UC school? There's a good reason why I'm deciding not to go to a UC straight up myself -- because I don't think it's justified. I don't think I need to pay 10 years' worth of loans (I checked) when I could be saving the money up for a decent car and food. So if you have any arguments for going to 4-year colleges, I'd definitely take your advice because I'm still debating this. But I tell ya, I'm leaning heavily toward the side that sounds cheaper.

I think helping my friends understand the benefits of the TAG system will only help them make smarter decisions.

FAFSA = complete

with time to spare!

My EFC is 0, just like I thought.

Congratulations on being poor! Finally, it pays off.