Tariffs and Tuition

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

It’s been a while, but there was one summer when colleges decided to raise their tuitions pretty significantly, without much fanfare. This was a summer of computer upgrades, coffee bars, rock walls, and lazy rivers, when colleges decided they needed to improve their social atmospheres and their academic backbones all at once—and the results weren’t pretty. Tuition increases of ten, twelve, even eighteen percent weren’t uncommon, and since budgets for financial aid didn’t get a similar boost, many students who thought they were set with their first choice either discovered new levels of debt to stay where they were, or the need to shift to Plan B at the last minute.

At first blush, the current discussion of tariffs suggests colleges have little to worry about, since most tariff issues are between countries. But a closer look shows there are serious consumer issues—and colleges are, like all of us, consumers. Tariff increases on fruit make the cost of maintaining the salad bar at its current glorious level a little harder. Cars used to get admissions officers around town and to high school visits have to be replaced every few years, and they are the target of some of the highest tariffs. The cost of turning classroom lights on, running the football scoreboard, and paying faculty enough to afford the increased cost of food means tariffs can play a significant role in tuition-setting this summer, something that’s usually done after students have made their college decisions, assuming prices will pretty much go up about as much as they did last year—but there’s no guarantee.

What should families do to be as ready as possible for the effects of tariffs on tuition? Try these:

Call your first choice college Not every college will have their tuition and fee schedules set for next year, but if parents are worried about tariffs, college are too—they don’t want to teach to empty classrooms with just a handful of deposits to show for it. Start with the financial aid office, and see where the discussion goes from there.

Watch out for specialty increases It’s not uncommon for colleges to put greater increases on specific sub pools of populations, especially when it comes to residency status. Community colleges typically pass higher increases on to residents outside their service area, as do many public four-year colleges to out-of-state students—and nearly everyone loves to gouge international students, who somehow have an established reputation as having an endless flow of cash. Increases in everything from special supply majors (think paint and clay for studio art majors) to fees for student activities (increases in costs related to athletics) have been reasons in the past for asking for more money. Watch carefully.

Keep Plan B open as long as possible Most counselors, including me, are pretty adamant about students committing to just one college by the time May 1 comes around. The reason for this is simple—you can only go to one college, so telling two you’re going to show up increases the chances one of them is going to be teaching to an empty seat.

That advice doesn’t usually change, but if you end up with one college you can no longer afford, and no place else to go, that doesn’t really solve anything. Review your college list to see if they all require a commitment or deposit—not all do—and keep those options as open as possible. It’s also likely colleges may offer advice on how to approach this challenge, so keep an eye on email and snail mail—and proceed with caution.

A Day in Their Life

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

It was arguably one of the best moments in the history of school counseling, and, while I cannot remember who told me about it, I am most certain it happened. A student was in a counselor’s office, where the topic of discussion was the student’s academic progress. After engaging in the customary question-and-answer round, and concluding with the bucking up counselors are known to do even when a hurricane is about to demolish the building, the student stood up, slung their backpack over a shoulder, and, while exiting, said over their other shoulder.

“You know, we have a lot to do every day.”

Which, according to the story, which I have no reason to doubt, gave the counselor something to think about. They hadn’t been in a high school classroom as a full-time teacher for five years, and hadn’t been a student in a high school classroom in almost 25. Odds were, some things had changed since then, if only that Bye Bye Bye was no longer the number one record (record?) in the country. Maybe it was time to get a few more details.

A couple of administrative meetings later, and the counselor found himself out of the office on a given day, having received a typical student’s schedule, which he would follow all day long, No trips to the faculty lounge or the office were allowed, nor was the checking of phone calls or email—although where the counselor went to the bathroom seems a mystery. The counselor was to attend every class, arrive before the bell, and stay for the entire period. What the counselor did for lunch is also undocumented, but one can only imagine how awkward that may have been.

There are several videos that try to capture some of what high school students take on in the course of a day, and there a lot of articles written by well-meaning teachers that outline the theory of how a typical day should go. But all of this pales in comparison to the experience of going through the actual day at your high school, since no school is really the same.

And so, here’s the challenge. Counselors say they understand how hard it must be, getting to a class and settling into the mores and customs of a learning environment that is dramatically different from the one they just left, which will be incredibly different from the one that comes after that. One class period may seem of less consequence because there was just a test yesterday, while another may feel more weighty, with the promise of a coming exam. Teachers of some classes may want the class period all to themselves, while others try desperately to create an environment of mutual discovery—while others are led by a teacher who claims group engagement matters, but doesn’t let kids get a word in edgewise. And then, there is always the battle of overcoming the post-lunch doldrums, where lunch gives student weighty bellies that can lead to unplanned dozing, or a reminder that the end of the day is nigh.

Counselors say they are always looking to increase legitimacy among their students. What better way to show you care about their world than to immerse yourself in it? You’ll likely need some administrative OKs, but this is the kind of activity most principals can’t say no to, since it’s really all about the kids.