Steak DinnersThe other night, some friends were eating at the same steakhouse as my family and I, and we were all waiting outside for our tables to be ready. The husband/father leaned over and asked me how many times I had gone out for a steak when I was in college. Then he further specified a steak dinner where your parents weren’t with you and paying for it. I answered that I remembered taking a couple of dates out for steaks during college, but beyond that, none. He indicated that his parents taking him out for steak was the only time he had a steak during college.
Why, you’re probably asking yourself, do I think you care about our conversation about steak dinners during college. That’s because of his next comment... “There sure are a lot of college students in there.” The implication being that more college students now eat steak dinners than when he and I were in college (at least that night, at that restaurant). And while it may be that a steak dinner means less now than it used to in terms of financial “comfort”, it appeared to both of us that these college students were spending money more freely than either of us would have during college. You should know my father was an engineer for an oil company, and I lived in a fraternity house, so it’s not like I’d have been around nothing but penny pinchers in school. I also remember my friends and classmates extolling the virtues of Ramen Noodles as a staple of their food budget. I haven’t heard a student mention Ramen Noodles in years. I believe a significant shift has occurred, that parents need to be aware of. I think college students today have different expectations in terms of lifestyle, than previous generations had. Many students today expect, and in fact live, a similar lifestyle in college to what they lived at home with their parents. By the way students act and talk, in what they drive, how they dress, and what they purchase, there doesn’t seem to be the same expectation that was present twenty or so years ago (when I was in college) – that college students don’t have much money, and have to live cheaply. I mention this simply as an observation, and not as a criticism, but I think it has significant financial implications for both student and family. Serious discussions on this topic probably need to occur, so everyone has similar expectations with regard to monies available for college, student lifestyle plans and expectations, and where financial responsibilities for what types of items lie. I wonder if this phenomena partially explains the perception that financial aid doesn’t go as far as it once did. Good, bad, or indifferent, tuition, fees and books are pretty much fixed costs, while “lifestyle” costs are definitely variable! Back to Articles List |
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