If Your Kid Got Merit Aid, Watch This First (The Hannah Maruyama Show #13)

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A $5,000 award can feel like a win. But it doesn't answer the question that matters: why is your child going to college? I share a call with an 18-year-old and her parents. Her school cost about $19,000 a year. She had no major picked out and no clear career goal. Her parents were worried about the cost, but they didn't want to lose the merit aid.

I see that discount as a sales tool. Colleges want students to enroll. An award can make a family feel chosen and make walking away feel like a loss. I break down the gap between a big sticker price and the bill you're still agreeing to pay. Saving money on a degree your child doesn't need is still spending money.

Before you read an award letter or tour a campus, ask what your child wants their life to look like. Use the Degree Free 4: work schedule, income, work setting, and location. Those answers help you find careers that fit. Then check whether a degree is required and whether the cost makes sense.

If your child has no clear reason to go, help them find direction and useful entry-level work first. College can come later if a career calls for it. The point is to buy training for a clear purpose, instead of letting a discount choose your child's next step.