I was a low-income student, so college never seemed feasible. That changed when I took a college class as a high schooler.

Tech Insider : Business
a female student with a backpack staring into the camera
The author (not pictured) attended a college class as a high schooler.

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My son is in his first semester in college. I want to give him space, but I also miss talking to him every day.

Tech Insider : Business
a distraught woman leaning on the counter holding her phone
The author (not pictured) is struggling with communicating with her college son.

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My husband and I have two incomes and no kids, so I've opened college savings accounts for my nephew and nieces

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Travel
two girls holding out jars of money that read
The author is saving for college tuition.

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I'm a single mom with 2 kids in college. My divorce devastated me financially, so I feel guilty I can't help with their tuition.

Tech Insider
a woman on the phone surrounded by a pile of bills
The author, not pictured, can't pay for her kids' college tuition.

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I'm a college professor, and I'm not sure I'll send my kid to college. A degree isn't required for success.

Tech Insider
a professor sitting in a college classroom with students at desks
The author, not pictured, is a professor but won't require her son to go to college.

Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot

I wanted my daughter to graduate from college debt-free, so I bought a storage unit business. It paid for her entire tuition.

Tech Insider
Nancy Brier cleaning out a storage unit
The author owns a storage unit business to pay for her daughter's college tuition.

Courtesy of Lauren Trippeer

My daughter decided not to go to college right after high school. I'm proud of her for exploring her interests first.

Tech Insider
a high school graduate hugging a friend
The author, not pictured, was surprised to learn her daughter didn't want to go to college yet.

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I graduated from college and moved back home to New York City. I struggled to find my place, and it didn't feel like home anymore.

Tech Insider
Zoe Woolrich wearing a yankee hat at a baseball game in new york
The author struggled when she moved back to her hometown of New York City.

Courtesy of Zoe Woolrich

I'm a Yale student who just spent a semester abroad in the UK. I now know I want to eventually move overseas for grad school.

Tech Insider
Miles Kirkpatrick looking at his rings in camden london
The author is a Yale student who studied abroad in London.

Courtesy of Miles Kirkpatrick

I'm a college student who lived alone in a studio apartment. I became more independent, but the financial burden was too much.

Tech Insider
a person sitting alone on a couch
The author, not pictured, lived alone as a college student.

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