frrussre

We just decided to get our son, born UK to USC mother, his 1st Brit Passport. At 2 weeks old in UK, we got him a US Passport (Long story). He will soon be 18, so figured best do it now, before he is off in the world on his own. They need lots of proof, including, my previous divorce papers/Parents marriage cert/His birth cert/My birth cert/Original Passport he used to enter USA/copy of current US passport.
Wow!, could not believe the cost application/photos/sending postage, $200. I'm in the wrong business. Me finks I will go into the " Discount Passport" issuing business, competition, should bring down the prices.
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

Have you started looking at uni's yet? That'll cost yer.

frrussre

Hi Jersey. We did a 3500 mile, summer road trip, visited about 8 Uni's. Then another trip, to Maryland. Good Friday, weekend off on a 600 mile each way Uni tour trip. He has gotten into 4 so far. Yes an expensive deal I am looking forward to. Someone hand me the mallet, I want to whack myself on the head some more.
Reg. Frank R.
PS. Very sunny & cold in NYC. At least it is not grey.

Jerseygirl

How come it takes 4 yrs for an undergrad here? Just another money making scheme in my opinion.

I'm picking my daughter up from EWR at 2.00, she's coming back home for a few days before exams start. Looking forward to seeing her again but know its going to cost me a fortune, she'll want to stop off at Short Hills Mall on the way home and that's just for starters.

As long as its not raining, its OK by me.

frrussre

Jersey, how old is your daughter, I assume she is at UNI?
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

21 in 6 wks. She is but she chose University of Toronto not a US one.

TruBrit

lol think he'll be required to take an english test as well

frrussre

Hows she enjoying Toronto & uni? Is it cheaper then USA or same? Does Canada do the 3 or 4 year thing?
Not sure does 21 mean as much anymore, in my days there was no 16 or 18, twenty one was the biggy.

frrussre

Amusing. Luckily, he had his Brit Birth Cert first. Still, if he did take the test, he would be the only English (American ) accent there.
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

She loves it in Toronto but will be coming back summer 2007. Price wise not a great deal in it nowadays, taking into account travelling (just paid $700+ for a ticket home), she rents a lakeside apartment and has her car up there. Unfortunately its 4 yrs in Canada for an undergrad, my niece who is the same age, will be graduating with a masters degree at the same time in the UK.

In Canada her friends all seem to be celebrating their 21st. In the US I think the celebration is because they can consume alcohol legally! In Canada its 19. Anyway I assume that we will get dinged for that one too come May!

frrussre

$700 tickets, college fees, designer clothes, cars etcetcetc. Its a bottomless pit.
Hope you enjoy your daughters visit, do the girls day out thing.
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

Tell me about it. Could fly to the UK for less. No doubt we will be in town before the weeks out.

Jerseygirl

Re: the $200 for your sons passport. Doesn't it cost around $100 just to renew a UK one here. Mine expires end of next month so I will have to get cracking with the forms. Thought I'd try and get your thread back on track.

Celsius

You might want to hit the other head to eliminate future cost of educating kids...

User Name

There's always the local community college/state university mix, which will save a packet. Then there is the option of a UK citizen, but living in the USA, to return to the UK and take up a job for a couple of years to qualify (if the kid doesn't already qualify) to do an essentially freebie UK university degree. I don't see any reason to fork out tens of thousands of dollars for a first degree. If the kid is into science and/or engineering. A good British degree will open the door to fully funded PhD programs (both in the UK and possibly in the USA). Again, I see no reason to fork out any money to get on an accredited PhD program.

If I had kids, I would expect them to be pretty much self-financing and failing that, to adopt a cost-effective methodology to getting a degree or perhaps just local community college and a trade, several years work experience, and then quite a lot of help with starting their own business. Just me maybe, but I don't see anything wrong with a kid not having a college degree so long as the kid has his/her head screwed on and has a good trade (preferably several with plans to update and adopt an interdisciplinary trade approach) and plans progress through taking control of their own life through self-reliance and as an old boss used to say, "[by] making things happen".