Total b.s. (baloney sandwich) Everyone can afford Harvard. Harvard is the oldest and best-endowed (meaning financial girth and length, not physical) university in America. If you have stellar grades, aced the SAT and participated in extracurricular and charitable activities up the wazoo, the university finds a way to take care of you. And your wazoo. It’s what in large part makes great institutions great – they simply “find a way.”

So many parents just have no clue – and sometimes there are other reasons for not wanting their kids to go to Harvard. From the parents’ perspective: “Will my kids become snooty?” “Will they think I am a loser?” “I’d rather control my kids and keep ‘em close than let them get real independence… because… I’m the parent – so what about me?” Wow. Who knew your parents were so self-involved?