Jen: (Daughter of working-class parents) I've had a lot of time to observe just how different the upper-middle, white-collar class is from you and me. ... I was watching some 17-, 18-year-old boy on his cell phone while his parents helped him move in, and the oh so casual way he told his friend, "Yeah. I'm here at [name of college]" like he had just been dropped off at the corner drugstore and it was no big deal or trauma or culture shock for him... how different his attitude was from my own slightly overwhelmed one when I was at my first day of college. - Mitchell Tsai

I then realized that for these kids, who come from generations of college goers at this point... they transition from high school to college like a goldfish painlessly being moved from tank to tank. The world is their playground. They feel no pain. College for them is playtime and party time, not work - although the more serious minded are already starting on their brilliant careers. They swim from place to place in comfort and safety, amply supported by generations of networking, really not worrying about much of anything. Their inner lives are nothing like the inner lives and struggles of my people. - Mitchell Tsai

Susie Bright: The difference between applying to a public university in the 70s, when I went-- vs helping my daughter in this century-- is mind-blowing. To be sure, the cost increases are shocking, but the "game of higher education" is a full-time job in itself. --And I'm not talking about studying, classes, or hitting the books. - Mitchell Tsai

What spurred my daughter through the college bureaucracy "designed to defeat," the financial aid RACKET, and juggling the money game with college resources, was that most of our family are current or former university staffers/professors. I never dreamed how handy my arcane knowledge of the college baloney-mill would become in our lives. - Mitchell Tsai

We beat the House odds, but it took all our wits and wiles. I was relieved we had "game knowledge" -- but I thought often of how unfair it was to students who don't have a determined battle-savvy family on their side, available at every twist and turn. - Mitchell Tsai

When our daughter graduated, I said, "You have a BA and are debt-free; one of the most unusual and lucky people in America." I am proud of her, but outraged at the broken system that she and her peers went through. It is a disgrace to the pursuit of knowledge and democracy. - Mitchell Tsai

Cujd: I came from a working class immigrant family; my parents didn't go to college and speak very little English. I ended up at an ivy league school, where my peers were from another world: they had generations of wealth, both monetary and cultural. It was a difficult and alienating experience. - Mitchell Tsai

Later in law school, i shared my background with a classmate who came from an affluent, well-connected family. He said to me that it wasn't a big deal for him to end up in grad school since virtually every resource was available and given to him. He pointed out in a compassionate way that so many different elements had to line up for me at the right time for me to end up at the same place. - Mitchell Tsai

And i think he's exactly right. If one thing had fallen through for me--a misunderstood form, a sick family member, no available part-time work, etc.--i could just as easily have ended up in debt and without a degree. The sheer number of balls lower-income students have to juggle are daunting. - Mitchell Tsai