College Senior Says Dad’s ‘A Jerk’ For Not Paying Her $10K Tab After She Blew $90K

A college senior about to enter the first semester of her final year is staring at $10,000 in tuition costs, and she thinks that her dad was being “a jerk” when he refused to dip in to his retirement account to help her out.

That’s after she blew the $90,000 college fund that she had going into her freshman year.

The fund was set up by her grandparents, and was always intended to be for all four years of school, but after her first three years, and admitted budget mismanagement, she’s out of cash and the bill is coming due.

This is the story that Kim (last name unknown) shared with Atlanta radio program the Bert Show in a series of four phone calls that left listeners (and at least one of the hosts) fuming.

When Kim sat down with her parents to explain she had mismanaged her money and needed $10,000 to continue with her senior year, she said they “surprised” her by claiming they could not help her even though her father had been “contributing to his retirement account for like a million years.”

“My dad was so — just a little bit of a jerk about it,” she said, adding that he “just sort of chuckled, like I’m so stupid.”

When one of the Bert Show hosts asked her if she would consider getting a loan, she said that yes she had and she would not be eligible unless she could find a co-signer — something her parents would not do unless she got a part-time job.

The college senior said she would need to work around 15 hours a week to make ends meet, and that working while going to school would be “embarrassing” because “school is my job.”

“I know they’re trying to teach me a lesson, and blah blah blah, and character building,” Kim said, “but I hope they realize that this can have such a negative effect on grades, and [on me] as a person.”

She also felt that mom and dad owed her because they could have done “a better job” teaching her how to budget.

Needless to say, this did not sit well with many, including show co-host Kristin Klingshirn, who said she was about to “lose it” on the 22-year-old college senior when she said work would be embarrassing, remembering her own efforts to work through college.

The show hosts also received a letter to the college senior from a fellow “entitled millennial” named Laura, who admitted that she had said “most of the same things” Kim had said, but after “hitting rock bottom,” she dug her way out and learned a valuable life lesson.

“Going back to school was terrifying,” the letter writer said.

She continued.

“I filled out my FAFSA. I asked all of the stupid questions. I had to ask my friends’ parents to be my references for loans. I spent time researching loans and talking to grads wrangling their debt. I received most of the aid I needed and took out the rest in loans (yes, with interest). It’s funny how aware I became when I knew it was going to be me working to pay off this debt.

“My last three semesters averaged a GPA of 3.8. I work for the student newspaper and I kick ass at literally everything I do. I hush my classmates. I impress my professors and my colleagues. I will graduate in December of 2016, taking a total of 3.5 years to complete a double major with a minor. I hold myself to a standard on which I will not compromise: No half-measures.

“Kim, I understand how you feel, and I’ve said almost everything you said. You don’t deserve anything. Not a trip to Europe, not financial aid, not a co-signer. I hope this sucks for you. I hope getting this loan is the most difficult thing in your life. I hope you dig yourself straight to the bottom because that is when you will use your own strength to climb back up.”

What do you think of this college senior and her plight? Do her mom and dad owe her financial assistance, or does she need to learn a hard lesson?

Check out more of Kim’s calls here.

[Image via ShutterStock]