We are trying to keep the total spend ₹2–3 lakh a year. Apart from tuition, what caught you by surprise — transport, books, uniforms, activities, annual charges or compulsory trips? I want to compare schools using the real yearly number.
Get the entire fee structure in writing, including transport, books, uniform, activity charges and annual increases. Comparing only tuition was misleading for us. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain. We found this out only after doing a second school visit. We are in Bengaluru, so local logistics may be a little different.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. The commute piece changed our final shortlist more than expected. We are in Pune, so local logistics may be a little different.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. I wish we had asked this before paying the registration amount. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. For us, the admission office answer and the parent answer were not always the same. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Replying to @ev3881
Exactly the kind of detail I needed. I would still verify it with the school for the current academic year. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
That is reassuring. We are trying to avoid making this a bigger issue than it needs to be. I would still verify it with the school for the current academic year. We are in Delhi, so local logistics may be a little different.
This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. I would still verify it with the school for the current academic year. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. The commute piece changed our final shortlist more than expected. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Get the entire fee structure in writing, including transport, books, uniform, activity charges and annual increases. Comparing only tuition was misleading for us. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain. The commute piece changed our final shortlist more than expected. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
edited
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? We found this out only after doing a second school visit. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. For us, the admission office answer and the parent answer were not always the same. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Get the entire fee structure in writing, including transport, books, uniform, activity charges and annual increases. Comparing only tuition was misleading for us. I wish we had asked this before paying the registration amount. We are in Noida, so local logistics may be a little different.
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? I wish we had asked this before paying the registration amount. We are in Kolkata, so local logistics may be a little different.
I would keep at least two backup options until the admission is formally confirmed. Timelines can overlap and waiting for one school made us unnecessarily anxious. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain. I would still verify it with the school for the current academic year. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Get the entire fee structure in writing, including transport, books, uniform, activity charges and annual increases. Comparing only tuition was misleading for us. We are in Jaipur and this came up for us last year.
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? I wish we had asked this before paying the registration amount. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
That is reassuring. We are trying to avoid making this a bigger issue than it needs to be. For us, the admission office answer and the parent answer were not always the same. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. For us, the admission office answer and the parent answer were not always the same. We are in Gurugram, so local logistics may be a little different.
We made a simple spreadsheet with total annual cost, travel time, class size and what we observed during the visit. It stopped us getting distracted by facilities we would barely use. I wish we had asked this before paying the registration amount. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Same here. The logistics are what make the 'ideal' option difficult in real life. We found this out only after doing a second school visit. We are in Pune, so local logistics may be a little different.