DEAR HARRIETTE: My family's financial situation has changed dramatically ever since I went away to college. My first year, the finances were great. My second year, they were fine. My third year in school is when my dad lost his job, and paying for school was a struggle. Now my parents opened up to me that they don't have the money to send me back to my university for my senior year. There's no way I can work a minimum wage job over the summer and raise enough money to pay for my education. I go to a private university and want to get my degree from a school I've attended since the beginning.
A distant friend is an escort to pay for school, and I'm considering it. I don't want huge loans out in my name -- it will take forever to pay them off. If she can make the money to pay for school for all four years, I think I can do it for one. I'm not quite sure what it entails, but I think this is the best option for me. How should I tell my parents that I have my tuition figured out while shielding them from what I will be doing? -- Walk in My Shoes, Raleigh, North Carolina
DEAR WALK IN MY SHOES: I strongly recommend against choosing to be an escort to pay for school. It is highly likely that you will be required to offer sexual favors for money -- essentially be a prostitute -- even as a high-end escort. Not only is that illegal, it is also dangerous on many levels.
Instead, I suggest that you contact your school and let them know your situation. If you have good grades, you may qualify for a scholarship. You may qualify for government funding as well. Do your research so that you figure out how you can legally pay for this last year of school. Even if you end up getting a loan for one year, that would be better than selling your body for tuition.