We Had Triplets — and Paid $0 in Tuition. Here’s How

Name: How to Successfully Appeal Your Financial Aid Offer
Start: 2026-02-12T20:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-12T21:30:00-05:00
Location: Online

By Nick Gerace

We Had Triplets — and Paid $0 in Tuition. Here’s How

By Nick Gerace

Published on February 12, 2026

This story was first published in our Paying for College 101 Facebook community. It’s been edited for clarity and flow.

If you spend any time reading about college admissions online, it’s easy to feel like everyone else has it figured out. Perfect GPAs. Star athletes. Ivy League acceptances. Families who seem to have been saving for college since birth.

This is not that story.

This is the story of three very real kids, very real parents, very real anxiety—and a college journey that unfolded in ways no spreadsheet, college list, or prediction model could have captured.

The Starting Point: Fear, Chaos, and Zero Clarity

When our triplets were heading into their senior year of high school, we were terrified.

Each child was wildly different—and none fit the glossy college-admissions narrative.

Daughter #1 struggled with anxiety, avoided chores like a professional, had no income, no savings, and no financial aid coming her way—but desperately wanted the full on‑campus college experience.
Daughter #2 was (and is) exceptionally talented on the French horn, which limited her college options. She applied to only a handful of schools and fell in love with one out‑of‑state option.
Our son had significant ADHD, messy grades, no athletic interests, and a bedroom that reverted to chaos within 48 hours of being cleaned. We genuinely wondered what path would ever fit him.

As parents, we were first‑timers with no roadmap. Our Student Aid Index was nearly 85% of our gross income. We were deep in debt, owed the IRS $13,000, and lived in a house full of half‑finished projects.

And yet, we shared our story publicly for one reason: to remind other parents that they are not alone.

Early Decisions—and Early Surprises

After applications, acceptances, and plenty of tears, the first version of “the plan” looked like this:

Daughter #1 chose to live on campus at Wayne State University—even though commuting was only 20 minutes.
Daughter #2 received a full tuition and out‑of‑state fee scholarship for music performance at Bowling Green University.
Our son joined the U.S. Navy.

On paper, it looked settled.

In reality, it was just beginning.

Within months, both daughters realized something important: what made sense emotionally didn’t always make sense financially—or practically.

The campus food, limited job opportunities, and dorm life changed their perspectives.

One by one, they came home.

At the time, it felt like failure.

In hindsight, it was clarity.

The Pivot: When Plans Change (and That’s OK)

Daughter #1 moved back home, commuted, and began focusing on work and long‑term goals instead of paying for an experience that didn’t deliver the value she expected.

Daughter #2 had a harder realization: a French horn performance degree—despite her talent—offered limited, unstable career prospects. She left a generous scholarship, enrolled at a respected local community college, and began exploring fields with stronger career outcomes.

These were not easy decisions.

But they were intentional ones.

Fast Forward: Outcomes No One Predicted

As the years unfolded, something remarkable happened.

Our Son

The child we once worried about the most found his footing through structure. He is now thriving in U.S. Naval Intelligence, earning accolades, advancing in rank, and building highly marketable skills. The same ADHD brain that struggled in high school is now an asset.

Daughter #1

She earned her degree in secondary education and mathematics, minored in psychology, and is now substitute teaching, nannying, and planning her next academic step—with far more confidence and direction than she had at 18.

Daughter #2

The daughter who walked away from a “free ride” found her calling in nursing. After community college prerequisites, hospital work, and an accelerated associate’s program, she is now an RN in the NICU at a top hospital—earning more than she ever imagined, with signing bonuses to match. She’s continuing on for her bachelor’s degree next.

The Financial Reality (and the Part Parents Care Most About)

Here’s the part that matters to many families:

We worried constantly about how we would pay for college.

To date, we have not written a single check for tuition.

Our daughters funded their education through a mix of grants, scholarships, modest loans, and work. We supported them in practical ways—car insurance, phones, car maintenance—while they took ownership of college costs.

And when life threw more curveballs—my wife got cancer, I lost my job—their independence became a source of strength rather than stress.

The Takeaway: Trust the Process (Even When It’s Messy)

Five years ago, we lay awake at night wondering how we would survive this stage.

Today, our kids are on solid footing. Their paths were not linear. Their choices were not perfect. But they were theirs—and they worked.

If you are in the thick of it right now—confused, overwhelmed, comparing your family to everyone else—know this:

There is no single “right” college path.

There is only the path that makes sense right now, with the information and resources you have.

And yes—it can be done.

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