OP, having attended more than one college, i can tell you, your 24 year old is pulling a fast one. she frittered away her leftover loan money and now wants you to pay the bills. PLEASE, for her sake, DON'T DO IT! my grandmother has enabled my mother and uncle all their lives, and ended up supporting my uncle until his death, and is now supporting my mother. my grandmother is 81 years old and in failing health, and when she dies, my mother will be on the streets, because none of us can afford to keep her up and have no room to take her in. this is my mother's own fault, because she withdrew her retirement money early and blew it all (she is now disabled and on SS), bought a riverfront home she couldn't afford, and allowed her ex-boyfriend to max out almost a dozen credit cards in her name.
i'm telling you this pitiful story because your 24 yo daughter sounds a LOT like my mom-"live for today, who cares about tomorrow?" was her motto. now she's in the process of bankruptcy and dependent on her elderly mother for her survival. PLEASE stand up to your daughter and tell her the gravy train has come to a halt. she needs to be responsible for ALL of her own bills (yes, she CAN get a job, millions of college students also work) and expenses, including school. i know it sounds harsh, and she may hate you for it at first, but it is the ONLY way she's going to get on her feet.
i apologize if i've overstepped, but there is still hope for your daughter to learn a lesson-that same lesson has come too late for my mom to save her finances, bankruptcy is now her ONLY option.
Cheapest is not the way to go with education. Full rides are great, but especially when someone has their eye on medicine or law, they need to choose a school that will look good on their application.
