It’s that time of year…unfortunately

[ucbalumnus]

@eyemgh

Unlike hotels and cars, where paying more almost always gets you more, the same cannot be said of colleges and universities.

What do people think they are paying for, or is worth paying for, at colleges?

1. Academic content being taught and assessed.
2. Academic experience (i.e. in terms of class sizes, contact with instructors, etc.).
3. Credentialing and pre-professional preparation (including the effect of prestige, status, ranking, etc., or specific credentials needed for teaching, nursing, engineering, etc., or the BA/BS degree that is commonly required by employers “just because we can”).
4. Non-academic aspects of the experience (i.e. residential versus commuter college experience).