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<p>There are students who could not get into any of the colleges on the list. Considering selectivity would eliminate almost every college in the country.</p>
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<p>No, it would not. Low-income students will likely seek out “best buy” lists and see the absence of some of the most highly-ranked colleges; many will interpret this in such a way that leads them to not apply to those colleges for financial reasons. For qualified students, this is deeply misguided.</p>
<p>Saying HYPS is automatically a “best buy” is nonsense. A “best buy” will be different for each individual student and involves a host of variables. Individual preferences for things like career, a person’s ability to pay, and about 100 other variables shape what constitutes a “best buy.” There is no such thing as a universal best buy, one that is equally attractive to everyone. </p>
<p>Prestige alone does not determine a “best buy” for everyone. Example: a poor person and a rich person both win a $100,000 Mercedes in a contest. The prestige whores probably believe both people got a “best buy” for a car. After all, it’s a Mercedes and neither had to pay for it. But maybe the poor person can’t afford the insurance on the Mercedes. Is it still a “best buy” for that person? And maybe the rich person already has three Mercedes and really wants a Bentley, so he/she gives the Mercedes to their mailman. </p>
<p>To be a “best buy” a car or a college has to be what that person actually wants. Not everyone wants HYPS. And if everyone did, there are only a limited numbers of spaces in each class. And even if a middle class person gets into HYPS, he/she may not be able to afford it despite financial aid, because HYPS is most financially accessible to the very rich and the very poor. That middlle class person may find the University of Michigan or University of Virginia to be the “best buy.” They can still fulfill all of their career dreams by graduating from either of those schools vs. HYPS.</p>
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<p>Whom, if anyone, are you arguing with? You seem to be contesting claims that have not been made.</p>
<p>Sigh…it’s just Fiske trying to come up with more lists using a less than great metric. And, by tying it to pretty selective schools, they skip gems like Berea College.</p>
<p>Three lists that would be helpful would be -
Best buy publics for out of state students
Best buy privates for students with low EFC’s
Best buy privates for students not eligible for need-based financial aid</p>
<p>^ I agree with this post.</p>
<p>Surprised to see Drexel on that list. Tuition is higher for a 4 year degree vs a 5 year degree. Their financial aid/merit was poor for many kids that I have spoken to. I would not consider it a best buy by any stretch!</p>
<p>How inexpensive are some of the state schools listed that they made the list? Here in Va, UMW is not all that well known (although it is coming up in stature). Relatively speaking, it seems like at 90% of VT’s rate and 83% of UVa’s rate (based on 2009-10 figures), W&M is the best buy in VA for the quality of the education received, as well as the campus resources available. Yes, UMW is cheaper, but not many employers would value a UMW degree over a WM degree, and that is what counts in these economic times. With that said, D2 will be applying there in the fall. Don’t bash me, I know there will be exceptions to that general statement…</p>
<p>Let’s remember, these are just lists published to sell magazines, books, etc. At best, they may make us think outside the box when navigating the college selection process. But to generically believe that there is some magic formula to a “best buy” college is pretty far-fatched. From personal experience, I can tell you that a best buy is what works best when ALL factors are considered within the context of each family’s priorities. For us, that meant sending S1 and S2 to those much maligned HYP schools was the best buy, but sending D1 to a state flagship was the best buy for her situation. No one should make assumptions about anyone else’s decisions.</p>
<p>Just curious–no California public U’s made the list. Does the article discuss any reason for this? Not Berkeley, UCLA Cal Poly SLO…</p>
<p>No California private schools either, I notice…</p>
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Making lists isn’t about individuals, it’s about all students collectively.
Again, we are talking about students as a group. And I think the definition of “Best Buy” in this context, is purely financial. It’s not about whether you can get in, it’s not about if it’s the best fit for your kid or has the major they want, it’s about the money.
Do you know anything about the FA programs at HYPS?</p>
<p>If you make less than $60,000 they are <em>free</em>. This is well over 50% of all families in the US. There is no better buy than free.</p>
<p>Up to at least $120,000 (and $180,000 for Harvard and maybe some of the others) you pay only 10% of your income. At $120,000 you pay only $12,000. This is around 80% of all families. Do you think you can go to UMich or UVa, in state, for $12,000 on that income? I doubt.</p>
<p>Harvard costs a family making $180,000 only $18,000 per year. This is around 90% of all families. At virtually all other schools at this income level you are full pay.</p>
<p>There is no question HYPS are (financially!) best buys for the vast majority of people - assuming you can get in. Will some kids get a free ride or better financial aid to some other schools? Sure. But as a whole, I don’t think there is any other group of schools above the community college level that will collectively be cheaper.</p>
<p>Deep Springs College is listed as a “best buy” because it is - it is free = no tuition. However it is only a 2 year program and is statistically the hardest school in the US to get into!</p>
<p>Statstically yes, however the applicant pool is quite small. Two individuals from my school are attending deep springs. Deep springs does not base admission on academic strength. The student who went this year had a 3.3 uw and a 2100. The admissions process is also much much longer dissuading applicants. In addition it’s all boys and ridiculously small making the people interested a very, very select few</p>
<p>Many of the school write-ups are years old. Guess they had to change something.</p>
<p>^ To be fair, would you really expect the school to change significantly from one year to the next?</p>
<p>I totally agree with SilverTurtle’s point that low income students, families and even their guidance counselors will look at lists like this, or at publics, when HYPS would actually be cheaper, even free. They will not apply to HYPS, thinking they are selective and therefore too expensive.</p>
<p>The poster who suggested more specific categories made a really good point, which would be more helpful.</p>
<p>In response to the person who wondered why CA schools didn’t make the cut: My guess is, the CA publics (at the least the UCs) didn’t make it into a best buy list because they’re not a particularly good deal for out-of-state students.</p>
<p>Very surprised that Baylor made it. My EFC was 0 and I was expected to pay 20K out of pocket, on top of loans! In fact, several people from my school had a similar story.</p>
<p>D’s school, Elon, is on this list. It’s in NC, but the second most represented state in their student body is Mass. Why? Good academics, moderately low student-faculty ratio, beautiful campus & facilities, nice weather - and a full-pay price tag of $35k (tuition, room & board). $12k - $15k cheaper than similarly ranked & equipped colleges in the Northeast. There are more kids at Elon from MA, NJ, MD, and the rest of the Mid-Atlantic & New England than from the Carolinas or the rest of the South. Why? Southerners think Elon is expensive. Northeasterners think it’s a bargain.</p>
<p>When D wanted to look at Elon I said, “You won’t be able to come home often, and we won’t be able to visit you. I can’t pay for that many airfares.” D pointed out that her older brother’s college and many of the nearby colleges I wanted her to look at cost at LEAST $10k/year more. “You can buy a lot of plane tickets for $10k, Mom.” She had a point.</p>
<p>Other guides do a much better job of adding info about new buildings, programs, etc. Yale Insiders and the Choosing the Right College are much better at this.</p>
<p>“Harvard costs a family making $180,000 only $18,000 per year. This is around 90% of all families. At virtually all other schools at this income level you are full pay.”</p>
<p>I guess this is true if the family spends all of the $180000 and have non-significant asset in the bank. My brother’s family have made about $180,000 during the last ten years, when he put his financial number into Princeton’s financial aid calculator, all he gets is the money for work study. I know that Harvard is not Princeton, but I assume that they give out financial aid about the same.</p>