<p>Dr. Mark Perry, a professor of finance and business economics at the University of Michigan, explains his graph here. He compiled data from the Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics, and tracked the relative changes in general prices (the CPI), the median home price, and college tuition, each from 1978 to today.</p>
<p>The contrast between the CPI data and tuition is stark enough. The cost of living has steadily risen, a bit more than tripling from 1978 to today. But tuition has multiplied more than tenfold in the same period, and the rise has accelerated over the past decade.</p>
<p>More telling is the comparison between the housing bubble and tuition. The peak of the housing bubble was in March of 2007, when the median home price was $262,600. Thats a five-fold increase from January 1978 price ($52,300). In the same period, the CPI rose by a factor of 3.27. This means that at the peak of the bubble, housing prices had outpaced the CPI by about 50 percent.</p>
<p>But from 1978 to today, college tuition has increased by a factor of 11.17. This means the rise in college tuition has outpaced the CPI by 241 percent. As Prof. Paul Caron notes, The college tuition bubble makes the housing price bubble seem pretty lame by comparison. </p>
<p>Granted, these statistics by themselves dont definitively prove that the college bubble is five times as bad as the housing bubble. The crucial variable is the real value of a college education the increase in real prices doesnt constitute a bubble if real value has risen equally.</p>
<p>Statistically measuring the real value of education is beyond my ken. But as a recent college graduate, I find it hard to believe that college is 3.5 times more valuable than it was in 1978, or more valuable at all, particularly with students studying so much less.</p>
<p>Personally I get 2400 pages/semester for free, so I have no need for ink. I don’t go to the movies, so no need for movie theatre popcorn. Don’t buy greeting cards, textbooks (yeah, I win like that), bottled water, or brand name fashions. Yay for me!</p>
<p>Non-refillable cups of coffee should be on that list too. Like Starbucks and such.</p>
<p>As umcp said, talk to the profs! I’m a professor. Kids email me well in advance and can find out what book I will be ordering. No point in waiting to hear from the school. Any school worth the tuition you are paying sure better have profs that can answer such emails!</p>
<p>They might also ask if there is a copy of a syallbus (or last year’s if the new one is not available yet), and that way one can see how much of the text will be used (in some cases, a bunch of books are ordered but some are only used for a bit so not worth buying but borrowing from the library). </p>
<p>Most often I do NOT choose which edition-- I know the book I want, and it is the publisher that makes lame changes every other year to justify a ‘new one’ and it is the only book that can be ordered. It’s bs. So I tell my students I’ll be working with the newest edition as that will be the most available book for most students but they are more than welcome to use any edition they want that is 2-4 years old, though they are responsible for the match up (e.g. of problem sets, page numbers for readings). Fortunately it’s usually a tiny hassle that is well worth it. The important stuff does not change year to year. </p>
<p>I also put the textbook on reserve on the library as many do (or will do, if students ask for it). That can also be a source of savings, especially if the book is not critical to the course (see my earlier point above).</p>
<p>I have also ordered books with a cheaper, online edition when available, but interestingly, 99% of students prefer to buy the hard copy and not just rely on the online version. </p>
<p>So my take home point: email the professors! If they don’t answer your emails, that is a good sign to look for a different professor to take the same course with (if you can). And if unanswered emails by professors is a common occurrence, your kid should be at a different school because you are being ripped off by more than textbook publishers!</p>
<p>Percussion dad- one other thought: you should be able to contact your credit card company and register with a US address. We are also in Canada but ship things to the US this way all the time. Use Amazon.ca</p>
<p>Short rant: My d used a different edition of a novel they were reading at her private high school from the ones the rest of the class had bought at the beginning of the year. (We own copies of lots of these novels already.) The teacher took 10 points off her test for the extra trouble she had to go through to check her foot note references! I’ve skipped buying several novels again this year, but I’m begging my d to ask this year’s teacher if he is going to do the same. If so, I guess I have to go ahead and purchase them.</p>
<p>We have gone back and forth about sending a printer with S2 next year. He has a new one that doesn’t take much room. Paper is always on sale at staples for 1/2 price on some brand if you have a rewards card. We are so used to ink and printing. Their hs went ‘paperless’ in a bogus green initiative. What this means is the students are required to print everything at home. Can you imagine how much the school is saving?!? Brilliant. He seems to want the printer to go…</p>
<p>Event though he gets some kind of printing budget from the school, it is a matter of convenience. His school doesn’t have printers in the dorms, and last year he had to walk to the nearest building with a printer every time he wanted to print out a draft of a paper or lab. At 2 in the morning or in the middle of winter this was a pain.</p>
<p>I found what looks to be a reasonable HP printer/copier/scanner on newegg for $50. It’s small enough to fit on a shelf over his desk. He’ll be buying his own ink and paper.</p>
<p>Our son wanted a printer too, even though his desk is woefully small. I think the need will vary quite a bit depending on what you’re planning to do with it. As a songwriter and probable music major, he wanted to able to print out parts, lyrics etc. whenever he needed them. I think if it was just for class papers he probably would not have cared as much.</p>
<p>Re: printers at school – depends on the student. As already mentioned, running around to print something in the wee hours of the morning can be a hassle. D received a laptop and printer as a freshman (notice I didn’t say it was “free!”) and put it to good use. She graduated in May and now her school does NOT give printers to incoming freshmen.</p>
<p>We love newegg! Great prices and one of the first places I check. I sent a post to blankdvdmedia asking about shipment to the US and any surcharge for shipping. I’ll let you know what I hear back.</p>
<p>I was on a faculty advisory committee to the IT department at a university and to reduce paper usage, the IT department recommended that we limit usage to some number (I think it was 50 pages per week) and there was metering software to control that. First few weeks there was no problem. As exams approached, there was chaos.</p>
<p>Students who had long term papers and no quota left, rather than printing and editing on paper, started editing on the computer and taking a lot of time. Other students could not get to the computer and there was a long line to use the computer and printers. During the finals, the lines were always long, but it now it become much longer.</p>
<p>Some students started trading their quotas (tell their friends that “I can print 20 pages for you, send me the file etc.”). We abandoned the policy.</p>
<p>To clarify, I love that the school has recycling bins at every corner and in every room. The teachers and faculty are strict about it. It’s second nature to the students. The zero printing at school calling it ‘green’ was simply irritating. It was a cost saving measure. The cost has been passed to the parents. No paper or ink is being saved. </p>
<p>It is not simply the students work that is no longer printed at school. They must now print all handouts, letters home, worksheets, etc. If you head into class without needed papers, the teacher generally has one to loan you, but you’re going to give it back before you head out. Parents have taken to printing their students things needed for homework at their place of business (we print at home). The cost is then being passed somewhere else.</p>
<p>Call a spade a spade. They are passing the buck…or the bill.</p>
<p>I want USPS to stop stuffing my mail box with grocery ads and junk mails. I also want my 401K management companies just sends me 1-2 pages instead of 6-8 pages every quarter. I am tired of shredding paper. My recycle bin is always full and my trash bin is almost empty every week.</p>
<p>I just had the XL capacity printer cartridge for my son’s HP printer refilled at Costco for $9.99 at their 1-hour photo counter. They clean the cartridge, fill it and recommend you start to use it within a month. This same cartridge sells new at Costco for around $35!</p>
<p>^Agreed with the junk mail. Can you ask your 401K mgmt co. to send you e-statements? You could print the 1-2 pages you wanted.
We have three recycle bins at our curb every week. Three teenage boys create so much trash!</p>
<p>Some 401K management companies don’t have paperless service yet. I have worked for several companies in the last 25 years. My 401Ks spread across many companies although I don’t have much when adding them up.</p>
<p>About recycle bin - my wife keeps bringing home those paper boxes from costco.</p>
<p>Though it may be more environmentally friendly I refuse to use the refill ink cartridges. I have had them explode in my printer and make a huge mess that took hours to clean up. I do recycle the old cartridge when I get a new one though…
As far as overpriced products what about feminine products? I think they are ridiculously overpriced because they know there will always be a market…</p>
<p>starbright Let me know what you think when you do try the ink. As I said I have never had a problem with them and I have given the site to 8 or 9 people I work with. I wish I could get commission :)</p>
<p>blueiguana let me know what they say about shipping to the US, I am curious</p>