<p>Not trying to offend anyone here but trying to figure out rising senior's final visit list and DH and I are asking whether it's really worth it to go to an Amherst or Middlebury or Williams for full freight? Outside of the Northeast they seem to lack name recognition.</p>
<p>DD is not the type who will need a small environment. Interests are broad. Tends to establish good relations with teachers on her own and is fairly assertive.</p>
<p>Just wondering if it makes sense to visit these schools. There are so many out there . . .</p>
<p>This is true for many of the top-rated colleges and universities. On the West Coast you won’t find much name recognition beyond HYP and MIT. So if name recognition is a major factor that rules out a lot of places.</p>
<p>I would not pay that amount and my family would be one to have to pay full freight to those schools. </p>
<p>My dd is going to a LAC because she would thrive in this type of environment. She needs to be an active participant in class and at most universities this would not happen. </p>
<p>We found our state LAC to be good enough and economical enough with a scholarship to make it work. Problem is not many states have a state supported LAC. </p>
<p>If I were your dd, I would apply to those LACs that interest her. I would apply to your flagship college and several of your other state colleges. Then any other university/LAC she maybe interested in going. Make sure you have a safety school she can both get into and will want to attend. After you get back your acceptances and financial packages make a decision. You never know what you are going to get until you apply. </p>
<p>In the end at our house, school fit won out over cost.</p>
<p>Maybe not “need” that environment…but maybe the question is “prefer”? And if prefer is the right word, then are the other options that much more affordable? </p>
<p>BTW, Joe Blow recognizing the name of the school is fairly low on my list of factors to consider. Grad schools? Pro schools? Employers? Yeah. That makes a difference. But Joe? I couldn’t care less and doubt you could either. </p>
<p>BTW, those are three truly amazing schools and are three of the most recognizable smaller, non-Ivy schools nationwide. Pro schools and grad schools and national employers will know them quite well.</p>
<p>BTW, the same can be said for many of our finest small uni’s , too. WashU, Emory, even the non-HYP Ivies will draw a big “huh?” from the great un-washed.</p>
<p>Expect vast ranging answers to such a broad question. The definition of value will be highly subjective, and depends entirely on one’s objective. </p>
<p>In today’s environment, potential applicants are correct to reevaluate the cost of education versus its outcome. As we know, some believe the ONLY path that seems to yield the highly paid and prestigious jobs is the STEM one at a school with a “big name.” But, of course, the key word here is … SEEMS.</p>
<p>The reason why this question does NOT have a clear answer is that you are bound to have to predict what the economy and the demand for graduates will be five to eight years from now. For all we know, most of the jobs that are supposedly immune to the absolute employment negativity in 2011 might be impacted in a few years. For all we know, the darlings of the career centers will again be banks and the non-profit sector. </p>
<p>As far as perceived value, one could look at the selectivity ratio of the LACs and realize how they compare to the most selective research universities. One could also consider the success --or lack thereof-- in landing spots in the various graduate schools. Again, LACs do seem to do well … and perhaps a testament to their original selectivity, as there are no reasons why a strong applicant does not continue to present excellent qualifications. </p>
<p>And, last to least, one could consider that the experience at a LAC will be quite different from one at a shool where the focus IS on the graduate students. Research universities have a number of benefits, and a number of drawbacks. Again, this is very subjective. I have long stated that I consider the teaching by TAs or whatever they are called to be a total disgrace when education is priced at 60,000 per year. Others disagree vehemently! This is not different from discussions about faculty that is dedicated to teaching versus dedicated to chasing the research dollars and the publishing glory. This IS important for an undergraduate to evaluate, and this has to be done school by school and department by department. </p>
<p>In the end, my perception is only based on MY experience. As our ever declining greenback says, E PLURIBUS UNUM! :)</p>
<p>The answer to your question is subjective, there is no correct answer. Some families have the money and the college they think best suits their kid happens to be an LAC, like the ones you mentioned. For them it is worth it. For other families their kid would do just fine at a less expensive school and even if they have that kind of money they would rather do something else with it.</p>
<p>I would say Amherst, Williams and Middlebury have a lot of name recognition outside of the East Coast among people in the know. For people not in the know, even the LACs in the West don’t have name recognition.</p>
<p>dont visit if you know that you cant afford it…or that it would be a hardship to afford it…ie taking money from retirement, taking out unreasonable student loans etc… name recognition alone wouldnt be worth it to me regardless. but if the school was a great fit, offered something special that couldnt be found cheaper…then maybe… just my opinion</p>
<p>i think the quality of education at a really good LAC is unparalleled. If you can afford it, it is well worth it. Name recognition isn’t the issue. The people who matter (those hiring and those admitting to graduate and professional programs) will know, and if they do not someone sitting next to them will tell them.</p>
<p>All the prior posts were wonderful. I will just say that we chose to tour the ones that interested our d & s. While we were there visiting, we absolutely talked with the Financial Aid Representative when we could. We discussed the financial implications as a family, and explained that without some level of tuition assistance, we could not afford full tuition at many. Our d was accepted to all of the pricey, private schools she applied to. ALL of them offered her some level of “merit” incentive. She had a great application package/stats. We will see what evolves with our son, and our decision will be based on both his desire & instincts and the financial considerations. </p>
<p>I would not rule any out any university of interest until you have all the information about them you can. I belive it’s that way with any important decision. Often, you will not know what kind of Financial Help might be available until you apply…</p>
<p>Seems that a lot of people have a mistaken impression that any STEM major = well paid at graduation. This is generally not true for biology or chemistry. And the very popular biomedical engineering is usually not one of the better paid at graduation engineering majors. The letdown at graduation may be worse for such a student with such a mistaken expectation than for a student who knows ahead of time that his/her major is not that well paid at graduation (and takes appropriate action, such as avoiding debt, aggressively pursuing internships, etc.).</p>
<p>Totally agree. If you are only willing to pay for “name recognition”…your student could miss out on some fabulous schools…including the ones in the OP. It sounds like you are thinking you should only PAY FOR name recognition. Sorry…but that’s not how colleges were chosen in this family so I can’t say I’d advocate for that method.</p>
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<p>Actually, that’s not true. If the family doesn’t qualify for need based aid at Amherst, Middlebury or Williams, they WILL be paying “retail” because these schools give ONLY need based aid. No reductions on the costs…unless you qualify for need based aid. The impression I got from the original post to thread is that the family does not anticipate being eligible for need based aid.</p>
<p>That is hard to avoid for some that have income that still surpass the most generous exemptions. Many highly selective schools rely exclusively on need-based aid. </p>
<p>What is true is that almost nobody pays for the total cost of one’s education, since the retail price is already discounted. Well, at least at most schools.</p>
<p>Assuming you are not fabulously wealthy, you may qualify for some needs based financial assist. Don’t assume you won’t. With the cost of tuition + dorm + expenses, etc. Often with some level of Financial Aid, the actual price spread between public & private is not as large as one might think - (assuming you are looking at a full college “package” including dorms.)</p>
<p>•Amherst offers generous scholarships. Last year, Amherst provided more than $37 million in scholarship aid to about half of the student body. The average scholarship award was over $35,000.</p>
<p>This question is loaded–and yes, it feels like you have to be loaded to pay for college these days. (sigh)</p>
<p>I’m one of those who will be paying full sticker price at a LAC. I have more than the average person (through hard work, through luck, and through a few other factors–none of them lucky sperm club or inheritance)…but I’m not wealthy. Except to the financial aid office review who said “nada”.</p>
<p>And yes–Im paying for the LAC of my sons choice. Because I can afford it. because I started a separate college account since the day he was born that has been contributed to regularly, good years and bad, it received a first priority. And because I wanted him in a top notch nstional college, and that was what I funded.</p>
<p>However–I had choices and options and I can. I worked hard. I’m grateful. I’m luckyl. I’m blessed. Everyone however isnt me. Everyone can’t. Only you can decide what you can and cant do–and what you will or won’t do.</p>
<p>Every family–every situation–is different. And no one can answer this question for you and your family.</p>
<p>The OP indicated they would be full pay. Sewhappy…if you haven’t already run a financial aid online calculator…do so. My impression, however,is that the OP to this thread already knows that their family income puts them out of contention for need based aid.</p>
<p>I think the point that Xiggi and others were trying to make on saying that no one pays retail I’d that even at full pay you are getting a discount because it cost more than the $200k that u are paying to educate your child there. </p>
<p>If you cam comfortably afford it then do it because after all I’d said and done you are never going to see a Brinks truck following a hearse</p>
<p>Sigh. Definitely in the full freight category. </p>
<p>DD’s GC is recommending she apply SCEA to a high reach that she has fallen in love with. I’m just beating the bushes, trying to figure out if there’s another school out there, perhaps with ED, that would be worth the effort to visit and, of course, the $200k price tag. The usual suspects are on the visit list – Cornell, Dartmouth, U Penn (she’s seen Columbia and liked but not so much as the other one). </p>
<p>Her safety list is very solid and involves probably merit.</p>
<p>We really know nothing of the LACs. Son who went to HYP says she should see Williams, Amherst and Middlebury.</p>