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I would pay around the $60,000 you quoted. Not for the education. Not for 1 minute.</p>
<p>For the status.
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<p>Why does it have to be either/or? Isn't it true that for most of us, we're paying for some mixture of the two, along with several other factors, which doubtless vary for each of us? </p>
<p>The additional cost of HYP over Berkeley or Virginia, which--if you're in-state--is tremendous, may not be strictly justified by any one of various factors. But the combination (all of the above) can be seductive.</p>
I know you were joking... but I still feel moved to comment that from what I know, I don't think your D1 will ever be "unemployed", unless she chooses to volunteer her time (such as by joining the Peace Corps or setting up her own international charitable agency) -- rather than seek financial compensation for her work.</p>
<p>Did you remember that, contrary to the ditty, you can't pak yah cah in hahvahd square? or in my neighbohood? Doesn't matter what brand or size. :)</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm getting tired of HYPSM/WASP or Ivies standing in for either or both an expensive or an excellent education. Plenty of both kinds to be found outside of the Ivies/HYPSM/WASP.</p>
<p>Very well said. I think the most important thing is to keep things in the right perspective. Isn't the goal here to help your child find the college that is right for them and for whatever career plans they may have AND one that you can afford? Why would we want to encourage our d to apply to a school out of town (unless we know she can get a scholarship) when there are many wonderful schools (public & private) closeby? I love my d and she has worked all of her school life and I feel obligated to provide her to the best of my ability with a college education but not at all costs....and those limits have to be determined by each family. If you take the time to get to know your child as they are growing up you will be able to better direct them and aide them in this decision making.....which you will be paying for. We did not send our son to college as he barely got through high school and we had to push him all the way. He graduated and started working and has never looked back and is happy as can be. We never made him feel like he didn't measure up because he chose work over college. Eventually everyone has to leave school and go to work....he just did it earlier.</p>
<p>I've never understood the whole "private school experience." Someone please explain. Obviously theres a difference between Penn State and Williams. But Cornell and UVa? UCLA and USC? UNC and Duke? Is there really a difference in "experience" between these schools? I think a lot of what you people perceive as differences is really "quality of student body" - and that difference is somewhat moot between top schools. Going to a state school only sucks if you're an OOSer and go to a school where 50% goes home on weekends. Top publics don't have that problem.</p>
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Is there really a difference in "experience" between these schools?
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Yes. Professors who know your name, your interests, your strengths. Who talk with you outside of class, and suggest pathways and opportunities that you might not have thought of. Who read and critique your papers. Who lead discussions in classes of 5-25 students. As opposed to- 200 kids in an English class, with all papers graded by T.A.s (and only one paper assigned; all other assignments and exams are multiple choice.) There is definitely a difference in experience!</p>
<p>I think you'll find that that happens at all LARGE schools. You really think that goes on at TCNJ? Or William and Mary? Do you think it doesn't go on at schools like UPenn, Boston University, or George Washington? Although I will admit readily - there are many more large publics than large privates.</p>
<p>I think it depends anxiousmom. My son goes to a large public university. All of his engineering professors know him and are readily available to talk to him outside of class. The department offers job opportunities and career advice. Research and business partnerships probably offer more opportunities that would not be available from a small school. He is also in the German department, where no class has over 20 students and many are 10-12 kids sitting around a table. And they all know each other too. </p>
<p>So yes, I think there are differences among schools, but no, I don't think it has to do only with public vs private. Parents need not feel guilty for letting their kids attend a public university rather than a small private college.</p>
<p>Yes - I never understood this whole "public vs. private" debate among colleges. This isn't high school - where the vast majority of private high schools offer more than "Xtown High School." To the contrary, top publics hold there own against top privates (albiet there are less top publics), and mediocre and marginal publics are for the most part superior to mediocre and marginal privates.</p>
<p>I don't have any experience with private schools on the college level yet, although our daughter is considering attending that type of college. She did attend private Christian school from the second grade until her sophomore year. Pros & Cons in both environments but our experience was a small school (1000 students K-12) small cliques and new students weren't often readily accepted, curriculum was limited, tuition and fee driven, somewhat of a high turnover rate in teachers because if students/parents didn't like a teacher they weren't rehired for the next year. Students were well known by the teachers and any problems were quickly resolved but sometimes teachers were too hard on the same students and didn't look at them as individuals. Our daughter has done much better in a large public school, but she thinks she will probably attend a small to medium size college because she thinks the small close knit environment during her college years would be a positive.</p>
<p>Engineering is its own genre and should be taken off the table for this discussion as engineering programs have more in common with each other than they do non-engineering programs at the same institution.</p>
<p>I disagree with you Jags: at what I regard at every sub-tier among "competitive" colleges, there are more privates than public. The UC's, Michigan, North Carolina, Virgina flagship states...all very good. And for that I'd probably make a good case for undergrad at Yale or Brown over UCLA or Berkeley. Texas, Wisconsin-Madison, Washington, and probably a few others I'm momentarily blanking on...are also worthy of consideration for high-achieving students. But beyond that group, you start getting into lots of asterisks and footnotes. And that's not even looking at the whole LAC thing, the overwhelming majority of which are private and the top 20-50, depending upon how and what you measure, provide options you aren't going to get at even a good state school. Yes, a high-achieving student can succeed anywhere...but where can he or she best succeed, develop the most potential?</p>
<p>At a public school, the student is of necessity a cog in a machine. At the private schools, there tends to be more of a "how can we help you develop your potential along the lines you want" attitude. And per your post #213, I wouldn't be so cavalier treating quality of student body as a throwaway. It's one of my contentions that half the learning in college takes place outside the formal and peer attitudes count for a lot, not only academic potential but attitudes towards academic, e.g., how much is drinking a priority.</p>
<p>[Drinking occurs everywhere but my score sheets would give preference to colleges where drinking is less central to the social scene as opposed to more.]</p>
<p>I don't think there's a simple one-kind-of-school-fits-all reality, despite my bias for LAC's (which are be default mostly private). Just last night I was giving a thumbs up to a mom whose daughter is considering Berkeley...for this student, it's an excellent fit. But neither do I say there's nothing to be gained by going private.</p>