<p>"It’s nice to tell a family that you think the affordable state flagship is fine when they’re agonizing over not being able to afford Name Brand U, but some of the people saying that don’t really believe State U is fine. It doesn’t take too many threads to understand that what they mean is that State U is fine for YOU. "</p>
<p>But whether or not other people think State U isn’t really very good, or is good enough for the likes of you but not them, is irrelevant to the state of <em>your</em> pocketbook and finances. And it is possible to think that State U isn’t as good as Elite U in a given field, but it’s also possible to think that the stretch for a particular family to get to Elite U may not be worth it in the broader picture of their finances. I don’t think we have to lie and say that there are no differences, though. They just aren’t differences that one is able to pay for.</p>