<p>I agree, Marsian, For many kids , it is considered a great outcome to get accepted to your state school of choice. Most kids still go to their state schools, if they go away to school at all. </p>
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<p>Is there a norm in need-based financial aid (public or private)?</p>
<p>See the differences in net price calculator tests here (particularly for the high income and assets situation):</p>
<p><a href=“"Meet full need" schools can vary significantly in their net prices. - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1675058-meet-full-need-schools-can-vary-significantly-in-their-net-prices-p1.html</a></p>
<p>“this happens all the time in North Carolina and probably in most states in the country – mainly the ones that are not located in the Northeast.”</p>
<p>Yes, and it’s double true in the South. People really love their public universities there.</p>
<p>Hanna it is also true in the midwest. Most kids stay in the midwest and go to public universities. At my kid’s high school, which is a highly rated public high school 85-90% stay in the midwest (mostly public schools) and most of the rest go to out of the region public schools. It is mainly in the Northeast that they obsess over the private universities/Ivys. And I say this having gone to one of those privates and having a son at one of the Ivys. </p>
<p>Same thread, 9 years ago. Interesting to see the difference in responses:</p>
<p><a href=“Ivy-League education vs. Public school education - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/15321-ivy-league-education-vs-public-school-education.html</a></p>
<p>“Only a few of the very top students in the state apply to Ivy League or other highly-ranked private schools.”</p>
<p>I don’t know what you mean by very top students, is it top 1% or top 10%?</p>
<p>My daughter is in a public high school with a class size of about 500. Year after year, the top 5 students (well, top 1%) went to top 20 universities. Top 5% mostly applied to top 20 universities but only some were admitted. The other top 10% students mostly stay at state schools.</p>
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<p>Yet another thing which ‘Everyone Knows’ yet isn’t remotely true. </p>
<p>2018dad, I don’t think there’s an added value on attending an Ivy over Berkeley for CS. Berkeley would be so much better than all the Ivies, save for Harvard and Princeton, for CS or any program related to IT.</p>
<p>I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad and chose Michigan over a couple of Ivies for grad school.</p>
<p>There’s no real difference unless you go to HYPWharton and want to go into top tier finance. I think the main difference is that East Coasters actually care about the Ivies while, IMO, nobody else really cares. </p>
<p>^ And the difference in top tier finance for HYPWharton is only for UNDERGRAD. Grad school is a completely different topic ( ranking in your field matters a lot more).</p>
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<p>Yes, and $250k isn’t that much, depending on where you live. My S/O and I are in our 20s and we make over $250k a year.</p>
<p>The Ivies are full of rich kids though. IMO, much richer than just $250k a year (morel like multi-millionaires).</p>
<p>$250,000 income is the 93rd percentile for married couples filing tax returns and 96th percentile for all tax returns, according to <a href=“http://www.whatsmypercent.com/”>http://www.whatsmypercent.com/</a> .</p>
<p>Percentile by county can be looked up at <a href=“What Percent Are You? - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com”>What Percent Are You? - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com; . $250,000 is the 81st percentile in Stamford, CT, but 99th percentile in many rural areas (e.g. in AZ, MO, PA).</p>
<p>However, <a href=“Why So Many Rich People Don't Feel Very Rich - The New York Times”>http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/why-so-many-rich-people-dont-feel-very-rich/</a> discusses why so many rich people do not feel rich.</p>
<p>^ I live in NYC though, where $250k does not go that far. We still live in a small apartment.</p>
<p>Also, for whatever reason, now I am surrounded by people with $10mm+ so I guess my perspective is skewed. </p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t think your school really matters for earning power (outside of grad school rankings where your job opportunities may be tied directly with grad program rankings). </p>
<p>Also, fwiw, Berkeley is as competitive to get into as the lower to mid range Ivies and freshmen year stats are very similar. Job opps don’t really differ unless you do HYPWharton for finance IMO, and I believe that Berkeley is better for engineering/certain hard sciences. </p>
<p>In the long run, your undergrad matters very little. Most people I know who have 10mm+ did not to go to a “good” university. </p>
<p>thoughts on University of Chicago vs UC Berkeley at the same price?</p>
<p>@puzzled123 : I would say it comes down to fit and post-graduate goals (not only what you plan to do but where).</p>
<p>They are equally very strong in the basic sciences, but for the most part, they are very different schools.</p>
Hi. Anyone here who knows more about UC Berkeley’s study abroad programs? I’ve heard they are one of the finest for creative writing, Thanks