Public policy work generally pays modestly, but a BA should be sufficient. An MPA doesnt improve job prospects
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Great points!
Agree. We kept it in the mix because we are open to the possibility. But if I’m paying for something (esp something like this) I’d like to feel the value is there and I’m not getting too caught up in the emotion (my background is engineering/finance/economics, so you can see how I’m damaged!) Yes, we can afford - we’re lucky and have prioritized saving. So my question to the world was effort to find out what folks thought was the primary value of this particular school (or any of this caliber perhaps) that makes this a good decision. And of course, the answer will vary with each family and that’s fine.
Thank you!
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Great points, and thanks for ref to WSJ story. I’d say that particular issue with D1 is sorted out now. She spent some time on the border learning about folks crossing over, and has volunteered with teaching English to recent arrivals, so she gets it. But still, I think the entitlement can rub off a bit, depending on the crowd you hang with, who may be lovely in other ways.
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If you are looking at grad school - law, business, policy or administration, going to ND vs Purdue, Cincy or nake any other school will have little, if any impact.
The students grades, tests, recs, and accomplishments will be what matters.
Is the UND experience worth it - assuming it’s superior? That’s an individual call.
Will the outcome be different long term? Unlikely.
Best of luck.
Ps - most employers pay very little for grad school which has gotten increasingly expensive.
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That depends on the field and the company. It’s quite common for west coast companies to subsidize advanced education for engineers.
Where it would be nice to have dry powder is if she chooses law.
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Our experience so far with midwest based companies too ; )
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The folks I know - even the companies my son was offered including one that required you start within a year - they pay but limited.
Today some grad programs are as well into six figures.
One company (top defense) paid $40K toward the MBA, for example.
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Amen!
I understand your tug of war. But I want to frame this differently.
What would you be doing if ALL of your kid’s college acceptances came in at the same cost as ND. Would you tell her she can’t go to college? Or would you be paying for it as you had planned to do all along.
I don’t think you need to “justify” this cost. I think you only need to decide if you still plan to let your kid use their 529 to do so.
You have planned well…what a wonderful gift for your kids.
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Thanks for the above. We won’t be imposing a decision, but will definitely discuss the implications of the choice. We are very lucky insofar as the bill won’t kill us, but doesn’t mean we don’t care. As you noted it’s a big number. Whatever we decide, there is a total budget available, which can, if not used for undergrad, be used for grad school down the line.
Your point about outcomes resonates with me. Our kid’s pediatrician is fantastic, and we love her … she attended Princeton undergrad and Vanderbilt for med school (if I recall correctly). All the same, as we’ve seen her, I’ve always been conscious of fact there are great pediatricians all around us from IU and Cincinnati, who probably stressed a lot less than she did to get into Princeton.
Part of me thinks the prestige of these schools matters more if one is chasing investment banking, consulting, some NGOs/think tanks, or top tier PhD programs. It seems like ND has the IB & consulting nailed, but these aren’t on daughter’s radar.
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She’s thinking econ for the entry into public policy analysis. Hasn’t thought much about finance per se. If she were to gravitate in that direction could certainly be an option as part of an MBA I suppose.
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Agree 100%. But wow, taking the emotion out of this is HARD.
She has no clue even what an IB job is – is thinking econ as entry into public policy analysis. But I learned something myself-had no idea ND was an IB target school. Thanks! [And agree, that is a brutal career.]
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This is an important point, one you have a great grasp on…the bank is limited.
It’s hard to overstate the power of entering the workforce debt free, and the drag of leverage across a whole career. I discuss this regularly with my patients. One physician, granted a career changer, made his last loan payment at age 62. Another who is a veterinarian told be that had he really had a firm grasp on what would be required to service his debt, he would have been an electrician.
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Agree in part, but god, if she goes for anthropology …
It’s clear that many ND folks love their time there. But lots of folks love their time at their school.
Yes, it’s the value question. Getting lots of interesting/thoughtful viewpoints here.
And she’s recently taken RHIT off the table because of the career uncertainty, size of school, and gender balance (even if in her favor).
We’ll see!
Government jobs ( the usual outcome for public policy careers) won’t care which college she attends. There are few research think tanks/ advocacy positions available, but those that are require either a phd for think tanks or a law degree for advocacy.
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Good points, but we won’t impose a decision, but will definitely discuss. And whatever she doesn’t spend from the 529 is hers in the future.
And good reminder re weed outs … pretty confident she’d survive that (if she wants to). It’s more a question as to whether or not she’d get discouraged with not getting A all the time (which I’ve already talked about lower grades in college).