<p>So, recently, I got into my dream LAC, one of the most prestigious in the country. Unfortunately it will end up costing me *more than *$200,000 when I graduate. Are private colleges really worth all that money, or will I be better off saving my money and going to the state school? </p>
<p>Fyi, I intend on going to grad school after. If the undergrad institution does not matter, then why would people choose to go to expensive LACs/universities in the first place?</p>
<p>Facilities at expensive LACs are often similar to expensive luxurious country clubs and classes are smaller and you get lots more attention and papering. State schools are more impersonal and functional and by necessity not as intimate due to the large class sizes and crowd control.</p>
<p>What is worth your money is really a family decision for your family to make.</p>
<p>For my family, $200K would mean loans & huge debt. It wouldn’t be worth it to me. And I LOVE LACs - I am a parent & LAC grad. Definitely had a better undergrad experience than others who went to state institutions.</p>
<p>Do you know for sure you won’t receive any merit/scholarships or aid at the LAC? </p>
<p>In my state, PA, many of LACs are just as affordable as Penn State (who is not known to give much) after all packages are compared.</p>
<p>Also look at your state schools carefully and compare length of years required to graduate at the LAC vs the state. State schools ofter take a semester or year longer to graduate due to limited course enrollment – The flip side is state schools also are more generous on granting credit for AP courses.</p>
<p>All in all – dig deeper and have all the facts so that you compare apples to apples, but IMO do not take on any huge debt.</p>
<p>Longhaul, </p>
<p>I can apply for some scholarships but they would barely help. The school also doesn’t offer merit aid.</p>
<p>Hmm… I hadn’t thought of how many more semesters it would take at the public school. Do you know where I might be able to find that info, besides the public U’s website?</p>
<p>Thanks, I don’t want to take on debt either…</p>
<p>The LAC almost certainly offers smaller class sizes (with more discussion, and more essay assignments relative to multiple choice or short answer tests). A very selective private college will have a much more geographically diverse student body (though not necessarily more diverse by ethnicity and income). The students on average will be more capable and motivated (though any good state university also will attract many top students.)</p>
<p>No LAC has instant nationwide name recognition to the average person on the street. So it’s not as though having Amherst or Williams on an otherwise poor resume will automatically open doors to wealth and status. All else being equal, it should give you an edge in professional school admissions (assuming we’re not comparing it to an honors program at a top flagship like Berkeley or Michigan). In many fields, the LAC probably will prepare you better to succeed once you’re in. But not by a big enough margin to compensate for a huge debt burden.</p>
<p>My S attends a very selective (not ultra selective) LAC. The school is granting him enough credit for IB courses that he may be able to graduate in 3 years. Check out each school’s policies carefully if this is an issue.</p>
<p>tk21769, </p>
<p>That’s pretty much what I was thinking. Although I will be better prepared at the LAC, it probably won’t make up for the small fortune I would be spending to be there.</p>
<p>I’m still in the process of checking their AP policy, but if it knocks off a semester or even a year, then that’s a whole different story…</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>One-on-one interaction with professors is by far the most efficient and effective way to learn. Almost by definition you get much more of this interaction at an LAC… </p>
<p>What is your intended course of study? True liberal arts is harder to get right at a Public Research Unviersity than at an LAC, so that makes a big difference.</p>
<p>When people speak of average class size and access to professors, they are really referring to an iterative learning process wherein you describe your ideas, and a real professional gives you instant feedback. This feedback loop is intense at an LAC, and not so at a school with huge classes and/or less direct access to professors.</p>
<p>Now, you wrote that it would “cost me over $200k” at an LAC. Does this mean you would take out most of that in loans? Or are you lamenting the fact that your parents would remove that large amount from their planned retirement resources?</p>
<p>On the positive side for the Public Research University (most any Public in the USNWR top 50 ore even top 100, the higher ranked the better usually), you get HUGE faculties, HUGE resources, and HUGE variety in the type and sequencing of your classes in your chosen field. Most LACs do not house or fund cutting edge research in most areas of science and social science. If you are a top student, say top 10%, even at a Public Research University, you will earn access the professors who can give you the kind of feedback all students get at a prestigious LAC. The risk is that if you end up not being top 10%, that access is really tough to get.</p>
<p>I was intending to do pre-med but I’m not sure yet…</p>
<p>I’m lamenting about both factors - I will have to take a few loans out and my parents will have to stop funding their retirement.</p>
<p>At this point, the public U seems the best option…</p>
<p>Don’t forget too that a big part of college is what you make of it. So that if you prefer small discussions but end up with a large lecture, you could compensate by talking to the instructor or other students after class. You could read extra material or volunteer to help with research projects.</p>
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<p>I found this bit of valuable information in your post history.</p>
<p>So, 100,000 for state flagship X or 200,000 for a T3 LAC?</p>
<p>I don’t know about Swarthmore, but both Amherst and Williams are exceedingly generous with regards to financial aid. Since any of these schools expects your family to pay full-freight, it doesn’t appear that your family will suffer crippling financial calamity if your parents decide to fund your education, in the same way that a middle or working class family would in your situation.</p>
<p>This is your future we’re talking about here. I think it’s worth the investment.</p>
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There is a tremendous difference between William & Mary and the University of North Dakota. </p>
<p>Saying “it’s worth the investment” is a bit hasty without knowing the school in question, no? :rolleyes:</p>
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<p>For many upper middle income families that don’t quite qualify for aid, the cost spread is significant. The extra outlays may not spell financial calamity, but they could mean delaying retirement, downsizing the house, or taking on loans the size of a small mortgage. </p>
<p>This may well be your first adult decision. In many adult decisions, the options are not starkly black and white. Have a candid talk about money with your parents. You have until May to decide, right?</p>
<p>For med school, it is going to come down to grades, MCAT scores, and internships/experience. Don’t overlook the fact that at a good public, you will likely have an on-campus med school that will give opportunities that may be harder to come by at a LAC. You may also be able to take a number for graduate-level classes that are not available at a LAC that will look good to the admission committee.</p>
<p>If you’ll need to borrow money for med school (which can cost well over $200k), then you shouldn’t borrow much for undergrad. You’ll run out of borrowing power.</p>
<p>However, if your family can afford to pay for the undergrad of your choice, then you’re lucky! :)</p>
<p>“There is a tremendous difference between William & Mary and the University of North Dakota.”</p>
<p>No kidding. W&M doesn’t even HAVE a School of Aerospace Sciences.</p>
<p>My parents will have to borrow for undergrad, and as you say Med school + Undergrad = too many loans…I think I’ll just focus on doing well at the state school and see what happens there.
On that subject, how easy is it to transfer before junior year from a state school to a private one? Is it practically unheard of - because I was thinking of that if I didn’t like the state school.</p>
<p>If you are accepted into one of the most prestigious LACs in the country, you probable can get into your flagship state university too. You probable will do very well in your affordable state university. Medical school admissions are based on grades, MCAT scores, and internships/experience. I don’t see why you can not get good grades, excellent MCAT scores and internship experiences in your state school. Therefore I will suggest that you save your 200K and go to the state U.</p>
<p>private LAC is a luxury, but not a necessity. You make who you are not anyone or anything else. You don’t need to waste 200K to achieve your goal.</p>
<p>This is just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>Heres an interesting data point. I work at a major state school and most of my faculty colleagues have sacrificed to send their own children to the excellent LACs (as well as Ivys), Amherst, Haverford, Kenyon, Pomona, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Williams come to mind. For many of us, the residential liberal arts undergraduate educational experience is something we think is special and worth the expense. Of course, part of it depends on the student and an assessment of where he/she will flourish. Of course, students can also have great educational experiences in state schools (such as ours) as well. But, I think many of us who work and teach in higher education do think LACs are worth the financial investment, if your family can make it happen.</p>
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<p>This. There are undeniable benefits to your education, unless you really prefer the anonymity of lecture classes (and some students do), to attending a top LAC. But ultimately, the choice to do so is the choice to pay for a luxury. </p>
<p>In your situation, it’s like buying a smaller house in a good school district or a larger house in a so-so school district. The larger house will improve your/your parents’ quality of life immediately, just like if you went to a state school and took on less debt. But many people will opt for the smaller house, sacrificing now so that their children can get a better education. Now, will there be people going to HYPS from the so-so school district–yep! But the chances of you being one of those people, or of simply receiving the highest-quality education possible, is less. That’s why houses in good school districts cost so much more.</p>
<p>^ I don’t really like that comparison. Living in a small house is not analogous to taking on significant debt that can be a burden for a long, long time.</p>