<p>Travel costs and other expenses are things that I have to, as a single parent, budget into my finances. He is my only kid and we have never been “states” apart before for long periods of time. So, yes, for our family, these are factors that we would consider.</p>
<p>oldfort…point. You’ve hit his nail.</p>
<p>I, too, have an only child, and I completely understand. When my S went to college, we had an EFC of roughly 0, so I also understand the financial issue.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I think you will find that when he is away, he is away, whether it is three hours drive or 3,000 miles. You will undoubtedly find it hard to get used to. I certainly did. But I don’t see clipping his wings if you can avoid it.</p>
<p>It all depends on the FA package. If it is inadequate, you CAN appeal. I certainly would not advocate your going into big debt…good luck to you.</p>
<p>Consolation, I think it is the wait for the award letter that has me tapping my toe. I’m so ready to breathe, for real-for real, and say…okay, this is the plan…</p>
<p>Mamaof1: I sent you a PM. Also, if you’re a Mamaof1 and Mamaof2 is not or will not be in the picture :-), then maybe it’s ok to spend it all on your only child. I was an only child, and my parents who were never wealthy, said that I benefited greatly from that. They were able to send me to a tier 1 school full fare because there were no siblings to have to consider. I always appreciated that.</p>
<p>However, I also understand that since he’s your only child, the separation is going to be agonizing - at first.</p>
<p>I’m just sayin… look at any schools mid 50% ACT/SAT and gpa, know that 25% are HIGHER than that! I’ve not experienced a college that “dumbs down” their curriculum to the lowest common denominator (isn’t that called “grade inflation?”) Any grad school worth its salt, knows who these offenders are, and they most likely aren’t on the USNWR/Forbes list.</p>
<p>Whats better? having to pick between only two options; being a middling performer at a HYPS or pubic Ivy? or a rock star at a well respected (top 200) National University?</p>
<p>giterdone, I may have answered “the list” wrong. The 2nd college is not at the top of “the list.” :(</p>
<p>If its on the list (USNWR?Forbes?) its a contender… (in the college cred arena, anyway).</p>
<p>It is under “regional” list.</p>
<p>They explain the criteria for that - no reason to avoid “regional” lists. Again; there are 4500 post secondary colleges and universities. You’re looking at a list comprised of the top 20%!</p>
<p>Interesting thread Mamaof1. I’m a single parent also; I have two. FWIW, we are choosing the more expensive option, and I could do alot of other things with the money, but I will still have my retirement funds and feel stable financially. For me, it is worth it and I believe S is very appreciative and therefore will get the most out of it.</p>
<p>Understand that decades of research have shown conclusively that for a motivated student, there is no educational advantage to attending a more prestigious or selective school; nor, with only a very narrow range of exceptions, is there a significant lifetime income advantage. So if you choose the more expensive alternative, all you are really getting for your money is prestige.</p>
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<p>– Ernest T. Pascarella and Patrick T. Terenzini, “How College Affects Students, Volume 2: A Third Decade of Research.” San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005 (a summary of nearly 2,500 studies from the 1990s, expanding on nearly 2,600 studies from the 1970s and 1980s summarized by the same authors in Volume 1 (1991)), pp. 641-642, emphasis added</p>
<p>Not an easy decision. Clearly, the package from the Tier 1 school will assist in the decision. If its very minimal, the choice may be easy (go for the in-state). If its very generous, it may also be easy (go to Tier 1). Its the middle that makes it challenging.</p>
<p>Does the in-state have an honors college? Is it the flagship U of your state? If so, it may be more challenging and have more smart, dedicated students than your child thinks he will find. Many bright, accomplished students go in state for finanical reasons. </p>
<p>It also depends on what he is thinking of studying. If he is into business, bound for the financial industry, the contacts made at top tier school MAY be very helpful in internships and jobs. OTOH, the State U may have a large alumni base and also offer great opportunities. If he wants to go to law or med school, saving $$ now would be very important. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Annasdad: Given that the research points to interactions with teachers and peers as critical, how can the quality of a school not matter? What is “the degree of net change” being measured? Not sure this is an accurate portrayal of how the quality of a college impacts student outcomes.</p>
<p>However, I certainly agree that higher price or higher rank does not necessarily mean a better experience. OTOH, not sure any reasonable person could say that the college experience at a top 10 college does not differ from the experience at a Tier 3 college.</p>
<p>I went to a state school and did fine. I even got an acceptance to a funded Ivy PhD program. However outcomes are not all there is to college. My kids were both significantly shaped and changed by their time at elite LAC’s. I am not wealthy and my retirement funds are not impressive (I figure I will just keep working) but I don’t regret my decision. There are some states where the publics are outstanding; ours is not.</p>
<p>annasdad, thanks.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on my ideas to him of possibly double majoring, studying abroad, summer internships outside of the not tier 1 school, etc.?</p>
<p>Would it still not compare to what could be potentially experienced in a tier 1 setting?</p>
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Most students do that no matter what kind of school they go to, it is quite common.</p>
<p>mom2and is spot on.</p>
<p>If you cannot afford a school, then its a non-issue. Going into 6 figures of debt for undergrad is not wise.</p>
<p>That said, without knowing what schools we are talking about, its difficult to help. Not all state schools are created equal. Despite what some say, the quality of the school, the opportunity to learn with academic peers, and to study in the major of one’s choice all do matter. And as we know, what a student majors in matters too, for future earnings potential. <a href=“http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf[/url]”>http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf</a></p>
<p>also, read this [How</a> Increasing College Access Is Increasing Inequality, and What to Do about It — The Century Foundation](<a href=“http://tcf.org/publications/2010/9/how-increasing-college-access-is-increasing-inequality-and-what-to-do-about-it]How”>How Increasing College Access Is Increasing Inequality, and What to Do about It) download the PDF and read at around pg 87 ish. Attending a less selective college can clearly have its downfalls. Though some refuse to consider this.</p>
<p>Interesting hypothesis referenced in that pdf, that the RESOURCES at the better schools are of key importance:
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<p>Yes the experience of a tier two or lower school with regards to everything is going to be horrid. All those stupider people to have to be arround</p>
<p>Please think about your question. Study abroad, most ofthetime you are with kids from many schools, and yes golly, some won’t be elite.</p>
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<p>The quality of a school does matter. The problem is that the widely reported and easily available information - the published rankings, the CC forum anecdotes, even the detailed data available from College Board and elsewhere - does not measure quality. To do that, you’d have to have detailed data about (a) institution-by-institution results on assessments like the Collegiate Learning Assessment, GREs, MCATs, LSATs, GMATs, etc., correlated to the entering statistics of the individual students taking those assessments; and (b) rigorously collected, institution-by-institution data on the factors that research shows does matter in producing superior educational results. Neither of those data sets is available. To the extent that that kind of information has been collected and analyzed by researchers, it does not correlate with the widely published and accepted sources that purport to identify “America’s best colleges.”</p>
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<p>I suppose that depends on how you define “the college experience.” If you mean by how it will affect an individual student educationally, then the research shows that it does not significantly differ, at least not on the basis of anybody’s rankings. The authors of the 700-page summary of three decades of research acknowledge that what the research shows is counterintuitive and at variance with the commonly received wisdom.</p>