TheGreyKing:
“Worth it” is different for every person. For me, attending a top small liberal arts college was such a wonderful learning experience, being surrounded entirely by peers who loved the life of the mind as much as I did and interacting closely with top professors. It was a magical four years.
As I chose to become an elementary school teacher (after getting my MA from Columbia University Teachers College— my undergrad college thankfully did not offer any pre-professional courses, but was purely about thinking), some might consider my expensive BA not “worth it” from a strictly financial standpoint.
But I never wanted to make a lot of money. I wanted fulfillment— an intellectually exciting four years of college followed by a career where I feel I am making an important difference in the lives of others.
And hey, my spouse earns less than I do, yet despite both of us choosing careers we believed in above ones with high income, we still were able to save enough money to send our kid to a top liberal arts college without needing financial aid, giving him the type of experience we both had loved.
I think attending such a college is “worth it” from an experiential standpoint.
I feel so even more strongly after hearing a group of friends from our local high school comparing their experiences at a range of colleges. That does not mean you can’t get a good education at another sort of college. Of course you can. It’s just a qualitatively different experience.
Is attending such a college necessary for financial success? No. Or for getting into law school? No. Individuals can create their own futures, with or without the “leg up” of alumni connections or impressive sounding degrees.
Is everyone who goes to such a college choosing it for career connections and money? No. There is so much more to college.
Only you, OP, can decide what is “worth it” to you, given your goals for college and for life.
Very well said. The actual quality and personal fit for an undergraduate education is an important factor often overlooked on CC no matter if go to graduate school or not.