<p>90000 - 150000 is not middle class income lol</p>
<p>I've yet to meet a grad of UVA or Chapel Hill who said they were academically challenged....(undergrad school).....They all say "we had such great parties".....Why would anyone pay out of state $$ for a good party?.....Maybe its just the people that i met, but over the years I've met MANY and they all say the same thing....odd......</p>
<p>It's definitely worth it if the Ivy picks up most of the tab.</p>
<p>I just wonder. What family income range is middle class? Everybody I know says they are middle class, but many seem pretty rich. I would estimate that a family income over 100,000 is pretty rich, and under 35000 poor in most places.</p>
<p>But what is it that most people think
?</p>
<p>Here, 40-50k is considered "middle class", with 50-100k being upper middle class, and anything above that wealthy. Then again, the COL here is also very low, unless you live on or near the beach, in which case 40-50k is chump change.</p>
<p>It depends on whether you are the parent or the student. ;) lol</p>
<p>In coastal Cali, 100k is considered middle class. My son's private HS gives scholarship money to some families in that income range. But then the average house price is 500k. :(</p>
<p>ASAP, what woul be rich in coastal cal?. $150K; $200K.
That seems really rich to me.</p>
<p>No, that wouldn't be rich. Two professional working parents can make 250k in CA, which is often necessary to afford the lifestyle they choose. "Rich" has more to do with assets than income, so it's hard to say what would be rich.</p>
<p>" which is often necessary to afford the lifestyle they choose"</p>
<p>Er, sorry, but if someone "chooses" a rich lifestyle it doesn't make them any poorer.</p>
<p>True. My point is just that two incomes are often necessary to afford the California coastal lifestyle. I guess I think that if two people have to work to afford their home, they aren't rich in my book. Comfortable, prosperous even, but rich, no.</p>
<p>plus, many people use up all their income for a fancy house and SUV and have nothing in the bank.</p>
<p>Umm...yes its totally worth it. Countless top students who are willing to not only pay top dollar to go to these schools but even go into debt to get that degree can't all be wrong. Look at it from a market orientated pespective, if the ivys weren't worth it, there wouldn't be so much demand for them.</p>
<p>Just because you make 250k, but choose to blow it on an expensive house doesn't make you poor. You are still very wealthy.</p>
<p>Jasmineflower, the ultimate answer to the question "Is an expensive Ivy League education worth it?" comes from a well-known authority on higher education who conceded that Ivy League graduates fare better financially and professionally However, he stated, they would succeed not because of their own ability and effort but instead because of the connections and influence of their wealthy parents. His cynical view of the merits of Ivy League education probably stems from the following 1964 public treatise entitled the "Poison Ivy League" which inflamed and outraged some students so much that they insulted him and attempted to damage his Japanese motor scooter. Their disdain for this honest, hard-working carnival employee spilled out into the parking lot after his address, creating an ugly scene and reinforcing his disdain for the so-called merits of Ivy League education. It is a classic example of poetic justice that this individual succeeded very well both financially and professionally without the benefits of an Ivy education and wealthy, influential parents. In fact, he was raised in rural Mississippi without the benefit of a father's influence by his poor, devoted mother.</p>
<p>"Hail to thee old ivy league
Poison ivy league
The ra-ra boys are sitting round the table tonight
The ra-ra boys have lots of plans in view
They're gonna have panty raids
And make their own lemonade
They'll live it up just like the big boys do</p>
<p>Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
Give me an itch, those sons of the rich
That poison ivy league</p>
<p>The ra-ra boys will go to bed so early tonight
Before exams they need a lot of rest
They gotta make good for dad
They gotta make good so bad
They'll even pay someone to take that test</p>
<p>Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
How can they flunk, they're so full of bunk
That poison ivy league</p>
<p>The ra-ra boys are being groomed for business some day
For better things to college they were sent
And you can bet they'll be the head of the company
As long as dear old daddy's president</p>
<p>Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
So loaded with cash, they give me a rash
That poison ivy league</p>
<p>So let it be told
I won't touch them with a ten foot pole
That poison Ivy league"</p>
<ul>
<li>Elvis Presley
Roustabout, 1964</li>
</ul>
<p>collegehelp,</p>
<p>so the major takeaway from your post is that because Elvis Presley didn't go to an Ivy and then wrote a song (one I might add that frankly noone has ever heard of) lambasting "Ivy Boys" - that - that discredits the merits / prestige of getting an Ivy degree?</p>
<p>well, I guess if you are a musically gifted person who is destined to become a rock and roll legend in your own time, yeah, that's pretty solid advice - particularly given that a higher education is rather pointless if you are blessed with the ability to make hundreds of millions of dollars entertaining people from around the world.</p>
<p>but for 99.9% of those NON would-be future Kings (or Queens) of Rock and Roll out there, I'd say that an Ivy degree will serve you well down the road. </p>
<p>(call me a suspicious mind)</p>
<p>My parents made like 96,000 last year, and I don't consider us as upper middle class. We live in inner city Los Angeles, near USC!</p>
<p>Wow my parents make about 30,000 or under per year so i guess we'd be considered poor, but my guidence counselor keeps telling me that I would have problems getting enough money from an ivy or other near ivy schools. Is this true???</p>
<p>Irishdancer.... if you can get into an Ivy I would be willing to bet you would get a lot of financial aid with a total family income of less than 30,000 dollars.</p>
<p>OP Our income would not qualify us for any financial aid and yet we still failed to save up 160,000 dollars for the Ivy league. So d is looking at other alternatives since she really doesn't care about running a fortune 500 company. If she decides to become a lawyer or doctor or some other professional then she can do so after graduating from the honors college of some un-ivy institution. </p>
<p>Is it worth it? Depends on you, what you want to do with it and who you want to associate with. It's really a personal thing. That's my take.</p>
<p>ASAP, what part of coastal Cal can you buy homes for $500,000?</p>