<p>I don't think cost should be the deciding factor. </p>
<p>We don't make enough money, and don't have enough savings, to pay for either a public or private school education--so what's the difference, in the long run? Invest wisely, and choose the school that best suits the student's needs.</p>
<p>Our daughter will take out student loans, and we'll use what savings we have and additional loans to cover the rest. As her parents, we'll make the necessary sacrifices (some big ones), and she'll make sacrifices, too. </p>
<p>By the way, no one in our family has ever attended any type of private school before (we're all college educated, with advanced degrees--all from public universities). It wasn't until I attended an event for admitted students at the private school that I realized the advantages the private school can offer. In our case, it's the wiser investment, despite the debt it will create.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago I fell into the game of trying to get my daugher's education for as close to free as possible. In reading CC one thing keeps catching my attention. The ever present reminder in many posts - that there is a cost to college. </p>
<p>I thought about it - when buying a car - you realize there is some room for negotiation. But you would never assume you could drive that brand new Lexus out the showroom for say 15,000. or 10,000 or 5,000 or free. </p>
<p>College is a commodity and I value it and I am working to pay for it in the same way I work for my car. I have chosen to drive something other than a Lexus because the cost is not worth it to me. There are other things I value more. And one of them is Education. There are choices - in state/out of state, public/private etc. They all carry different costs. Cost is attached to value. And that - is in the eye of the beholder. </p>
<p>You could debate that kids who have worked hard to get good grades and studied hard for SAT's have already paid a "cost". But this game of getting it totally free - its not where I am at anymore. I am thankful to CC for that.</p>
<p>Penn State Schreyers Honors College: full ride, individual attention
Cornell Engineering ,Swarthmore or Duke about $180,000.</p>
<p>$180,000 of disposable income. How much money do you have to make to have $180,000 extra to spend. We are talking about going to college about 32 weeks a year. $45,000 for about 32 weeks. Penn State is a large state research university with plenty of research opportunities.
Going to Penn State....don't need the "prestige" of spending $180,000.</p>
<p>I have a situation where some advice would be appreciated. We are just over the income level for an need-based aid. We are somewhere between being priced out of the expensive private colleges and making a big sacrifice to pay the tuition. We decided that our D's education was worth the sacrifice and we would worry about retirement at a later date. The D's contribution in this process is some modest merit scholarships, some prior savings, work-study, summer jobs and loans as needed. Now that freshman year is ending, her planned summer job fell through. She believes it makes sense for her to live at home this summer and attend the local State U full time. She believes she might be able to graduate a year early which would save a major amount of money. I am sure, one way or the other, we would end up making up for her lost income and paying the reasonable costs for State U tuition. If she finishes a year early we would make that up several times over. Should she go to school or find a job for probably less than $10/hr gross?</p>
<p>omni: Me, too. But today, I decided that I wasn't going to worry about the debt. Yes, it will be a huge number, but we'll just make the adjustments to our lifestyle and move forward. I refuse to allow a dollar figure to make my decisions for me--especially about something as important as this.</p>