Opinions On Smart Money Article: Why The Ivies Aren't Worth It

College Search & Selection
1

<p>from: <a href=“http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/Purdue_eprint.pdf[/url]”>http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/Purdue_eprint.pdf</a></p>

<p>This article ranks the schools with the highest payback for its graduates based on tuition paid and salary earned once leaving college:</p>

<li>Texas A&M</li>
<li>University Of Texas</li>
<li>Georgia Tech</li>
<li>University Of Georgia</li>
<li>University Of Washington</li>
<li>Rutgers</li>
<li>University Of Illinois</li>
<li>Clemson
9, Purdue</li>
<li>UNC-Chapel Hill</li>
<li>Ohio State</li>
<li>Virginia</li>
<li>Indiana</li>
<li>UC-Davis</li>
<li>Rhode Island</li>
<li>Delaware</li>
<li>Penn State</li>
<li>Massachusetts</li>
<li>Washington And Lee</li>
<li>Princeton</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>University Of Richmond</li>
<li>New Hampshire</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>Harvard
and on and on</li>
</ol>

<p>The complete chart is posted on the link above with the statistics/figures that they used.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on this article?</p>

2

<p>Where are YOU going to school? That is all that is relevant.</p>

3

<p>Unless, of course, the Ivies will cost you less than any of those state schools.</p>

4

<p>True college is an investment in your career but its also a lot more than that. It’s a very fulfilling time in your life where you develop an identity, build life long friendships, experience new things and explore what the world has to offer. Building the basis for a career is important but it is not the only thing that is relevant. (btw, endlessrecession, recessions last on average a year and a half).</p>

5

<p>guy who wrote the article clearly got rejected from the ivies</p>

<p>bitter much?</p>

6

<p>Costs me less to go to an Ivy than many of those schools, and of course, I’m not here because I want to maximize the amount of money I’m making afterwards.</p>

<p>Oh, and what about absolute numbers? If that’s your goal, isn’t that what matters? Surely making more over your lifetime will add up to more than the difference in expense between most of these schools.</p>

7

<p>Totally flawed calculations and methodology. According to their logic if I don’t go to college, don’t spend money on tuition (or say spend $1) and get a minimum wage $10,000 a year job instead my payback will be 10,000% (30 times better than any college). That’s complete nonsense.</p>

<p>If they want to calculate the real payback they should calculate the entire life-time earnings of the average graduate, subtract the amount of money spent on tuition and compare the results.</p>

8

<p>I agree with belevitt…this article takes nothing but future income into account, and college is so much more than that. I chose an Ivy, full price, over in-state tuition at one of top-5 state schools. With the current recession I sometimes question whether it was the best choice, but I don’t regret it. The education itself is probably not worth the extra $30,00 a year, but I couldn’t put a price on the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had.</p>

9

<p>denniso is right, the theory is flawed.</p>

10

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<p>I not only went to college for four years, I also got two graduate degrees. Talk about a lousy investment! I must be the laughingstock of the editors of Smart Money.</p>