<p>Mhiggins, not blind here…NOT a fan of our public schools, though older 2 have graduated from the HS,as by time we realized the school dynamics,it was too late to switch…younger child is in a private elementary school and will go to a private HS…we learned our lesson…</p>
<p>This discussion keeps reminding me of the line from Groucho: “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”</p>
<p>I’ll add another anecdote, though, that may demonstrate how some of us come to value the things we do. My daughter went to a magnet elementary school for “gifted” kids, then to a regular middle school, and then to a magnet high school with an IB curriculum. The middle school is in an affluent area and has plenty of smart, accomplished kids. Nevertheless, she says that the qualify of class discussions, and the pace of teaching, was significantly inferior in the regular middle school, even though she was in the higher-tracked classes. We observed the same thing. So, she has a strong preference for attending a college with high-achieving kids, and we’re willing to pay for it. I think it would be difficult to do a scientific measurement of this factor–it may or may not have much impact on economic outcomes, for example. But it’s something a lot of people value.</p>
<p>I was a volunteer at the public school…the teachers had to teach around the classroom chaos,children layng on the floor,talking, etc…zero discipline of children…those students trying to learn were distracted to say the least…at the private school, it is not tolerated,any kind of distraction is sent promptly to principals office, and parents are notified…i also find that private(including parochial) parents are significantly more invested in their childrens education then public, as a percentage of student body…</p>
<p>No, the term “Podunk School” is not just a term. It is a sarcastic put down of every school that you, personally don’t value. Statements like that are one of the reasons so many people are so fearful of sending their kids to the “wrong” school, and why people are so easily swayed by the arguments that an extra hundred thousand dollars is well worth it. “After all, if you value your child, why would you send him to Podunk University?”</p>
<p>To whom are you speaking, eastcosatcrazy? The author that annasdad quotes uses the term "podunk U " in his book, IIRC.</p>
<p>OK…let’s say it a different way. We understand clearly that there is a poster on this thread who adamantly feels that paying for students to attend elite private schools is a waste of money. I personally don’t need to hear that again as it’s been said NUMEROUS times by the same poster on this thread as well as on numerous other threads.</p>
<p>Back to the topic. This is a personal family decision. What works for some students and families will not work for others. 'Nuff said.</p>
<p>“podunk school.” It’s the fear factor, again.</p>
<p>Then thumper, can we agree to stop posting that one should always send one’s child to the prestigious school? That would be great, because it’s the area of grey that is more interesting.</p>
<p>Ok, i’ll say it, there ARE schools that are Podunk schools…What schools qualify under that terminology is debateable…</p>
<p>MiamiDAP- I clearly understand your personal position on paying less for undergraduate school, since you have stated it about 500 times. I disagree with you about how great it is to save money so your D could pick any medical school. Medical school is where there is really no advantage (except, perhaps, for a select research track) in paying more. State medical schools actually offer some real advantages, and the goal for medical school should be to pay as little as possible. The residency programs are where the various strengths of program and “name” come much more into play. MiamiaDAP has an obsessive need to justify the choice of a non-flagship state school, which worked well for her daughter. </p>
<p>I didn’t find jym’s post at all offensive or insulting. It is mild in comparison to most of what she is responding to on this and other threads.</p>
<p>redpoint,
Most cc’ers agree that one should not “always send ones child to the prestigious school”. That (that ccers claim one should always send a kid to a prestigious school) is a misnomer.</p>
<p>
Really? When we went to accepted student open houses at WPI, RPI and CMU the average salaries quoted at each school differed by $20,000 a year. (Though it may have been only $10,000 for non-computer science people.) In addition, the top salaries at that time for the comp sci program at CMU were much, much higher than ones quoted at the other two.</p>
<p>BTW, I didn’t send my son to CMU for the prestige, I sent him there because he wanted to be at a school where for the first time in his life he’d have kids around who were smarter than him (at least in math and comp sci) and where he’d be forced to work, really, really hard.</p>
<p>Why should we stop posting that one should always send one´s child to the prestigious school (if that´s what someone believes)? Is that any more invalid than to say it is ok to send one´s child to a Podunk school because a motivated child will always be able to get as much out of it?</p>
<p>As someone who has sent one´s kids to a private school from K-12, I personally believe what I have give them is priceless, better than any inheritance I could possibly give them someday.</p>
<p>And I don’t think it’s “Nuff said,” because its deeply valuable to weigh the nuances of this from many angles (financial, psychological, educational) before going out and spending the money . . or not.</p>
<p>These discussions are only interesting if somebody takes an extreme position. I remember one some years ago about a kid who was accepted to Princeton, and also to Duke with a prestigious scholarship. Some people wanted to tell him that he would be nuts to go to Duke, that Princeton was miles better, etc., etc. I thought that was silly. I also think it would be silly to say that a kid will get the same education at NC State as at Duke–sort of the theme of this thread.</p>
<p>Of course, there have been many threads about whether Harvard was slightly better than Yale, or the reverse.</p>
<p>redpoint- No one has said you should ALWAYS send your child to the prestigious school. That is simply a complete mischaracterization of almost every single post. There are SO many reasons why someone would NOT choose the “prestigious” school- financial certainly being one of them. </p>
<p>However, the argument that U Tennessee-Chattanooga is going to offer the same educational, social and job placement experience as a highly-selective school is simply laughable.</p>
<p>Jym and MOM, I didn’t say most cc’ers believe that. I just said maybe we toss out the top and bottom opinions and talk about the middle. and I never defended the opinion that third rate schools could give an equal education. My typical statement was: If money is an issue, look at public honors colleges, which aren’t perfect, but might have to be good enough.</p>
<p>What I had a problem with was calling someone else’s opinion ridiculous and blathering.</p>
<p>I think there is some confusion in this discussion between what is best for a specific person and what is, on average, better for the typical student. There might well be a student who has a choice between Harvard and U Tennessee-Chattanooga, for whom UTC is a better choice. But his reasons would be far from typical. And it won’t just be because of finances.</p>
<p>
That would spoil the fun.</p>
<p>but thats just it- posters DONT say that one should ALWAYS send a kid to a prestigous school. Isnt that a straw man argument (I hate that term, btw)</p>
<p>Does anybody disagree with the proposition that if two schools were identical in all other respects, it would be a prudent decision to choose the one with more prestige?</p>