<p>The way I see it, shelling out upwards of 35K for four years straight for a degree from a private school is probably not worth it. I was doing some random searching and some schools have tuitions at below 8K and they are four-year public colleges. I know. I know. "Dont sacrifice academic quality for......blah blah". But there are obviously lots of good schools in that price range. What do you think?</p>
<p>Cost is a very important factor, but should be considered along with other factors. Are you likely to receive financial aid or scholarships?</p>
<p>One of the key things to consider is if your family is willing to pay the cost of a private school. If it is not then going to a more affordable one is obvious.</p>
<p>Public vs. private doesn’t equate with higher ranked vs. lower ranked. Nor is $35k tuition automatically indicate a better or worse education than $8k. The answer to your question is ‘It depends.’</p>
<p>1) What can your family afford? ‘Worth’ is highly subjective based on each family’s unique situation, values, and goals.</p>
<p>2) What are your professional objectives and can you meet them equally well at both schools?</p>
<p>3) What kind of student are you? Will you be able to get as much educational value from both schools? Some kids thrive in one environment and not in another - some do well pretty much everywhere. Do you know what you need?</p>
<p>4) Finally, are you even sure that the difference in cost would be as much as you think? Many schools offer scholarships to those students they are most interested in, so the sticker price is often not the actual cost.</p>
<p>Don’t automatically rule out $35k school in favor of $8k school without answering these questions (and public vs. private has nothing to do with it.)</p>
<p>I picked the small LAC that dangled a small academic scholarship under my nose and regretted it. My professors were wonderful, engaging lecturers that gave me lots of individual attention, and I clicked with a handful of upperclassmen that I became very tight with… but otherwise found the complete lack of intellectual curiosity from my fellow students really detracted from my college experience. Wound up transferring out and having a very happy final two years at an Ivy… 3AM impromptu lounge parties discussing every subject under the sun.</p>
<p>I just toured Shippensburg, one of Pennsylvania’s cheapest options, with my two kids as Exhibit A of a safety school. Neither of them liked the vibe that they’ll admit anyone with a pulse BUT there is an honors option and I understand the smallness enables one to pursue undergrad research opportunities you wouldn’t have an opportunity of elsewhere. My children’s humantities teacher points out that if you graduate from the prestigious big name school it will be obvious you worked hard at some point. From the 8K school option, you may need to be prepared to prove you worked hard.</p>
<p>It likely depends on which schools you are considering, and other factors like your intended major and ability to afford various levels of costs.</p>
<p>For example, in-state tuition for CSUs including Cal Poly SLO is around your figure of $8,000 per year (of course, there are living expenses and the like to add to that). For someone majoring in engineering, Cal Poly SLO is a very good choice, better than many schools with $35,000 per year tuitions. So it is not a given that the cheaper school is worse.</p>
<p>It really depends. My sister got into UChicago and Oberlin but got no money from either. She got a massive scholarship from IU Bloomington: a full ride including room and board and a research stipend. </p>
<p>Essentially, she got paid to do her undergrad at IU! My parents were willing to pony up the cash to send her to the more prestigious school, but she pretty much told them “are you crazy?!” and went to IU. Had a wonderful 4 years there, graduated with no debt and in fact some money in the bank from her stipend, and doesn’t regret it one bit.</p>
<p>Now that’s just one story and like I said, it definitely depends on your situation…but I just wanted to share :)</p>