<p>noimagination:
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<p>As they say “Beauty is in the eyes of beholder” similarly “experience is in the mind of beholder”.</p>
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And that’s why you’re wrong. Let’s look at how this argument unfolded:
So, you tell me. Is experience “in the mind of [the] beholder”, or is it always better at a private school?</p>
<p>noimagination: The two statements stand on itselves.
Here is the reason:</p>
<p>Harvard is better than an in-state public and that is why the statement a good private is better than any public.</p>
<p>Harvard need not provide the best experience to everyone and that is why “Experience is in the mind of beholder”.</p>
<p>But for majority of the students Harvard will provide a better experience than in-state public.</p>
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How can you possibly determine that Harvard is “better” than an in-state public when it comes to experience? Once again, I’m happy to talk about prestige and I’m happy to talk about academics. But “experience” is your word that you chose to use, and I just can’t figure out how you rank that.</p>
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<p>There is not one universally desired experience. Some students prefer the experience of much larger schools / student bodies. Some students prefer the experience of big-time sports. Some students prefer the experience of living in, say, college towns as opposed to Boston.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, come out of the Harker bubble for a minute. Not everyone in the country lusts after Harvard et al. People have different tastes.</p>
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<p>It’s one thing when you have naive 17 yo’s who actually believe that getting into an Ivy et al is the key to lifetime earnings, life fulfillment, and happiness. They’re at least entitled to be naive.</p>
<p>It’s quite another when an actual adult acts like that’s the case.</p>
<p>Agree with pizzagirl that people look for different things in college experience. Check out the thread regarding what your child considered “non-negotiable”. </p>
<p>There are over 3000 colleges/universities just in this country. A good education can be had at any of them. There is someplace for every student but no one place that will be for all.</p>
<p>Asserting that the experience is better at Harvard than at a state flagship U is like asserting that the experience at a beach vacation is better than the experience on a ski vacation. People like different things. It is really weird to assume that the vast majority of people in this country are drooling after a Harvard education and / or want that for their kids. Many would be “that’s cool, but I’d rather go to State and cheer on the football team and stay closer to home, and I’ve never been to Boston anyway.”</p>
<p>“If I knew then what I know now”…
I would have had my son look seriously at more state colleges instead of mostly LACs with hefty price tags (most with no merit money).
With my daughter, now a senior…state colleges with reasonable price tags were emphasized. With my next two, this will remain the tradition.</p>
<p>I can’t see paying full price for an expensive private college any more than I can see buying a Jaguar or a Rolls. </p>
<p>I don’t think I would even if I had the money to burn. </p>
<p>I think it’s smart to be smart about money. Get scholarships, get a good deal at a “good enough” school. Just our family’s philosophy, plus we want to be fair to our 4 kids.</p>
<p>I agree with FLVADAD…the opportunities exist, why not take advantage of them?</p>
<p>However, I do appreciate those of you who pay full fare. Somebody has to. ;)</p>
<p>My D was accepted to 3 of the 4 schools she applied to, all state schools. Only one offered her money so that along with a couple other little reasons, she will be going there. She can live at home and everything will be paid for. (scholarship + Bright Futures Scholarship thru the State of Florida) Its a great thing and I am so happy she will be able to graduate with little to no debt. </p>
<p>And yes, as someone else said, its graduate school that can be saved for in the meantime while you do well in your UG… And we are so fortunate. Is it her dream school?? no, but there are other factors (steady local part time job, etc.) and the biggest factor is no debt.
:-)</p>
<p>PizzaGirl/FallGirl:</p>
<p>My view of a good college experience?
- Satisfaction of Intellectual curiosity
a. College is the best place to let your imagination loose
b. The pool of the peer group is the most important ingredients as you spend most of your time with them
Highest selectivity < 10% of HMSPY ensure that you get unbeatable peer group</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Invaluable education
a. College resources
b. Unmatched Faculty
c. Again the peer group
Learning is always holistic and is based on not only the resources, faculty but also a strong peer group.
Large endowments of HMSPY ensure this.</p></li>
<li><p>Long term friendship/relations/contacts
a. Bonding between similar mind
b. Motivated students
c. College culture
College is one place to make lifelong relations whether it is friends, business or personals. By having a strong peer group of like minded people allow one to explore without fear.
Strong history of success from HMSPY provides a college culture that celebrates original thinking giving rise to an environment where students can flourish or brought to new heights. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think that is why all students not only in USA but around the world aspire to be at HMSPY. The 4 years of undergraduate experience is unsurpassable. I didn’t go there but that doesn’t mean I don’t value such experience.</p>
<p>For some it is a foolish paradise to others it is the ultimate experience. For our household you can’t put a price on this valuable experience.</p>
<p>Does that mean I would have put my DD under tons of debt to go thru this?
No, I’ve never been in favor of huge debts but I would rather ask DD to pay for an education than for a BMW.</p>
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<p>Really? ALL students aspire to be at HMSPY? </p>
<p>LOL!</p>
<p>This is nuts - $250K at MIT, $150K at NYU - for UG degrees? I agree with mommusic - and will add that unless and until parents stop paying these prices they’ll continue to climb.</p>
<p>One thing about the United States is that there are a lot of people that can pay these amounts for UG educations. A March report on the top ten millionaire household states by percentage had the top ten with between 5 and 6.41 percent of households as millionaires. Their definition was a household that had at least a million in liquid assets (real estate isn’t included). The states are Washington DC <a href=“technically%20not%20a%20state”>13,028</a>, California [662,735], New Hampshire [27,562], Alaska [13,348], Massachusetts [137,792], Virginia [166,596], Connecticut [82,837], New Jersey [197,694], Maryland [133,299] and Hawaii [28,363]. That’s a ton of households that could afford full fare. It is sometimes amazing to see that there are so many wealthy people in this country.</p>
<p>DougBetsy :
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<p>It was a figure of speech so a bit stretched but it should have been that all those who care? Maybe the children I’ve gone high school or college with outside of USA were different because most of those aspired to be at HMSPY along with Cambridge/Oxford. </p>
<p>Not everyone is same and according to ‘Osdad’ I’m a nut case anyway.</p>
<p>I would not buy a very expensive car, but would (am) paying for a very expensive school. H and I are very smart about money, and this is our choice. Yes, it would have been nice to have gotten some merit money, but it didn’t happen and we were aware of that possibility from the beginning.</p>
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<p>My understanding is that the prices continue to climb because of the parents/students who do not pay these prices, but attend with financial aid.</p>
<p>^^^: True, for every full paying there are two financial aid students that attend the school.</p>
<p>And it is a simple math. If today HMSPY abolish Financial Aid; tuition will go down 50%.</p>