UCs: Worth the money?

<p>Just curious – in your opinion, is a UC worth ~ $20,000/yr.? If not all, which ones & why, and if so, why?</p>

<p>Uhh all of them are worth it. They're all fine universities. Your parents paid taxes, so you get in-state prices... now benefit from them.</p>

<p>The worth of your college education is what you get out of it.</p>

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The worth of your college education is what you get out of it.

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<p>Thanks, but please read my post. :)</p>

<p>My parents have been paying ridiculous California taxes for 25 years. The University system in California is one of the reasons for the high taxes. I feel we owe it to them to make good use out of their tax dollars.</p>

<p>Definitely, especially when you compare it to the $40,000-$50,000/year tuition for private schools.</p>

<p>lol the UCs are basically public ivies. Your parents paid taxes for that opportunity.. I find it funny when kids from California want to "explore" and goto eastcoast schools like NYU/UMich/Cornell etc etc. I mean with an extra $20K a year for going to those schools, I could "explore" pretty much anywhere on the globe for vacation.</p>

<p>^ Exactly. A lot of kids at my school seem to have this idea that all private schools are more prestigious than any public schools, even the UCs. Not that private schools are bad, they're just not worth it if you live in California IMO (unless you get a huge scholarship or something). The only private schools I'd go to over the UCs (at least the top ones) are HYPSMC. Anywhere else wouldn't be worth twice the cost.</p>

<p>Moving down to SoCal for college is all the exploring I need.</p>

<p>YES!
20000 is really cheap for a college (compared to privates, which are like 50000) and UCs are all great colleges</p>

<p>ALL the UCs are definitely worth the $20K/yr (including housing, 'natch) for a quality public education. As a CA resident, you may not realize the worldwide recognition the UCs garner. Yes, within the UC system, there is a range of excellence. But even the less-sought-after UCs (i.e. Riverside) are higher up the ranks than many other colleges nationwide. When I was growing up in Maryland, even I had heard of Berkeley& UCLA. These are topnotch schools, & I'm not sure where else you could get such a good education for $20K/yr -- unless you are going into a Liberal Arts field & are getting significant scholarship $ or an art school maybe? Good luck in your search!</p>

<p>True, I'd forgotten that some private schools can cost that much! Makes the UCs sound much better. :)</p>

<p>the best value=2 years CC+2 years UC</p>

<p>community college is a great way to save money and get the gen ed requirements over with. after transfering to a UC, your GPA is cleared and you can delve deeper into your field. the degree is from the UC-it won't say you went to CC on it! </p>

<p>so really, you're paying all that extra money for the college experience if you go to a UC all four years, which is quite a luxury to those short on cash.</p>

<p>i think in general, a UC might look better on a job app, but i've heard sometimes state schools are preferred since they're percieved to give you more practical, hands on learning</p>