To me it is about happiness, because if you are not happy with the institution you’re attending your education will end up suffering in the long run. No matter how cheap the school, you should go where you feel most comfortable and free to be yourself and if the school is pricey then you will put the most effort in for your money’s worth. What do you think?
I feel like there’s an excluded middle here. A big excluded middle, in fact.
If nothing else, consider the stress that would come from overextending oneself financially—that could easily distract from putting in one’s best effort academically.
While I agree with the general premise that it is important to be happy, this sense of happiness is not limited to a single institution or even a select few institutions. Money must also be a factor you consider. If you are in debt or overextend yourself financially to attend a single institution, you will also feel an increasing amount of pressure to make something out of that degree rather than have the academic freedom to explore new avenues you might not have experienced.
Similarly you may not have the funds to do things like study abroad, have leftover money for getting an internship in a cool city, spending money to go out with your friends, etc without feeling a sense of guilt or an obligation to save money. During college, many students find what they want to do also requires graduate school. If you spend a lot of money in undergrad, you may not have the funds to go to graduate school immediately, limiting your options or delaying your career trajectory. I think it’s best to have both obviously, but you should be aware of the downsides of choosing an institution without considering cost.
Who’s doing the most paying? Your parents? It’s easy to spend OPM.
There’s no free lunch. Taking on big debt for happiness now means a decade or more of crushing financial pain later.
Does buying pricey clothes, cars, shoes, etc now make you “feel most comfortable and free to be yourself” and make you “put the most effort in for your money’s worth”?
There reaches an economic tipping point where it’s just not worth the extra money.
Number one, happiness is largely self-generated. The happiest people are the ones who can grow where planted.
Number two, I think most students could be happy at a variety of different colleges. I think in today’s frenzied admissions culture there’s this perception that students are picking the “right ONE for me,” but quite frankly - particularly when students are selecting between several really similar environments - they could probably roll a die, make a choice, and end up very happy with that choice. With that said, I am willing to bet that for every expensive college a student really loves there’s a place that’s less expensive to them and their family (either sticker price or through aid) that they’ll like at least almost as much, if not the same or more.
Besides, it depends on what kinds of costs we’re comparing. A few thousand dollars a year may not make a difference, but what if School A is $100,000 more than School B, but the extra happiness is only marginally more? Is it worth it? Is being deliriously happy vs. content worth being in six-figure debt? I say no.
It also depends on where you are in life and what your goals are. If you’re an 18-year-old college student moving away from home for the first time, then comfort and fit with the campus culture are important to you because college is going to shape who you are in a big way. If you are a non-traditional student returning to college for a credential for your career, location and price are probably your two biggest concerns.
First, lets stop using the word cheap, and use inexpensive instead. Why do you think someone wouldn’t be happy at an inexpensive school? This is not an either or proposition. Some people go to expensive schools and are unhappy. Some people go to inexpensive schools and are very happy. Your basic question is flawed. It is not one of the other. It is possible to have both.
I picked a school where I will likely end up $20000 in debt vs a school where I would end up in no debt based on fit and happiness (i.e. I was fairly sure I’d be very unhappy at one school vs happy at the other)…but I think at the point where a student can no longer borrow the difference in money alone, unless one school is MUCH better than the other, it stops being worth it.
I agree with most of what has been posted. Happiness is much more of a choice than something that is conferred to you by some institution or person. Which do you wish to purchase an education or happiness? An education is something you can purchase and you can be happy while being educated (or miserable its up to you). The happiness is yours and is free. Or are you attempting to purchase happiness which is at best fleeting and the cost in the end could make you miserable for years to come?
So it’s impossible to be happy at a “cheap” school? I agree with what others are saying - happiness is self created. No school, no matter how expensive, can create it on its own. It’s hard to be “free to be yourself” when you’re getting crushed with debt. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but freedom is not free.
This feels a lot like the “but NYU is my dream school!” threads that are in abundance here on CC.
Spending too much on a dream school can result in a nightmare of debt afterward.
“Spending too much on a dream school can result in a nightmare of debt afterward.”
And not even be the dream you dreamed of.
I disagree with the premise, at least to the extent that cost and happiness shouldn’t be directly linked like that. To do this whole college thing correctly you shouldn’t be looking at schools you can’t afford, and from those that are left you need to find a school that works for you personally and academically. There are so many schools out there that an either-or statement like this is unnecessarily restrictive. Look at more schools if you ever feel trapped between affordable and enjoyable. (Unless you actually do find your happiness tied to the fame of your school, which is another problem entirely.)
One other aspect to consider: if you at all think you’re doing graduate school after graduation then quite a bit of your future happiness could be hidden behind clouds of debt if you opt for the extravagant undergrad experience.
There’s a fair amount of growing up involved in taking a longer view of life, and if you can delay a little gratification in areas like this you’ll find a great reward in not having vast debt later. Taken too far, ensuring your inner flower has the finest hothouse can leave you in a disadvantaged position when it comes time to move into adulthood five years from now. Be honest with yourself about how much is perfecting the last 10% of the undergrad experience and how much is really a bad fit or a disabling stress. Fix what’s broken but don’t let a blemish here or there ruin a good 90% of life.
Like most things in life, for many people there is a trade-off. The trick is to find the middle ground – a school where one can be happy and won’t leave being riddled with a debilitating amount of debt for the next 20 years. And students applying to colleges should remember that they will be able to be happy and find a good education in many schools, in many locations etc.
But also, parents need to evaluate finances and inform the student of cost constraints before the application list is made.
@ucbalumnus Totally agree. And I would add parents should inform the student of ANY constraints including cost constraints, geographic constraints or anything else in advance of the application process. I also recommend that people do not even visit schools that they do not reasonably expect will fall within those constraints. That might have been the best piece of advice my S’s guidance counselor gave us when we began the process.
In my own personal experience, I had one in-state private school (my safety) that was throwing the money at me. Between scholarships and state grants (and even a couple of loans, I believe), it would have cost me only $3000 a year to attend. But it couldn’t hold a candle to the OOS public I chose academically or socially. It’s also a fact that I would have been absolutely miserable staying in my home state for college (felt I was above it tbh). The school I picked was the best fit for me in all aspects, so I felt taking out more loans was definitely justified. So far after the first year, my school has proven that it’s more than worth it. Finding a balance between best fit/value and at least decent affordability is so underrated but so SO crucial. I know it was for me.
If I were an employer, i would be leery of hiring someone if I knew their happiness depended on whether or not they were able to attend one specific school. to me that would signal a lack of resiliency. i would wonder if they were the type of person who requires agreeable circumstances in order to function at the top of their ability. i would not want to hire someone if i suspected their job performance would suffer if they ever had to deal with adversity.
Somewhere in the middle. The school with the best value(education & price) and fit. I agree with LBad96, you have to find a middle ground.
For example, my OOS schools(public & private) were too expensive for me, & my public schools were half the price. I only liked my reaches more than my others, but I didn’t get into my reaches (tbh only the in-state reaches would have been affordable), so the my choice(a match in-state public school) was the best choice in both categories.
I would NOT underestimate the importance of value, especially on something like this where you are paying $20,000-$100,000+ dollars in total
2 Bad Situation examples:
1.Great fit, Bad Value= Great & Happiest 4 Years, but Miserable 10+ Years post grad due to not being able too pay off loans/debt (good short term/bad long term)
2. Bad Fit, Great Value= Miserable 4 Years, but post-grad will be good (bad short term/good long term)
I’d even go as far to say that Bad Fit, Great Value>Great fit, Bad Value because it would be easier to recover from it & live post-grad pretty good plus you would waste less money in that situation. It doesn’t limit your options as much financially either. Their both terrible situations though & if you ever get stuck in one of those situations, TRANSFER.
P.S. I don’t think private schools make good safeties because it’s not 100% clear whether it’s affordable or not. Safeties should be easy to get into, moderately like-able, & affordable.
Not so easy to recover from four miserable years. That’s about a fifth of your life at that point. It’s also the time when previously unsurfaced mental health issues can rear their ugly heads.