<p>^^^ Sure, a private LAC/uni w/ aid could be less expensive than State U with no aid. But the question posed by OP was whether applicant families should, contrary to Suze Orman’s, attend the “best” college regardless of cost.</p>
<p>I suspect that for most familes “regardless of cost” is not an option - - but at least equlaly likely that too many families dig deeper than Suze consider’s wise (she says fund your retirement first and then, if there’s money left, help kids w/ college costs).</p>
<p>I don’t think people should attend the best university regardless of cost. Where you go for your undergraduate education honestly doesn’t matter too much, so it shouldn’t be a huge deal. Obviously, that doesn’t mean go to a school way below your stats just because yuo got a full ride. It means if you got into a school with no merit or financial aid besides loans, then go to a school a tier below. My parents are probably capable of paying 40K per year of tuition, but I don’t want them to because I don’t think that any college education is actually worth that much money.</p>
<p>There is a significant difference between a flagship state school and a secondary state school…the differnce between a flagship state and a private may not be as significant,but there are still differences…college is an experience,and IF you can afford it,go to the best you can afford</p>
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This depends greatly on the schools. Our local directional U has an outstanding engineering dept and an equally good music theater major. I would put those up against any other place you can find.</p>
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<p>Highly depends on the state.</p>
<p>^^^ interested in seeing an example where a secondary state school is better then a flagship^^ or even remotely close…i can’t think of one</p>
<p>Michigan and Michigan State.</p>
<p>Is Michigan the flagship? But i would also not consider Michigan state a secondary type state school… I am talking about a state flagship(not a total state school) like Penn State vs secondary type state schools East Stroudsburg,IUP,Millersville, etc…none hold a candle to PSU?..</p>
<p>Some state schools that are not top tier have certain programs that are better than those offered at the flagship. For example, when my son wanted to be a pharmacist, a well-known surgeon in our area told him to choose Ferris State over UMich unless he wanted to be a research pharmacist. For music, MSU and Wayne are “better” than UMich, depending on the type of music the student is studying. It’s not all about name … it depends on the student, the program, etc.</p>
<p>And for UM, if you are talking various campuses, students can choose UM-Dearborn and get a great education.</p>
<p>Apparently besides CA,Michigan has a solid state sytem…sad to say that isn’t true in NJ or PA</p>
<p>“Go to the best school or the one you can afford” is a normative question. It depends on how much you “value” the prestige of your school. For some people, it may be reasonable to spend 15 years paying off debts, postponing children, home ownership, etc. just to go to their dream school. It is also reasonable to attend a “lesser” school because you were awarded a scholarship, or due to in-state tuition. I believe that trying to analyze the return on investment of a college degree for State U vs. Top 25 Private is difficult and at best deceptive. There are too many factors other than college choice, and of course, there’s the effect of chance. Moreover, it seems that few of my classmates chose a college after hiring a team of actuaries to analyze the situation…</p>
<p>Of course, the trouble begins when parents and their children disagree on what is reasonable to pay… Also, it’s difficult to tell if you will have regrets further down the road.</p>
<p>This is also a social question (why do politicians talk about college so much?). What is “reasonable” for a public school cost of attendance? How much should come from taxpayers, how much from tuition & fees? This is something we must all decide together.</p>
<p>That is sad, although I will say that Michigan’s cost of public education is not inexpensive. We don’t have any state money for aid, and our state allocations to the schools have steadily decreased. There has even been talk of letting UM spin off to become a private school (just rumors, but still). While it stinks, the state just plain doesn’t have the money. </p>
<p>Sorry … didn’t mean to get off topic.</p>
<p>^Sounds much like Illinois, although there is still a little money for need-based aid here.</p>
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Speaking as an 18 year old, I think our coming of age in a time when debt has had such huge ramifications on our country and the world has given us more of a sense of how stupid it is to take out loans you can’t repay. Now that obviously isn’t true for all of us but I think those of us who are paying attention to world events see how dangerous debt is and are taking that into calculation when it comes to our college decisions. </p>
<p>I have a few questions though:</p>
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<li><p>Aside from rankings, do you think it’s worth going into debt for a school that has an amazing program, better than other schools that give you more money? I’m considering taking out some debt for Georgetown (though no more than $5K a year) because it offers intensive Arabic and Arabic dialects, which is really hard to find and really important to me.</p></li>
<li><p>People are saying it makes a difference in certain industries- what do people think about politics/international relations? I’m looking into this field but I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I really don’t know that much about how to actually go about getting a job in the field…</p></li>
<li><p>What would you advise for students who don’t know their future plans? I’m considering going to law school after college but that’s far from set in stone, so does that mean I should avoid taking out any loans just in case?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you can go to Georgetown, which three years ago had a COA of around $60K per year, and only take out $5K in loans a year it may well be worth it. My daughter was interested in languages as well (and has taken Japanese and Korean), but she went the scholarship route over Georgetown.</p>
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<p>It seems to me that is a very defensible reason for taking on a manageable amount of debt. I would not take on any debt, however, just to go to a school that is perceived as being more prestigious.</p>
<p>Money aside, I think people are forgetting that a better school is likely to give a better more rounded education. I went to both a UC and Cal state school. No comparison in the type of environment and intelligence/mind expanding atmosphere.</p>
<p>Go to a school you can afford but one that excites you in some way or offers some options that others don’t seem to. </p>
<p>Yes the school name won’t matter after you have had a few jobs but it certainly will help in getting the first one.</p>
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<p>But more important than the school is the student. I went to a good eastern LAC for my first two years and (10 years later) to a mediocre Midwestern urban commuter university for my last two. I got a lot more out of my last two years than I did my first two because I put a lot more into it. Leaving aside a few outliers (for-profits and colleges with agendas), a committed student can get an excellent education at any college.</p>
<p>Again…the determination of value for a ‘prestige’ school is to my way of thinking the doors it may open when employable. I’m assuming that most if not all of these schools provide a pretty good to great education, depending on what the student puts into it. That’s why I’ve been saying that a thorough investigation into alumni networks at certain schools might be a worthwhile exercise before decision time.</p>
<p>annasdad, you were 10 years older for the second school. You essentially were a different person. Of course it is what you put into your education but one cannot deny exposure to people and areas that one would not even know to look for makes a difference. </p>
<p>Have you ever been to a museum with someone who really knows art versus going yourself and reading from the brochure? With the person who knows what to focus on, suddenly you see things in the artwork you had no idea were there.</p>