@cptofthehouse I agree with you completely. Our D really wanted Columbia so we were / are willing to pay it, but now that the rubber is meeting the road, she is having doubts about the value. It doesn’t help that we know many people - including her 1st cousin - that attended non-ranked public schools for their undergrad and went on to prestigious graduate programs. So really? Hm. I’m coming around to the idea that the ivies and other high-$$ schools do not meet the value threshold. Her cousin went to UT Arlington at cost of zilch and graduated at 22 with a three-year straight-to-phd offer worth $250,000 at Stanford. All expenses + a salary.