<p>I agree with thumper1 that not everyone has common sense or understands this approach. I see it all the time on these forums. For example, on the musical theater forum, I see parents state that they won’t let their kids apply to certain schools because of the high price tag, rather than understanding that the price tag is not the final price after need-based and/or merit based aid in many cases. </p>
<p>I have a sibling who always states (in a negative fashion) how I sent my kids to very expensive colleges (his kids went to state U’s but they were OUT of state U’s). However, one of my kids went to NYU, which while a every expensive university, offered the highest amount of scholarship (significant) of all the schools she applied to, bringing the price tag down substantially. My other kid went to an Ivy and Ivies tend to have very good need based financial aid and that kid got significant aid, which would be even a lot higher today given the more liberal FA policies that were developed after her time there. So, in essence, my kids’ colleges did not cost nearly what the initial price tag indicated. Glad my kids still applied. Their final price tag at these expensive private schools was not higher than my nephew/nieces’ tag at public universities out of state. </p>