<p>An Ivy League school would never cost $55,000 in the first place. Look at Princeton, which costs ~$36,000 for tuition and room/board combined, at no more than $45,000 after tax without any sort of financial aid (which is rare though).</p>
<p>But regarding your example of $20,000/yr for a supposedly $55,000, that is completely dependent upon your financial situation. If your parents are making $200,000 per year, why not? It’s not like that person would receive FA from any other schools esp. state flagships and it’s not like paying $30,000 per year would affect him or her. That person simply does not need FA nor would he or she be provided any at any school. Actually low, there ARE people who are more than capable of paying the full tuition, but the Ivy League schools make their lives easier and understand that money is still money, and those people still receive FA. Try applying for FA at public schools with that income bracket. What will you get? Nilch. None. Most state flagships won’t even give you FA except when based on merit. </p>
<p>If your parents do not make that much money, say $60,000 per year, Ivy League schools have also yet again proved the best in providing FA and making attendance happen. Most middle-income families pay only a little per year at Ivy League schools whereas at most state flagships, those families would have to pay the same or even more. If you cannot afford the $36000+ per year, the Ivy League schools will make your attendance happen. I’ve seen a lot of people have to give up their admissions to state flagships such as University of Texas, UVA, etc. and attend local community colleges instead because they were too expensive, as in those schools did not offer any FA. A lot of state flagships are going under ruin today because of the economic recession. They have failed to provide FA to a majority of their applicants because of lack of fundings and endowments. Ivy League is still the most superior when making college and attendance to their schools happen - that is, if you can even get into their schools. The connections you acquire, the people you meet, and the education you receive at Ivy League schools dominates those of state flagships. Saying that that is not so is like saying a degree from the University of Florida is the same as a degree from Harvard which is just preposterous.</p>
<p>Nope, your statement about poor undergrad research opportunities at Ivy League Universities is also incorrect. Take a look: <a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/undergrad-research-programs[/url]”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/undergrad-research-programs</a></p>
<p>Rule out all the private colleges (Harvey Mudd, Pomona, etc.) and you’ll see that the number of public universities is pretty much the same as the Ivy Leagues as well as Stanford & MIT (HYPSM). There’s Harvard, Princeton, Yale, UPenn, and Duke. </p>
<p>And for the overrated thing, that is, as I already said, subjective. I personally think that public universities are overrated because that is what everyone at my schools wants to attend, a state flagship - a UC or CSU school (I live in California). They get the minimum grades needed for ELC as long as they get into some place like UC Irvine, UC Riverside or UC Santa Barbara automatically, and participate in few meager and quite mundane extracurriculars which would not allowed them to be admitted in Ivy League schools. You also don’t need more than 2100 on the SAT to be admitted to most public universities, which I find sad because I’m a sophomore with a 2200+ SAT. They don’t volunteer or pursue some passion, just sitting on their lazy asses studying for the next test and, like living from check to check as adults would do, live from grade to grade. C+? No problem for them! As long as they pass! </p>
<p>Face it, you need better stats for Ivies, which requires hard work, wit, and skill. A high school student who grows through all this will be a better member of society and better prepared for the future in the long run. Go compare any Ivy Leaguer with a student at a state flagship and you will see this difference. I admire Ivy League students because of their passion and acumen, something you will not see most of the time at public institutions.</p>
<p>As for the education at Ivy League themselves, you are false about them not being as good as public schools. There is a cornucopia of internships and internationally renowned professors at Ivy League schools, who are much more respected and knowledgeable than your typical, everyday state college professor. There are more majors and classes to choose from without the worry of classes being cut or being overly massive.</p>