I went to a Top School and I think state schools are the way to go

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as a "West Coast Ivy League," but if there was such a league USC would undoubtedly be part of it. The real IVY League consists of 8 private institutions - there no way USC isn't among the 8 top private schools on the West Coast.

Among all national universities on the West Coast only Stanford, Cal Tech and Berkley are ranked higher than USC [UCLA is tied with USC]. The Ivy league doesn't include SLAC's - but through in a few of those if you like and USC is still in the top eight.

The fact that USC students have a social life shouldn't disqualify USC - I'm sure that at least some Stanford, Berkley and UCLA students have a life beyond the books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost of college is out of control. There are only two types of students that can afford the top private schools that don't give merit aid- super rich and students that will receive lots of financial aid(free money- not loans)

Or students who have parents that are affluent and willing to save for their college. If one is willing and able to save for a $60k a year school and starts doing it when kids are young, you don't have to be super rich. Though I guess you might define super rich differently than I do.

You'd have to save $1000 per month per kid since birth to fully fund a 60K per year school. Sorry, but if you can do that, plus mortgage, insurances, car payments, child care, extracirruculars, and living expenses (even if you are modest in your spending habits), then you are pretty darn rich.

I don't think so - we put in far far less than that, and have the first year of college paid for for our 6 year old and 8 year old (unfortunately, school will be even MORE expensive by then). Thanks to compounding interest, a little bit saved early goes a long way, and is also a tax benefit in 529's. I learned about compounding interest in my mediocre public high school, not my Top 3 Ivy League college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no such thing as a "West Coast Ivy League," but if there was such a league USC would undoubtedly be part of it. The real IVY League consists of 8 private institutions - there no way USC isn't among the 8 top private schools on the West Coast.

Among all national universities on the West Coast only Stanford, Cal Tech and Berkley are ranked higher than USC [UCLA is tied with USC]. The Ivy league doesn't include SLAC's - but through in a few of those if you like and USC is still in the top eight.

The fact that USC students have a social life shouldn't disqualify USC - I'm sure that at least some Stanford, Berkley and UCLA students have a life beyond the books.

USC? University of Spoiled Children? You are out of your mind. Party school central. And yes I know what I'm talking about. Grew up out there and taught there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no such thing as a "West Coast Ivy League," but if there was such a league USC would undoubtedly be part of it. The real IVY League consists of 8 private institutions - there no way USC isn't among the 8 top private schools on the West Coast.

Among all national universities on the West Coast only Stanford, Cal Tech and Berkley are ranked higher than USC [UCLA is tied with USC]. The Ivy league doesn't include SLAC's - but through in a few of those if you like and USC is still in the top eight.

The fact that USC students have a social life shouldn't disqualify USC - I'm sure that at least some Stanford, Berkley and UCLA students have a life beyond the books.

USC? University of Spoiled Children? You are out of your mind. Party school central. And yes I know what I'm talking about. Grew up out there and taught there

University of sexy coeds more apt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no such thing as a "West Coast Ivy League," but if there was such a league USC would undoubtedly be part of it. The real IVY League consists of 8 private institutions - there no way USC isn't among the 8 top private schools on the West Coast.

Among all national universities on the West Coast only Stanford, Cal Tech and Berkley are ranked higher than USC [UCLA is tied with USC]. The Ivy league doesn't include SLAC's - but through in a few of those if you like and USC is still in the top eight.

The fact that USC students have a social life shouldn't disqualify USC - I'm sure that at least some Stanford, Berkley and UCLA students have a life beyond the books.

USC? University of Spoiled Children? You are out of your mind. Party school central. And yes I know what I'm talking about. Grew up out there and taught there

Hmm, ignore the rankings and trust the anonymous USC basher who says “I know what I'm talking about. Grew up out there and taught there?” Maybe not.

Though if it is true that the person who posted this taught at USC, I’d lose some respect for the school because the underlying logic is so flawed.

Point 1: “I grew up out there” (presumably Southern California) – okay . . . and that provides insight into what? The local stereotypes applied to the students?

Point 2: “taught there” – okay – so how large and recent was the sample size of USC students that you taught? You are suggesting that you are able to speak with authority on an entire student body based on some unspecified experience. Pretty dubious.

I taught classes of 20-30 students at one of the leading universities in the world for a 5 year period and I wouldn’t pretend to be in a position to judge the student body based on such limited experience. I am, however, comfortable saying the school I taught at is one of the leading universities in the world because it is ranked as such based on a comprehensive overview and analysis. There is a reason that schools pay attention to rankings (however flawed) and care little about the rants of disgruntled former employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talking about aid, here's a cut-n-paste from a recent thread on CC

Our income is very low $60's and we were only offered $2400 in an institutional grant and a Stafford loan. This is with only one child in college. Lehigh said that we were denied getting more because we have equity built up in our house.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/lehigh-university/1502832-how-good-lehighs-financial-aid.html?highlight=scholarship

What??? I thought they did not look at primary homes at all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In theory, sure, I agree with OP. I went to a state school (not even a top one, but the top one for the state, IYKWIM) and turned out just fine.

Joking aside, I think it really comes down to the individual kid and family and the planned course of study and even the level of interest. It'll also depend on our own financial situation at the time. If we are rolling in it (to be crass), then who cares. If he gets in to a top private, go there! If he gets into a school that seems to perfectly meet his needs, go there! I'd like to believe we will be able to fully fund whatever school he wants and can get into, but shit happens and life doesn't always go to plan.

I'd like to think we could pay for it too, but with three kids that's about $720,000 and I just don't see that happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised that I don't see more private school alums speaking up for their alma maters. I was offered a full ride to Rutgers (Douglass College) and a seat in their honors program. I turned it down because I got a near equivalent offer from Lehigh University and I felt that the private school experience would offer much richer networking and career placement opportunities thanks to the deeply loyal alumni base. That proved to be true. I got my MBA at Georgetown and see the same strong alumni network in action there.

On the other hand, my husband received his undergraduate, masters and PhDs from state universities, and I see no evidence of any strong alumni ties. Could be just his personality, but I really think the strong ties to school and the tradition of helping other alumni are one of the strongest reasons for paying the differential for a private university.

I never regretted my choice, and I paid back my student loans early and then contributed funds to Lehigh to cover all the scholarship monies they invested in me.

So question - last time I checked Gtown was ranked 25th for MBA. Had you gotten into one of the several state schools that rank higher than Georgetown, would you have avoided the dirty poor masses and still picked Georgetown?

Instead of alumni ties, I used my skills and hard work to get where I am.

Late to the game responding to your question about choice of school for MBA. Despite the snide twist in your response, I'll answer.

If money were an issue, I'd pick UMD-CP for Business School over Georgetown. The alumni network is amazing and the school is truly fantastic, plus it's much less expensive. That said, I had an absolutely wonderful experience at GU and love being a part of the Georgetown community.

As opposed to others who say the big names matter for grad school, again, it really depends. I made much deeper friendships in undergrad than grad school, but I was going through an exec program, so I was working as well. I think if you know you want to work in a certain geographical area and there is a highly ranked school there available to you, it makes sense to go there.

Again, in my case, I was a "scholarship kid" and so Lehigh was in some sense a "finishing school" for me. I got my first up close look at the upper middle class and the upper class. I learned a lot about social graces and all the intangibles that make someone appear "successful." It worked for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alumni network is overrated. It's one of those things that on the edge might make a difference but overall it's not that big of a deal. Performance counts for much more.

Really? Not if alums are willing to prep you for interviews with their firms, give you hiring preference, etc. That's the difference with a private school alumni network vs. state u. So what if Penn State has a big alumni network - are their alumni actually proactive in hiring other alumni?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a state school (Big Ten). It will mostly likely prevent a student from getting the very top business jobs (Carlyle, Goldman, etc), but not most jobs that most people want/will have.

Sorry, wrong. I know someone who was at Carlyle who went to a no-name school. Doesn't even have a graduate degree. Left for a better opportunity and now pulls down mid-7 figures. School means nothing. It's how smart you are and how hard you work, plus a little bit of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alumni network is overrated. It's one of those things that on the edge might make a difference but overall it's not that big of a deal. Performance counts for much more.

Really? Not if alums are willing to prep you for interviews with their firms, give you hiring preference, etc. That's the difference with a private school alumni network vs. state u. So what if Penn State has a big alumni network - are their alumni actually proactive in hiring other alumni?

I think many of the posters on this thread are lawyers. In DC BigLaw, I'm sure that where you went to law school matters, undergrad not so much, but it can help to have a double Ivy degree.

In the real world, it's hard work that gets you places. I think many posters are trying to justify spending all that money on private colleges for their darlings, just because they can afford it.

I went to an Ivy, and I can tell you there were some pretty stupid people there. Yes they were good at getting good grades, but they were narrow minded, extremely competitive, not particularly thoughtful people. I've met far more intelligent people who went to no name schools.

To OP: You are right. My kids are going to state schools or private if they get more money. If you have the money to waste, and your child gets into an Ivy, by all means send him/her there, but don't delude yourself that that pricey degree will be anything more than something for you to brag about. Your child will succeed based on how hard she works, how smart she is (encompassing the many definitions of 'smart'), not based on where she spent four years of her adolescence.

[Anonymous]

OK, I don't think Ivies are the be-all-end-all, but this silliness isn't much better.

Anonymous wrote:
I think many of the posters on this thread are lawyers. In DC BigLaw, I'm sure that where you went to law school matters, undergrad not so much, but it can help to have a double Ivy degree.

In the real world, it's hard work that gets you places. I think many posters are trying to justify spending all that money on private colleges for their darlings, just because they can afford it.

It's silly to say kids get into Ivies "just because they can afford it." Maybe you attended your Ivy a few decades ago. But these days, working hard is a necessity for getting into Ivies. Even the athletic recruits to Ivies have stellar GPAs and are often NMSSFs (my DC knows quite a few athletic recruits who entered DC's Ivy this fall, although my DC is not an athletic recruit).

I don't know how many of us are lawyers. I'm not a lawyer.

Anonymous wrote:I went to an Ivy, and I can tell you there were some pretty stupid people there. Yes they were good at getting good grades, but they were narrow minded, extremely competitive, not particularly thoughtful people. I've met far more intelligent people who went to no name schools.

I agree, there are stupid people at Ivies and very smart people at no-name schools. For instance, your statement above is a good example of how an Ivy-educated person can have bad thinking skills. Drawing a comparison between the dumbest person at your Ivy and the smartest person from a no-name school is an exercise in anecdotes, and it proves nothing about the true means/medians within these two groups of kids.

That said, I think there are plenty of smart kids at no-name schools.

Anonymous wrote:To OP: You are right. My kids are going to state schools or private if they get more money. If you have the money to waste, and your child gets into an Ivy, by all means send him/her there, but don't delude yourself that that pricey degree will be anything more than something for you to brag about. Your child will succeed based on how hard she works, how smart she is (encompassing the many definitions of 'smart'), not based on where she spent four years of her adolescence.

OK, I finally agree with something you said. DC is going to an Ivy, but I think a state school could have provided an equally good education (our state school did not happen to offer DC's area of interest as a major). I also agree that success is based on work ethic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a state school (Big Ten). It will mostly likely prevent a student from getting the very top business jobs (Carlyle, Goldman, etc), but not most jobs that most people want/will have.

Sorry, wrong. I know someone who was at Carlyle who went to a no-name school. Doesn't even have a graduate degree. Left for a better opportunity and now pulls down mid-7 figures. School means nothing. It's how smart you are and how hard you work, plus a little bit of luck.

Is this person in their late 30's or older?

For the under 30's set finance/consulting recruiting is skewed big time towards name brand schools. Not saying ivy or MIT or Stanford is a guarantee, but it increases your chances (i.e. allows for greater margin of error...whether its lower gpa or 'easier' major).