If T30-70 schools are not worth the money, what is your DC's college list strategy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That only leaves in-state public schools as safety and target (some are reach). OOS like UM are equally expensive as private T30-T70.

For MC UMC, the college list will include in-state, and then T10/T20 as reach. No buffer zone.

So is Georgetown Emory out the question

I don’t know. Georgetown is quite popular among NYC private. International relations, not sure it’s that hot under trump.

[Anonymous]

There are way more high achieving students in public’s these days even if the overall population is a range of ability levels. Go public and save your money for grad school.

[Anonymous]

T30 or honors college at one of the instate options - both ranked about 100.

[Anonymous]

Well firstly, I don't agree with that. There are plenty of schools in the T30-70 that give great merit. So know how much you can afford and include some just in case you get enough merit.

But then again, if I could not easily pay $90K/year, I'm also not willing to pay it for a T30 school. Those are not worth it either, unless you have the $$$ saved, or can easily cash flow (and still be saving enough for retirement and also provide similar amounts for each of your kids---don't screw over the baby)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay only California, Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and maybe Maryland have respectable public schools in them. If you live in say Delaware and your a high income family (200k+) what is the college list look like if it doesn't include the Top 30-70.

Wisconsin and Washington are sitting at the kiddie's table, apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay only California, Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and maybe Maryland have respectable public schools in them. If you live in say Delaware and your a high income family (200k+) what is the college list look like if it doesn't include the Top 30-70.

Wisconsin and Washington are sitting at the kiddie's table, apparently.

UDelaware is a fine school instate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That only leaves in-state public schools as safety and target (some are reach). OOS like UM are equally expensive as private T30-T70.

For MC UMC, the college list will include in-state, and then T10/T20 as reach. No buffer zone.

So is Georgetown Emory out the question

And so it begins...

in state kids actions already speak to this

Georgia has Zell Miller, its literally free. Not an apples to apples comparison. Realistically I would be willing to pay double for Emory or Georgetown over Gatech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are lucky to live in VA. My kids could choose from the VA top 3, as well as UMD, UNC, PSU, Delaware, Pitt, etc.

I’m honestly scared of the intense culture at the tippy top private schools.

We will receive zero need aid, and my kids were not interested in any of the privates that give good merit. They also wanted big sports/school spirit which ruled a lot out.

That is well overblown on DCUM. The T10/15/ivy types are the best schools as far as peer strength, opportunities as undergrads, and odds for getting into top law, med, research, consulting or tech jobs. The intensity builds the student up to be able to compete at the elite level for those who want it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people say OOS is the same price as private?

The sticker price for Ohio State, OOS, is $63k.

The sticker price for Tufts is $93k.

A family that can only send two kids to Tufts can send three kids to Ohio State. That’s a pretty big difference!

+1 It is so variable by state, and even institution.

Florida St OOS is the same as some in-state costs in the Northeast (about $36K). Michigan St. OOS is much cheaper than Mich OOS (about $58K/year vs. $80K). All these schools are T30-T70. (costs I included are tuition + fees + room & board)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people say OOS is the same price as private?

The sticker price for Ohio State, OOS, is $63k.

The sticker price for Tufts is $93k.

A family that can only send two kids to Tufts can send three kids to Ohio State. That’s a pretty big difference!

+1 It is so variable by state, and even institution.

Florida St OOS is the same as some in-state costs in the Northeast (about $36K). Michigan St. OOS is much cheaper than Mich OOS (about $58K/year vs. $80K). All these schools are T30-T70. (costs I included are tuition + fees + room & board)

Then go to Florida State.

Why do you care what other people choose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay only California, Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and maybe Maryland have respectable public schools in them. If you live in say Delaware and your a high income family (200k+) what is the college list look like if it doesn't include the Top 30-70.

Delaware isn’t respectable?! Get a grip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:T30-70 includes UT-Austin, UW-Madison, UMD, Ohio State, Rutgers, UGA, VA Tech, W&M, Michigan State, NC State, and a lot more. Why wouldn’t those schools be worth it? Hundreds of thousands of people attend these universities, graduate, and go on to have successful lives and careers.

And most kids who go to top privates don’t pay full tuition while also going on to have successful lives and careers. I’d be just as happy paying the average COA of a 30-70 private that fit my needs and interests as I would paying near full-rate often charged OOS at the publics you mention. I would choose the best fit and find the financial balance.

+100

Not everyone pays the full sticker price, and private schools have a much higher bar for giving out financial aid compared to OOS public schools.
I’m not sure if it’s because people aren’t well-informed or if they’re just criticizing the schools because they got rejected.

Whatever the case, it’s not fair to argue about the worth of private schools. Everyone values things differently.
If it’s not worth it to you, you don’t need to send your child. That’s it.
For others, they may be glad to take the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are lucky to live in VA. My kids could choose from the VA top 3, as well as UMD, UNC, PSU, Delaware, Pitt, etc.

I’m honestly scared of the intense culture at the tippy top private schools.

We will receive zero need aid, and my kids were not interested in any of the privates that give good merit. They also wanted big sports/school spirit which ruled a lot out.

That is well overblown on DCUM. The T10/15/ivy types are the best schools as far as peer strength, opportunities as undergrads, and odds for getting into top law, med, research, consulting or tech jobs. The intensity builds the student up to be able to compete at the elite level for those who want it

I’m not talking about academics. I’m talking about intense, striving, rankings-obsessed, connections-obsessed students and parents. Like the ones who post on this board. Talk about the MIL from hell. No thanks. I’d actually PREFER my kids to have a relaxed UMC existence in a suburb or mid-sized city to an intense, competitive “elite” existence somewhere you deem acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That only leaves in-state public schools as safety and target (some are reach). OOS like UM are equally expensive as private T30-T70.

For MC UMC, the college list will include in-state, and then T10/T20 as reach. No buffer zone.

So is Georgetown Emory out the question

And so it begins...

in state kids actions already speak to this

Georgia has Zell Miller, its literally free. Not an apples to apples comparison. Realistically I would be willing to pay double for Emory or Georgetown over Gatech.

You're on your own there. Emory is not desirable for those with options. Georgetown is only slightly more desirable.

[Anonymous]

My kid is either t10 or he's becoming a plumber.