What IS so bad a about going to a state school?

[Anonymous]

Nothing wrong with state schools. But if your child is an academically elite student with no interest in D1 sports or Greek life, they may be very poor fits. The fact of the matter is that 98% of high school students will never be in the running for the Ivies so the question is moot. Financially, nearly every family earning less than $200k will pay less at the Ivies because of much better financial aid. The important thing is for our children to choose a school that gives them the best chance to grow up and pursue their aspirations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing wrong with state schools. But if your child is an academically elite student with no interest in D1 sports or Greek life, they may be very poor fits. The fact of the matter is that 98% of high school students will never be in the running for the Ivies so the question is moot. Financially, nearly every family earning less than $200k will pay less at the Ivies because of much better financial aid. The important thing is for our children to choose a school that gives them the best chance to grow up and pursue their aspirations.

Well, my kid fits that profile and has more flagship publics on her wishlist than Ivies. Probable bio major, so size of faculty and range of research are what's attracting her to specific programs. Ultimately, HPS might trump flagships, but lesser Ivies aren't even in the mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 100% dependent on the student. I went to Big State School and had a great experience. I learned a ton, developed close relationships with my professors, and graduated without debt. This allowed me the freedom to apply to my (top-ranked) graduate program of choice without worrying about my debt load.

But...some kids need more hand-holding or help finding their peer group. Or they need to have their peer group curated for them and need small class to avoid being overlooked. SLACs are great for that.

I TA'd at a highly competitive liberal arts college and their was absolutely more support. But the best kids were no better than the best kids at my Big State School.

If you feel like your kid will find the other smart, motivated, kids and has the personality to avoid getting lost in a crowd, I think it's a fine choice. Even a great choice, because it leaves some other options open.

I think this is an excellent and nuanced answer. Everyone should re-read.

-- a 40 something who went to U. of Kansas due to cost. Then went to a brand grad school and is working right alongside of all you Duke and Penn undergrads on K St.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The top SLACs will do fine, but there's a broad range of small private LACs that are expensive and increasingly uncompetitive with state schools.

I agree -- I'm trying to figure out which ones those are so we can stay away.

+1


And I don't think us news rankings on this particular question are at all accurate or compelling.

[Anonymous]

Many parent who went to state schools themselves prefer state schools for their children (and not because of the cost)

[Anonymous]

Many parents!

Yes, I think so too.

[Anonymous]

I went to a small high school back in the 1970s..(gasp!) Small colleges felt like high school to me all over again. Too many cliques. Everyone knew everyone else, etc. Loved the opportunities at my big 10 state university. Never regretted going there for a moment.

Fast forward ..30 years. My sister's kid got into a bunch of small "country club" like schools.. Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, etc. Instead, he went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for computer engineering. Loves it there. She pays in-state tuition and saves a bundle. You have to be a kid who can handle a school that size though. And, my sister tells me the partying culture is wild there, so I guess you need the brains to stay away from that and study.

I never regretted my Big 10 school. I work near GW and I just think my Big Ten is so much prettier.

My two cents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm an outlier but I think state colleges are a fine choice. I think a lot of 'top' colleges are a huge waste of money for most people but yet they think they need to go to the ' right' college or else their future is going to be ruined forever, when in reality, does it even matter that much?

Agree. I think the only people concerned about this kind of thing live in areas like DC and NY. The rest of the country is just fine with sending their kids to state schools. There are some excellent ones out there.

+1

The big state schools often have strong alumni networks, as good as if not better than the "top" colleges, and allow a student to be debt-free starting their career.

+1. As luck would have it, I have the same foreign policy government job as people who went to "better" schools. I also got to have the time of my life at my big, wonderful state school with no debt. But I don't judge either way. People do what is right for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm an outlier but I think state colleges are a fine choice. I think a lot of 'top' colleges are a huge waste of money for most people but yet they think they need to go to the ' right' college or else their future is going to be ruined forever, when in reality, does it even matter that much?

Agree. I think the only people concerned about this kind of thing live in areas like DC and NY. The rest of the country is just fine with sending their kids to state schools. There are some excellent ones out there.

+1

The big state schools often have strong alumni networks, as good as if not better than the "top" colleges, and allow a student to be debt-free starting their career.

+1. As luck would have it, I have the same foreign policy government job as people who went to "better" schools. I also got to have the time of my life at my big, wonderful state school with no debt. But I don't judge either way. People do what is right for them.

+1

[Anonymous]

Nothing. Even better if you want the stay in that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'm an outlier but I think state colleges are a fine choice. I think a lot of 'top' colleges are a huge waste of money for most people but yet they think they need to go to the ' right' college or else their future is going to be ruined forever, when in reality, does it even matter that much?

Agree. I think the only people concerned about this kind of thing live in areas like DC and NY. The rest of the country is just fine with sending their kids to state schools. There are some excellent ones out there.

Do people in NY worry about this? The SUNY system is diverse and most students (from the hand holders to the go getters) can find a good fit. I went to a SUNY and my sister went to FIT which is a public, but cool enough to be in Manhattan. I would recommend publics to anyone based on my experience.

And just for reference, I went on to a PhD at a fancy private and I can assure you that the stature of my undergrad degree is never a topic of conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many parent who went to state schools themselves prefer state schools for their children (and not because of the cost)

I went to a "non-competitive" LAC because they gave me a full scholarship. I met my husband there. We went on to much bigger name grad schools in our fields. We both prefer LACs because of the type of education we got there. Most of our classmates agree.

I don't think its particularly revealing that people who picked a state school or an LAC still prefer a state school or an LAC later in life. You have a bit of confirmation bias going in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not "bad" per se, it's just different than privates. Privates have more resources and more hand-holdings. Public schools are "sink or swim" mode which forces kids to go out and actively look for what they need to survive.

To me, that's a great reason to go to a state school. It sounds like it prepares you more for the real world that a college graduate will be quickly entering.

Agreed. And I lived off campus after freshman year. I would have been a very different adult at graduation had I lived in college housing the entire time, like many private school students do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 100% dependent on the student. I went to Big State School and had a great experience. I learned a ton, developed close relationships with my professors, and graduated without debt. This allowed me the freedom to apply to my (top-ranked) graduate program of choice without worrying about my debt load.

But...some kids need more hand-holding or help finding their peer group. Or they need to have their peer group curated for them and need small class to avoid being overlooked. SLACs are great for that.

I TA'd at a highly competitive liberal arts college and their was absolutely more support. But the best kids were no better than the best kids at my Big State School.

If you feel like your kid will find the other smart, motivated, kids and has the personality to avoid getting lost in a crowd, I think it's a fine choice. Even a great choice, because it leaves some other options open.

I went to -- and LOVED -- my top-rated SLAC, but I agree with PP. For me, the SLAC was absolutely the way to go. But for some kids, it would be just as good (or maybe better) to be at the big state school. And definitely agree that the top students from the big state school are just as good as the top students anywhere.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at one of the big state flagships and it's been really good. Because we are OOS it costs nearly as much as private college though. For the instate kids it's a spectacular deal and many of the best students in the state do want to go to the school. Our instate option (UMD) is good, and on the rise, but DC had no interest in it. If money had been a factor we might have looked at it.