Do many people pick publics because of money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia has some fantastic state schools. Why pay for private when you can get a better education, with a larger alumni network, at a public?

VA state schools are good at some things but overall mediocre in STEM.

Virginia has schools that are among the tops among public schools in top pay in STEM fields, top feeders on a percentage basis to STEM PhD programs, and are among the best in admissions to medical schools and other medical programs.

I agree and I'm a product of VA in-state public colleges. It was all my parents could afford for the 3 of us on one Fed salary and part-time nurse.

I had the stats for much higher. I got a solid education, but it was a big state school which I compare to McDonald's. In and out and fast--but not particularly memorable in regards to professor relations or courses. My husband was a poor public k-12 product - but did get a Pell grant and was able to afford a T10 that way.

We always were very big public school proponents. Our kids received a great elementary school education, middle school middling--not challenged at all. No accountability. No hard deadlines. Grade adjustments/re-takes for everyone. We put them in a private HS and I was floored at the differences and the quality of education. The facilities and smaller class sizes with very dedicated teachers that had graduate degrees in the subjects they teach. My kids came alive academically and engaged so much with their teachers. There was none of the nonsense that comes with a big public HS--resources, fights, teaching to the lower denominator, unqualified teachers, crowding, large class sizes, much better HS college counselor and prep for college.

We can afford it so we are sending our kids to private college. Firstborn to a T10. Smaller in size than our state schools. Many more resources devoted to the student. Network and such. I lived the difference. If it were a struggle I would happily send my kid to a VA public university--but given the choice with the $, it's a no-brainer for me to give my kid that opportunity. I don't care about the 'outcomes'.

"esources, fights, teaching to the lower denominator, unqualified teachers, crowding, large class sizes, much better HS college counselor and prep for college."

Unless you sent your kid to a private outside of the DMV you have no idea what reality is.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose private because after merit aid, it was the cheapest option. If public had been the cheapest, we would have sent our kids to public. It was ALL about the $$.

good for you but most parents reading this will not receive merit offers. You are not gping to get merit frim the top schools. You must drop down in the rankings to get merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We chose private because after merit aid, it was the cheapest option. If public had been the cheapest, we would have sent our kids to public. It was ALL about the $$.

Smart decision.

+1

So nice to hear an honest, sensible response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia has some fantastic state schools. Why pay for private when you can get a better education, with a larger alumni network, at a public?

VA state schools are good at some things but overall mediocre in STEM.

Virginia has schools that are among the tops among public schools in top pay in STEM fields, top feeders on a percentage basis to STEM PhD programs, and are among the best in admissions to medical schools and other medical programs.

I agree and I'm a product of VA in-state public colleges. It was all my parents could afford for the 3 of us on one Fed salary and part-time nurse.

I had the stats for much higher. I got a solid education, but it was a big state school which I compare to McDonald's. In and out and fast--but not particularly memorable in regards to professor relations or courses. My husband was a poor public k-12 product - but did get a Pell grant and was able to afford a T10 that way.

We always were very big public school proponents. Our kids received a great elementary school education, middle school middling--not challenged at all. No accountability. No hard deadlines. Grade adjustments/re-takes for everyone. We put them in a private HS and I was floored at the differences and the quality of education. The facilities and smaller class sizes with very dedicated teachers that had graduate degrees in the subjects they teach. My kids came alive academically and engaged so much with their teachers. There was none of the nonsense that comes with a big public HS--resources, fights, teaching to the lower denominator, unqualified teachers, crowding, large class sizes, much better HS college counselor and prep for college.

We can afford it so we are sending our kids to private college. Firstborn to a T10. Smaller in size than our state schools. Many more resources devoted to the student. Network and such. I lived the difference. If it were a struggle I would happily send my kid to a VA public university--but given the choice with the $, it's a no-brainer for me to give my kid that opportunity. I don't care about the 'outcomes'.

Not all VA public universities are comparable to one another.

No--but UVA, VT, JMU are like that. WM is more like a SLAC.

wrong. VT is much larger than UVA and JMU by more than 10,000 additional students

[Anonymous]

My coworker went to an Ivy I went to UMD. We are both Sr. Program Managers on a large government contract. Our paths are slightly different but now we are in the same place and my salary is slightly higher because I am more technical.

It doesn’t necessarily matter where you go. State schools can be just as good and you have way less debt. It’s the path you decide to take and whether you are a go getter. I am and it paid off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents did not pay for my college or grad school. I never considered any public universities in state or out of state. I am from NY. I applied to schools I was interested in, got financial aid and graduated grad school with loans and paid it off pretty quickly. I worked in investment banking and private equity in NYC so it was fast.

I’m surprised at how many people choose state schools in VA and MD.

Are students that afraid of debt?

All these families are better off financially than my family was when I was going to college. The cost of college was not a factor for me. I just knew I would pay it back.

My parents didn't pay for my extremely expensive private college either because they could not afford to. I had grants and work study and loans. Not a huge amount all things being equal and I went to grad school (on fellowship) studying humanities and still managed to pay off the loans on a decidedly non-investment-banking salary.

Fast forward and DH and I can afford to pay private. My child chose a state school because they liked it best. Chose it over 3 high ranking colleges that offered admission. But liked the state school the best for a number of reasons and that's where they landed.

It's weird you believe public schools have nothing to offer over private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP-you made $$ in IB, went to great schools. Are you really that dim? You can’t comprehend that a) most people will never make IB type of money and therefore 1) can’t pay off student debt quickly and 2) can’t shell out $$ for their kids to attend $$$ private schools? That’s why the whole debate of private vs public school results is not accurate. “Results” (where kids actually end up vs where they get in) are a product of parental SES more than anything.

We live in an affluent area in the DMV. I’m just genuinely surprised at the number of students who go private when I know they were perfect students. I also know it is not easy to get into UVA and that UVA is a respectable school. Like I said, I’m sure it is geographic, just the way other posters said most people went to UC or UNC. SUNY, Rutgers and UConn are not the same caliber.

Clearly you didn't get that great of an education if you think that all private schools are magically better than all public schools.

By the way some kids love sports so much they want that big college sports experience, not some rinky-dink half-assed Ivy-league "football" or "basketball" conference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia has some fantastic state schools. Why pay for private when you can get a better education, with a larger alumni network, at a public?

VA state schools are good at some things but overall mediocre in STEM.

Virginia has schools that are among the tops among public schools in top pay in STEM fields, top feeders on a percentage basis to STEM PhD programs, and are among the best in admissions to medical schools and other medical programs.

I agree and I'm a product of VA in-state public colleges. It was all my parents could afford for the 3 of us on one Fed salary and part-time nurse.

I had the stats for much higher. I got a solid education, but it was a big state school which I compare to McDonald's. In and out and fast--but not particularly memorable in regards to professor relations or courses. My husband was a poor public k-12 product - but did get a Pell grant and was able to afford a T10 that way.

We always were very big public school proponents. Our kids received a great elementary school education, middle school middling--not challenged at all. No accountability. No hard deadlines. Grade adjustments/re-takes for everyone. We put them in a private HS and I was floored at the differences and the quality of education. The facilities and smaller class sizes with very dedicated teachers that had graduate degrees in the subjects they teach. My kids came alive academically and engaged so much with their teachers. There was none of the nonsense that comes with a big public HS--resources, fights, teaching to the lower denominator, unqualified teachers, crowding, large class sizes, much better HS college counselor and prep for college.

We can afford it so we are sending our kids to private college. Firstborn to a T10. Smaller in size than our state schools. Many more resources devoted to the student. Network and such. I lived the difference. If it were a struggle I would happily send my kid to a VA public university--but given the choice with the $, it's a no-brainer for me to give my kid that opportunity. I don't care about the 'outcomes'.

Not all VA public universities are comparable to one another.

No--but UVA, VT, JMU are like that. WM is more like a SLAC.

I can’t speak for VT and JMU because I do not have kids there; however, comparing UVA to fast food is absurd.

+1. and woefully ignorant

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We chose private because after merit aid, it was the cheapest option. If public had been the cheapest, we would have sent our kids to public. It was ALL about the $$.

good for you but most parents reading this will not receive merit offers. You are not gping to get merit frim the top schools. You must drop down in the rankings to get merit.

We didn't care about a "top" school. We were happy for a run of the mill private where our kids could attend for cheap. We couldn't afford more and weren't going to do loans. Again, for us, price was the top factor. Same reason why we bought a house for half the mortgage we qualified for, why we drive a 15 year old car and why we don't do a lot of vacations.
The OP seemed to look down on publics cause they are less expensive. I was making the point that many private schools are even less expensive than publics after merit. The reality is that MOST people attend the school they can afford and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YES.

30K/yr for UMD in-state.
40-ishK/yr for UVA in-state, depending on program.
My oldest goes to a private university, sticker price 85K/yr, actual price 65K, due to merit.

This is because his chosen major has a much better reputation there than at UMD, which would be in-state for us. He turned down UMD Honors.

But if my younger kids want to major in STEM, I'd be happy for them to attend UMD. We're wealthy, but have conserved assets in part by enrolling our kids in good public schools and not throwing too much money out of windows

I do not blindly buy into the hype of college branding, even though I agree with you that name recognition/course rigor/access to top-notch programs has its place in decision-making.

This is because building generational wealth, which I assume is the goal of most middle class families, isn't solely dependant on the name on a college diploma. You can set up your kids to do very well in life if wealth is funneled into your kids' downpayments on homes, etc, so they live debt-free and can stretch in their investments at an early age.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents did not pay for my college or grad school. I never considered any public universities in state or out of state. I am from NY. I applied to schools I was interested in, got financial aid and graduated grad school with loans and paid it off pretty quickly. I worked in investment banking and private equity in NYC so it was fast.

I’m surprised at how many people choose state schools in VA and MD.

Are students that afraid of debt?

All these families are better off financially than my family was when I was going to college. The cost of college was not a factor for me. I just knew I would pay it back.

My kid was accepted to three ivies and several other top schools. Went to UVA. Most of her chemical engineering professors were phds from ivy, while professors at ivy leagues were not so impressive. Full ride at UVA vs. $80k at ivy (back then, now it is more). We could afford paying for ivy, did not make any sense back then. The kid is in grad school at Stanford now on full grant from the school.

The decision has nothing to do with fear of debt. I am surprised that you are at IB and don't understand the difference between school loans back then and now. It is apples and oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP-you made $$ in IB, went to great schools. Are you really that dim? You can’t comprehend that a) most people will never make IB type of money and therefore 1) can’t pay off student debt quickly and 2) can’t shell out $$ for their kids to attend $$$ private schools? That’s why the whole debate of private vs public school results is not accurate. “Results” (where kids actually end up vs where they get in) are a product of parental SES more than anything.

We live in an affluent area in the DMV. I’m just genuinely surprised at the number of students who go private when I know they were perfect students. I also know it is not easy to get into UVA and that UVA is a respectable school. Like I said, I’m sure it is geographic, just the way other posters said most people went to UC or UNC. SUNY, Rutgers and UConn are not the same caliber.

Clearly you didn't get that great of an education if you think that all private schools are magically better than all public schools.

By the way some kids love sports so much they want that big college sports experience, not some rinky-dink half-assed Ivy-league "football" or "basketball" conference.

Super fans, not actual players. Ok. Spectators. There is a big screen TV and a lazy boy recliner in Towson and a case of Pabst waiting for their 40-year old self.

[Anonymous]

Picky people and poor people pick prestigious publics. Say that 3 times real fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We chose private because after merit aid, it was the cheapest option. If public had been the cheapest, we would have sent our kids to public. It was ALL about the $$.

good for you but most parents reading this will not receive merit offers. You are not gping to get merit frim the top schools. You must drop down in the rankings to get merit.

We didn't care about a "top" school. We were happy for a run of the mill private where our kids could attend for cheap. We couldn't afford more and weren't going to do loans. Again, for us, price was the top factor. Same reason why we bought a house for half the mortgage we qualified for, why we drive a 15 year old car and why we don't do a lot of vacations.
The OP seemed to look down on publics cause they are less expensive. I was making the point that many private schools are even less expensive than publics after merit. The reality is that MOST people attend the school they can afford and there's nothing wrong with that.

But you didn't admit up front that you had to settle for a second or third tier private in order to do this. It's important for parents reading this to understand that if you are chasing merit, you aren't going to be applying to T20. We had the same decision but weren't willing to compromise on the reputation of the school. Our kid was exceptionally high stats and going for Ivies and UVA. Because of his test scores he was offered, unsolicited, free rides but by SLACs you've never heard of. The schools he had applied to didn't offer any merit (no surprise) and our FAFSA gave us zero financial aid. That's simply the current system we are working within.