Why does anyone go to an out of state public school if they can get in to their in-state flagship?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong.

No thanks. Your way is the best. We should all value what you value. Others doing differently is inconceivable. It's just because they're stupid.

God bless.

Why do you have to be so nasty? OP is starting a discussion. She is stating her opinion and asking others to discuss. That's the whole point of this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I wrote that off the cuff, and am surprised it offended people. I was in the midst of sticker shock at the cost of some of the state schools.
People who know me would be entertained seeing this directed at me: "I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong." I'm NEVER sure of my choices or that I'm right.

Actually I'd love to be persuaded against pressuring my kid to attend in-state. I get it, Maryland is boring if you grew up here. I was very eager to get away to the east coast for college when I was in high school. But I just can't see how it makes sense if it's double to quadruple the cost for a similar educational option. And it's not because I am (as another PP suggested) broke and bitter. It's because I'm frugal and practical.

I meant to qualify the question by saying this is assuming the kid gets in to their state flagship. Personally, I think every state should prioritize in-state kids more. It sucks that so many kids were getting rejected from UMD despite good stats. Definitely makes me want to make sure my second DS applies to more of the in-state schools.

OP, your post was totally fine. And you come across as a reasonable person trying to figure this all out. No worries.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s first choice was our instate flagship, UVA, but she was rejected. Money isn’t an issue, so she is happily studying out of state at a private university ranked about the same. No other VA state school appealed to my kid.

[Anonymous]

A top school is a top school. Public or private, it really doesn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went out of state to a private, but for each school I applied to I had to sell my parents on why it was better than the state flagship (UNC) where my admission chances were pretty much guaranteed (as in-state student). I ended up applying to a lot of SLACs because I could sell them on the added value there; under no circumstances could I sell them on the value of, say, Michigan.

People do different things, but for your kid you have a voice in the conversation, and your perspective makes sense to me.

Unless you wanted engineering. UNC doesn’t offer that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because when the parents and/or both sets of grandparents are multi-millionaires, the (grand)kids can go literally anywhere they want. And when you're rich, it's a status thing to send your kids to private or an out-of-state public because it signals you're rich and couldn't care less about the extra $100k or whatever you just blew. And it makes bitter broke middle class people like OP jealous. And of course you'd like your kid to broaden their horizons, social circle and dating (marital) pool versus just hanging out with the same handful of peers from the same exact region they grew up in. And I think rich kids are generally "over" the area they grew up in, they're well traveled and when money is no object, they are more likely to seek out new exciting adventures. I think if you told the average middle class kid they could go anywhere, 90% of them would still choose the in-state school, they're just happy to get out of their parents' house. A rich kid is exponentially more likely to capitalize and head off to Colorado, California, New England, Texas, whatever.

Your rant sounds so ignorant. LOL.

[Anonymous]

UMD is really depressing in my opinion. It's not a pretty campus, there is no cute downtown.
$100K is not insignificant for us but I am ok with paying it for a better all-around college experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I wrote that off the cuff, and am surprised it offended people. I was in the midst of sticker shock at the cost of some of the state schools.
People who know me would be entertained seeing this directed at me: "I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong." I'm NEVER sure of my choices or that I'm right.

Actually I'd love to be persuaded against pressuring my kid to attend in-state. I get it, Maryland is boring if you grew up here. I was very eager to get away to the east coast for college when I was in high school. But I just can't see how it makes sense if it's double to quadruple the cost for a similar educational option. And it's not because I am (as another PP suggested) broke and bitter. It's because I'm frugal and practical.

I meant to qualify the question by saying this is assuming the kid gets in to their state flagship. Personally, I think every state should prioritize in-state kids more. It sucks that so many kids were getting rejected from UMD despite good stats. Definitely makes me want to make sure my second DS applies to more of the in-state schools.

What are your options OP other than UMD? Did you get into UMich? There are no other viable alternatives to consider at this point. So, why don’t you ask UMD vs UMich. If you get into top UCs later like UCLA or UCB you can consider that too. But it is like asking why pay for Harvard when I can get a good education in state

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is interested in CU Boulder and a bunch of other big publics (Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State)

But if those places are over 50K, why would any of them ever be a good choice compared to UMD? He's interested in physics, which UMD is highly ranked in.

The only reason to go elsewhere is simply itchy feet, wanting to be further from home, which I can udnerstand. Not sure it's a sentiment that it's worth 100K+ over four years to indulge.

I get it. We live in VA with plenty of great options.

My advice, get the loan under your kids name! LOL.

You can't. Your child has no collateral. The maximum you can get is through FAFSA either as subsidized or unsubsidized loan based upon your EFC. Ours was 100% so no financial aid at all except for the $5500 unsubsized federal loan. Parents have to make up the rest. Some take loans against their homes. We refinanced when the college savings accounts dried up.

[Anonymous]

We live in Md, and I think UMD would probably be a good fit for both my kids, at least in terms of academic interests. However, I really hope they go somewhere out of state. I grew up in the DMV and although I love it, I feel it’s really important to get out of this bubble and see what other parts of the country feel like. I am comfortable paying more for my kids to have that valuable experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I wrote that off the cuff, and am surprised it offended people. I was in the midst of sticker shock at the cost of some of the state schools.
People who know me would be entertained seeing this directed at me: "I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong." I'm NEVER sure of my choices or that I'm right.

Actually I'd love to be persuaded against pressuring my kid to attend in-state. I get it, Maryland is boring if you grew up here. I was very eager to get away to the east coast for college when I was in high school. But I just can't see how it makes sense if it's double to quadruple the cost for a similar educational option. And it's not because I am (as another PP suggested) broke and bitter. It's because I'm frugal and practical.

I meant to qualify the question by saying this is assuming the kid gets in to their state flagship. Personally, I think every state should prioritize in-state kids more. It sucks that so many kids were getting rejected from UMD despite good stats. Definitely makes me want to make sure my second DS applies to more of the in-state schools.

OP, I'm frugal and practical too. My MoCo kid was accepted to UMD and Pitt as well as some much more expensive private schools (with aid, but still $$ compared to the state schools). One of the main reasons I've been so frugal for many years was so that my kids could attend the best colleges for them-- not necessarily the cheapest ones. And for my current senior, at least "best for them" definitely means NOT local. There's nothing wrong with UMD, and my kid has friends who were thrilled to be accepted and are over the moon to start there next fall. For us, it isn't the best choice (but it would've been foolish not to apply and at least have the option, which is what they did).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I wrote that off the cuff, and am surprised it offended people. I was in the midst of sticker shock at the cost of some of the state schools.
People who know me would be entertained seeing this directed at me: "I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong." I'm NEVER sure of my choices or that I'm right.

Actually I'd love to be persuaded against pressuring my kid to attend in-state. I get it, Maryland is boring if you grew up here. I was very eager to get away to the east coast for college when I was in high school. But I just can't see how it makes sense if it's double to quadruple the cost for a similar educational option. And it's not because I am (as another PP suggested) broke and bitter. It's because I'm frugal and practical.

I meant to qualify the question by saying this is assuming the kid gets in to their state flagship. Personally, I think every state should prioritize in-state kids more. It sucks that so many kids were getting rejected from UMD despite good stats. Definitely makes me want to make sure my second DS applies to more of the in-state schools.

My kid accepted to the honors program at OOS big u with scholarship that brought price down to our instate rate. Dig, and you can find opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In VA, we've got state schools that are "away" from home (DC area). But UMD is right here at home (DC area). I think your son just wants to not be right here at home!

This is the challenge for MD residents. Similarly, NoVA kids often don't want to consider George Mason because it's close to home. I grew up in LA and refused to apply to UCLA. But VA and CA both have lots of excellent in-state/away from home options.

If UMD is the best and most affordable option and it's just the "away" piece that is a problem, I agree with PP to look into options to get some of that away experience in other ways. Could be a year of study abroad, summer programs, encourage them to apply for summer internships in other cities. Do they have housing options where you might be put with more OOS/international students so you can meet a wider range of people? Agree that you will not visit them or ask them to come home for family events.

Don’t bet on it.
this is helpful. We also have not yet visited UMD (because of Covid). Perhaps a visit will spark enthusiasm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because when the parents and/or both sets of grandparents are multi-millionaires, the (grand)kids can go literally anywhere they want. And when you're rich, it's a status thing to send your kids to private or an out-of-state public because it signals you're rich and couldn't care less about the extra $100k or whatever you just blew. And it makes bitter broke middle class people like OP jealous. And of course you'd like your kid to broaden their horizons, social circle and dating (marital) pool versus just hanging out with the same handful of peers from the same exact region they grew up in. And I think rich kids are generally "over" the area they grew up in, they're well traveled and when money is no object, they are more likely to seek out new exciting adventures. I think if you told the average middle class kid they could go anywhere, 90% of them would still choose the in-state school, they're just happy to get out of their parents' house. A rich kid is exponentially more likely to capitalize and head off to Colorado, California, New England, Texas, whatever.

Your rant sounds so ignorant. LOL.

Not at all, I thought she made a great point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I wrote that off the cuff, and am surprised it offended people. I was in the midst of sticker shock at the cost of some of the state schools.
People who know me would be entertained seeing this directed at me: "I love these posts where the OP is so confident and wants to make sure by making other people prover her wrong." I'm NEVER sure of my choices or that I'm right.

Actually I'd love to be persuaded against pressuring my kid to attend in-state. I get it, Maryland is boring if you grew up here. I was very eager to get away to the east coast for college when I was in high school. But I just can't see how it makes sense if it's double to quadruple the cost for a similar educational option. And it's not because I am (as another PP suggested) broke and bitter. It's because I'm frugal and practical.

I meant to qualify the question by saying this is assuming the kid gets in to their state flagship. Personally, I think every state should prioritize in-state kids more. It sucks that so many kids were getting rejected from UMD despite good stats. Definitely makes me want to make sure my second DS applies to more of the in-state schools.

Not every state flagship is the same. It might be academics, it might be student experience, it might even be climate.

I grew up in Maryland and went to UVA; my father, a proud UMD-CP alumnus, didn’t even want me to apply to Maryland. At the time, state of Maryland was making big cuts to higher ed, which were having a big, negative impact on UMD. It was also 2-3x the size of UVA, making for a different experience. I was interested in studying history, which is a UVA strength. I wasn’t planning to pursue a career that required graduate study, so investing more in the undergraduate degree made sense. And the bang for the buck in terms of name/reputation, at the time, was pretty different.

The specifics about UMD aren’t relevant today, but it’s still true that state schools vary a lot, and the in-state flagship isn’t the best match for every kid.