Does the article compare schools on a major-for-major basis, or is it complete garbage statistically?
Major has more effect on return than school. |
Here is some examples of the data:
The ROI at University of Maryland-College Park is $200,000 after 10 years. The annual cost of attendance is $27,343. The ROI at University of Virginia-Main Campus is $197,000 after 10 years. The annual cost of attendance is $34,094. The ROI at Williams College is $165,000 after 10 years. The annual cost of attendance is $75,520. The ROI at Tulane University of Louisiana is $31,000 after 10 years. The annual cost of attendance is $75,628. The ROI at Bates College is $115,000 after 10 years. The annual cost of attendance is $73,538. |
According to the footnotes in the article: “This category was derived from the list provided in Howard and Matthew Greene’s book The Hidden Ivies, which is an in-depth look at 63 colleges and universities offering a broad liberal arts education. Highly selective schools notably missing from this list, however, include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, Boston University and New York University.” |
Amherst College Barnard College Bates College Boston College Bowdoin College Brandeis University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Colby College Colgate University College of the Holy Cross Connecticut College Dickinson College Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College Hamilton College Haverford College Johns Hopkins University Lafayette College Lehigh University Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College Skidmore College Smith College Swarthmore College Trinity College Tufts University Union College University of Rochester Vassar College Villanova University Wellesley College Wesleyan University Williams College Davidson College Duke University Emory University Georgetown University Rice University Sewanee: The University of the South Southern Methodist University Tulane University University of Richmond Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Carleton College Case Western Reserve University Denison University Grinnell College Kenyon College Macalester College Northwestern University Oberlin College University of Chicago University of Notre Dame Washington University in St. Louis Claremont McKenna College Colorado College Pomona College Reed College Stanford University University of Southern California |
These are a wide range of schools. Reed, Colorado College, Bryn Mawr, Boston College etc. Are the same level as Northwestern, Georgetown, Emory etc. |
Of course a great student can get the same ROI from going to the University of Nebraska in-state as going to Northwestern. If all the parents can afford is Nebraska, or the student prefers Nebraska, great. I don’t think I could have afforded to send my son there if he’d gotten in. But, if you can afford Northwestern, one of the great joys in life is to have the flexibility to send the student to Northwestern or Bowdoin if that seems appealing. Who knows how the ROI will work out, but, if you can send your kid to Bowdoin and still pay your bills, why would you obsess about financial ROI? Why not count the comfort, happiness and sophistication of your kid as part of your return? |
There are 6 UCs that would probably do the job. |
I entirely agree!
My oldest goes to such a private uni. His special major was not as good at our State U. But financially, even with merit aid… not sure it makes sense. |
The article is pointless if not by major. And that list of 63 includes numerous liberal arts schools that don’t typically go into lucrative fields like engineering. |
Fundamentally, where did they obtain the data, and is it reliable? Often, the data is not very good, but people do not know what is used and simply accept the results without understanding the context.
Did they calculate the ROI considering the people who also received substantial financial aid? You can't simply use the average tuition based on the sticker price. How many datasets or major considerations are involved? Additionally, are the great outcomes from top schools due to the schools themselves or to the caliber of the students admitted? What might the outcomes be if these students attended other schools? There are just so many factors to consider. |
How have they accounted for gender? Didn't see that part. |
The data analysis is weak. But they get away with it because it seems intuitively correct that a history major is better off graduating from LSU with a BA and the down payment for a house than graduating from Tulane with nothing but a BA. |
Good thing I don't care about ROI. |
UDC baby! |
Are we really doing this again? Arbitrary and incorrect rankings? We know, whatever school you would not have been or were not accepted by is lower than actuality, on your list/s. |