Anyone regret sending their dc to an OOS college and paying $$$ prices for a state school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, DC parents don’t have much choice. If I lived in VA, I would send the kids in state. You have great options! I was faculty at one of the big VA universities and dealt extensively with another big VA university; there is little difference between the undergraduates at both schools despite what DCUM says.

Curious about this. Can you expand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of states where going OOS is a big upgrade over the in-state schools. It just depends what your options are.

Is that perception or reality?

Reality. You seriously think UDC can compete with an R1? And that’s the standard. If your position is that NO person could EVER rationally go OOS, you’re saying UDC over UMich, every time, for every student, even if the student gets a full ride to the OOS school.

UMich is VERY popular where I live. No one gets a full ride OOS IME.

[Anonymous]

Raises hand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No regrets sending mine OOS to William and Mary. Wanted a smaller campus with smart peers, low Greek presence. Very beautiful place to spend four years. Didn't have a similar school in NC. Mine didn't like the size or feel of Chapel Hill.

$71,000 cost of attendance OOS with rankings continuing to drop. Did your child graduate recently & what are they doing now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of states where going OOS is a big upgrade over the in-state schools. It just depends what your options are.

Is that perception or reality?

For some states it is perception, but for some it is absolutely reality. There are plenty of states with middling flagships and plenty of other states with great ones which would be an upgrade.

Well most of us posting here are probably from coastal states which arguably all have good publics

I’m not sure how I would ‘absolutely’ know that UVA or U Michigan, lets say bc those are trendy OOS schools where I live, would be so much better than UMD or Rutgers in NJ.

Is that ‘absolutely reality’? On what basis?

Okay, you’ve moved the goalposts from a general “is OOS worth it” to “is OOS worth it if you live in one of a dozen states on the Eastern Seaboard.” The differential is smaller in the latter, though there are definitely still states where you would upgrade by going OOS.

(Fwiw, yes, UVA and Michigan are better schools across a host of metrics, but whether you think it is worth it to pay for them is entirely a judgment call.)

[Anonymous]

Reputation of major is what matters.

I am paying for GW's Elliott School of International Affairs because it's ranked in the top 10 worldwide. Kid was accepted at UMD Honors (it was his safety), but there's just no comparison for that specific major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of states where going OOS is a big upgrade over the in-state schools. It just depends what your options are.

Is that perception or reality?

For some states it is perception, but for some it is absolutely reality. There are plenty of states with middling flagships and plenty of other states with great ones which would be an upgrade.

Well most of us posting here are probably from coastal states which arguably all have good publics

I’m not sure how I would ‘absolutely’ know that UVA or U Michigan, lets say bc those are trendy OOS schools where I live, would be so much better than UMD or Rutgers in NJ.

Is that ‘absolutely reality’? On what basis?

Okay, you’ve moved the goalposts from a general “is OOS worth it” to “is OOS worth it if you live in one of a dozen states on the Eastern Seaboard.” The differential is smaller in the latter, though there are definitely still states where you would upgrade by going OOS.

(Fwiw, yes, UVA and Michigan are better schools across a host of metrics, but whether you think it is worth it to pay for them is entirely a judgment call.)

Not sure what you mean but I don’t think any goal posts were moved. You’re just bringing up extreme examples like a kid getting a full ride at UMich and rejecting it over in state at university of Utah. I don’t think there are many posters here in that situation but obviously people are free to answer, explaining their choices. No one said that they shouldn’t choose one way or other or the other in EVERY situation.

You seem very strange and defensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would but DD did not get accepted so sending to a nearby state and they’re offering merit that comes in at instate rate. Don’t forget instates are very competitive and not everyone gets in.

But did your DD only apply to one? MD has many state schools and it’s hard to imagine getting rejected at all of them and still being accepted at an OOS.

We’re new to this but our DD is going to an in state over the pricier OOS options. Even with merit aid the price over four years was about $35k more for OOS. We visited and then made a list of pros and cons for all of them and couldn’t figure out a good reason to spend that extra $35k. So she chose one of her in state options.

This seems wise. I feel like many parents and kids get caught up in things that don’t matter. There was a funny post in other chat about why college is so $$ and the poster lambasted parents for focusing on the a/c in dorms and whether there’s an on campus Taco Bell, and driving up costs over things that have nothing to do with education.

PP here. The thing that really stood out to my DD was the internship programs. She was really surprised at the lack of options for undergrads at some schools. And some of the schools seemed to be preparing kids more for grad school than the work force. While grad school is a great plan (and I have multiple post bachelor’s degrees), she wasn’t ready to commit to that path yet, which also impacted her choice.

IMO, that is more of a LAC school thing.

Cue the "college is not a vocational school" poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reputation of major is what matters.

I am paying for GW's Elliott School of International Affairs because it's ranked in the top 10 worldwide. Kid was accepted at UMD Honors (it was his safety), but there's just no comparison for that specific major.

Isn’t GW private? I’m confused

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are making this decision right now. In-state or a marginally better OOS program at a total cost of 100K. Thankfully, DC understands the value of 100K and is leaning toward the in-state option. I will support my child's decision regardless but truthfully I breathed a sigh of relief when DC said she'd rather save the money.

Objectively, "marginally better" doesn't warrant paying $100K more. Of course, if there were other factors -- better fit, etc.. -- then that's a different calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No regrets sending mine OOS to William and Mary. Wanted a smaller campus with smart peers, low Greek presence. Very beautiful place to spend four years. Didn't have a similar school in NC. Mine didn't like the size or feel of Chapel Hill.

$71,000 cost of attendance OOS with rankings continuing to drop. Did your child graduate recently & what are they doing now?

$67000-ish right now. I don’t include indirect costs as they are so variable. Mine graduated a couple of years ago. Working as a paralegal. Taking lsat soon. Second is currently a student at WM Mason where rankings continue to rise.

[Anonymous]

UMich is extremely popular but I told my dc np way am I paying 87k a year for a state school. I don’t care how trendy it is. Just no.

[Anonymous]

No way ^

[Anonymous]

What is the 2nd best in-state in MD? UMD has gotten very selective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would but DD did not get accepted so sending to a nearby state and they’re offering merit that comes in at instate rate. Don’t forget instates are very competitive and not everyone gets in.

But did your DD only apply to one? MD has many state schools and it’s hard to imagine getting rejected at all of them and still being accepted at an OOS.

We’re new to this but our DD is going to an in state over the pricier OOS options. Even with merit aid the price over four years was about $35k more for OOS. We visited and then made a list of pros and cons for all of them and couldn’t figure out a good reason to spend that extra $35k. So she chose one of her in state options.

Everyone’s financial situation is different and I’m not here to comment on yours. But for a lot of people an extra $35k in total spread across four years isn’t a dealbreaker.

Lol I love how someone always has to come in sniffing, letting everyone know they have money.

But I think for some of us it’s not just the question of whether we have the money, but why it would make sense to spend it on another states schools.

To be fair, that comes out to $730/mo over the four years which is a car payment for some people. Some families would be willing to drive an older car for those four years and put that money into their kids education.

Yes, it’s money, but it’s not out of reach for everyone.