colleges that aren't worth 80k

[Anonymous]

"Worth it" is almost inherently a decision that must be based on personal circumstances. That said, it is getting harder to imagine circumstances which would make a number of schools worth that price.

[Anonymous]

how much debt are regular students taking on these days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you go to a shoe store and want a designer sandal but your mom forces you to pick store brand because well, both can get you where you want to go, how happy would you be. It’s a silly example a college consultant once gave but it stuck with me.

But what if you, the parent, understand that the designer shoe is that expensive mostly due to marketing and “exclusivity,” and the store brand shoe is a great, sturdy, well designed shoe?

This. Kids don’t get to decide how their parents spend money. Maybe in 10 years the kid would wish they had gone to the state school so their parents could have helped them out with a home purchase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are paying full pay for one of those listed but I have more money than I know what to do with and my kid is happy so whatever.

As long as your kid is happy that's what matters.

I see no reason to make him go to our state school when we can pay for where he really wants to go. What else am I going to do with the money? We have plenty to go around.

Mine is used to small classes since Pre- K so we are willing to full pay.

Please let your kid have some exposure to the real world.

[Anonymous]

we basically told our kids to pick a state school. Luckily in VA we have good ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are paying full pay for one of those listed but I have more money than I know what to do with and my kid is happy so whatever.

As long as your kid is happy that's what matters.

I see no reason to make him go to our state school when we can pay for where he really wants to go. What else am I going to do with the money? We have plenty to go around.

Mine is used to small classes since Pre- K so we are willing to full pay.

My child attends a large state school. All of their classes are very small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are paying full pay for one of those listed but I have more money than I know what to do with and my kid is happy so whatever.

If you have money, it’s the best gift you can give your child. Attending a college one wants to go to is priceless.

What? Having the choice to attend our first-choice college is good. But "priceless"? For most kids, the college search consists of one or two short visits. They are not in great position to know what is the perfect or optimal choice at that time of their lives. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it works out fine, sometimes it does not work out at all. But in the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal. For most kids, there are plenty of colleges that will give them a good education and a great experience.

It’s the enthusiasm which often gets people more involved in their college experience, if you are going to a college because you are forced to even though you got accepted to the college you like, you’ll start with minor depression and it may effect your college experience. Mental health among freshman is a big problem.

"minor depression" LOL. PP, you sound like you spoil the heck out of your kids. The tiniest incidence of them not getting to do precisely what they want is not going to destroy them, don't worry.

+1 if my kid gets depression because they didn't get to go to an $80k/year school, or they couldn't find a school within our price range that they liked, I'd consider myself a failure as a parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could drive a Ford. I choose an Audi.
You do you.

I can afford an Audi but drive a Kia. It’s a docking car and depreciation doesn’t make the high$$ worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we basically told our kids to pick a state school. Luckily in VA we have good ones.

We’re in DC so no state school but DC TAG. Our kids can choose any public school if over a certain cost, will need to take on college job. Our goal is for them to graduate college with little to no debt.

[Anonymous]

It’s strange how people fixate on the cost of the most expensive schools. There are plenty of schools that don’t cost this much. Just like with material goods or vacations. You can make different choices just like you don’t have to fly first class to Europe for vacation or buy an expensive car.

There are also plenty of wealthy people (especially in this part of the country) that can pay 80k.

[Anonymous]

I teach college. The question isn't really whether families value what they are getting in return for 80K, whether in the short term or the long term. Everyone will have different answers to that, and for different reasons.

The question that is universally relevant to all consumers of higher education, instead, is whether this industry actually needs to collect 80K from _anyone_ in order to do what it is doing (bearing in mind that many people do not pay sticker price). The answer, from the inside, is quite simply no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are paying full pay for one of those listed but I have more money than I know what to do with and my kid is happy so whatever.

If you have money, it’s the best gift you can give your child. Attending a college one wants to go to is priceless.

What? Having the choice to attend our first-choice college is good. But "priceless"? For most kids, the college search consists of one or two short visits. They are not in great position to know what is the perfect or optimal choice at that time of their lives. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it works out fine, sometimes it does not work out at all. But in the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal. For most kids, there are plenty of colleges that will give them a good education and a great experience.

It’s the enthusiasm which often gets people more involved in their college experience, if you are going to a college because you are forced to even though you got accepted to the college you like, you’ll start with minor depression and it may effect your college experience. Mental health among freshman is a big problem.

"minor depression" LOL. PP, you sound like you spoil the heck out of your kids. The tiniest incidence of them not getting to do precisely what they want is not going to destroy them, don't worry.

+1 if my kid gets depression because they didn't get to go to an $80k/year school, or they couldn't find a school within our price range that they liked, I'd consider myself a failure as a parent.

Makes sense but would it help with kid’s depression?

[Anonymous]

What college charges $80k that isn’t a tippy top school? Lower tier privates may have an $80k sticker price, but nobody pays that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach college. The question isn't really whether families value what they are getting in return for 80K, whether in the short term or the long term. Everyone will have different answers to that, and for different reasons.

The question that is universally relevant to all consumers of higher education, instead, is whether this industry actually needs to collect 80K from _anyone_ in order to do what it is doing (bearing in mind that many people do not pay sticker price). The answer, from the inside, is quite simply no.

can you speak more to this?

I am trying to wrap my brain around a state school costing more than my private school did in the 90s. And that private school now costs 4X what it did then - did family incomes actually increase 4X? NOPE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could drive a Ford. I choose an Audi.
You do you.

I can afford an Audi but drive a Kia. It’s a docking car and depreciation doesn’t make the high$$ worth it.

I can afford and Audi but drive a Ford so I can afford to send my kid full pay to a great SLAC.