Are the private schools ranked 30-70...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Not really. Last cycle DC graduated from Blair Magnet with 1 B in their entire academic career. Top ECs and leadership. NMSF (dime a dozen at Blair Magnet, 42 out of 105 students in fall 2024). Applied UMD-CP EA. Got in, but not in Honors College, which meant did not qualify for Banneker-Key or any other significant merit aid.

Did a lot better with top privates. Accepted in multiple T-10 and T-20 schools, some with with merit aid. Recruited athlete with merit aid at a T-10. Full ride at a T-20 (selection rate 0.02% from applicants). But again, no merit aid at UMD-CP.

The acceptance rate is a matter of public record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Yes UMD is an excellent State flagship. It's a great choice if you can get admitted to your desired major.
However, if you can afford it, smaller might be a better choice for many many many kids.
Neither of my kids wanted huge schools (our state flagship is 30K+, but highly ranked). They didn't want all the issues that come with that.

So they chose schools with 4-8K undergrads, that focus more on teaching and on ensuring college kids adjust and do well. Both had great merit offers from schools in that range, including the one without "high stats" (think 1220/3.5UW/no AP student who had to work hard for that 3.5). Had we needed merit, they could have found many more options at great schools.
So apply to your state flagship, as every kid should as it is likely one of the more affordable places, but if you want smaller, then search and you can find good choices that might end up costing the same or less

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Not really. Last cycle DC graduated from Blair Magnet with 1 B in their entire academic career. Top ECs and leadership. NMSF (dime a dozen at Blair Magnet, 42 out of 105 students in fall 2024). Applied UMD-CP EA. Got in, but not in Honors College, which meant did not qualify for Banneker-Key or any other significant merit aid.

Did a lot better with top privates. Accepted in multiple T-10 and T-20 schools, some with with merit aid. Recruited athlete with merit aid at a T-10. Full ride at a T-20 (selection rate 0.02% from applicants). But again, no merit aid at UMD-CP.

It sounds like you made a choice based on what works best for your family and your priorities. So did I. No need to try to get me to change my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake, BC, and Tulane just won’t impress potential employers or carry much prestige in social circles. They just don’t.

Sorry you suffer from an insecurity complex.

I dont think its insecurity. What are you paying extra for exactly? Small class sizes? Just do an honors program if thats the case. You need a prestigious name to cut through the 1000 applications jobs get nowadays.

Paid "extra" for not just small class sizes, but the ability to get into what you want when you want (never had a registration issue for either of my kids, definately not the case at our state flagship), the ability to change majors as you desire, as the kid takes classes and decides. once again, definately not the option at our state flagship. The requirement to live on campus for 2 years, and a campus where 80% live on campus (or in campus apartments) all 4 years. That means that come Sept 30 of your freshman year, your kid is not attempting to form a group and rent an apartment for the next year, when they have been on campus only 4-6 weeks. That can wait until Sept of Soph year (if wanting to go off campus, but at privates that often happens later in Nov/Dec), where you actually have a friend group that might remain intact the next fall. But given that most live on campus, you don't have to worry about that until March/April of each year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA, Michigan, Wisconsin, UNC, UTexas, UFlorida, UGa, and the entire Cal publics are better than those 4 privates. Waste of money.

Not if your kid doesn't want 20-30K+ undergrads on campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Not really. Last cycle DC graduated from Blair Magnet with 1 B in their entire academic career. Top ECs and leadership. NMSF (dime a dozen at Blair Magnet, 42 out of 105 students in fall 2024). Applied UMD-CP EA. Got in, but not in Honors College, which meant did not qualify for Banneker-Key or any other significant merit aid.

Did a lot better with top privates. Accepted in multiple T-10 and T-20 schools, some with with merit aid. Recruited athlete with merit aid at a T-10. Full ride at a T-20 (selection rate 0.02% from applicants). But again, no merit aid at UMD-CP.

This sounds like amazing outcomes!! I'm so jealous.
You got the best possible outcome here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Yes UMD is an excellent State flagship. It's a great choice if you can get admitted to your desired major.
However, if you can afford it, smaller might be a better choice for many many many kids.
Neither of my kids wanted huge schools (our state flagship is 30K+, but highly ranked). They didn't want all the issues that come with that.

So they chose schools with 4-8K undergrads, that focus more on teaching and on ensuring college kids adjust and do well. Both had great merit offers from schools in that range, including the one without "high stats" (think 1220/3.5UW/no AP student who had to work hard for that 3.5). Had we needed merit, they could have found many more options at great schools.
So apply to your state flagship, as every kid should as it is likely one of the more affordable places, but if you want smaller, then search and you can find good choices that might end up costing the same or less

I'm not in the area, and around here, we see MD as similar to Wisconsin. It's fine as a backup, but no one is passing up a T20 or even T30 private to go there.....
Just a few from outside the beltway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these types of schools, BC, Tulane, Emory, Miami, GWU provide a great education. Many spend $20k or $30k a year on Catholic schools, so paying for a private school for a large percentage of people is part of the privilege of having money.

Emory-24
BC-36
Tufts-37
GWU- 59
Umiami-64
Tulane-69

You're trying to piss off Emorymom.

Succesfully? 😁

Doubt it, but Every Tufts parent think its a peer with Emory. They hate to be reminded Tufts is only T40.

Tufts parent here. I never think of Emory. I'll trust you that it's a better school, I guess, but I don't really care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all those saying cost is not an issue - how loaded are you?! We are still in the financial planning/saving stages (oldest is in 8th grade) but we will be full pay, and we are trying to fund each kid's 529 to cover 4 years each of private tuition prior to their start date such that we can then cash flow room a and board board. We have 3 kids. That said, we will definitely encourage them to look at public schools or chase merit, so there will be some left for grad school or even just helping them launch (with a car, some rent help, etc.) I think we are doing very well financially and consider us to be pretty disciplined with our spending, but I'm wondering how so many are able to not even consider list price of colleges.

Well, we are now UHNW but hit that after last kid was in college.
However, we started saving for our kids when they were little, we only had 2, and they both had enough for 4 years of college of grad school saved for them by time they were 13. We made it a priority since we knew they were not getting FA (when we started saving we were making $250K).
For one we stopped at the "mid level costs" as they were not a candidate for T30 schools, so we assumed ~$70K/year in today's money (it was less 8 years ago) type of school. They got good merit at a school that is now $65-70K and have ~$80K remaining for grad school at some point (or their future kids). But that kid hates school so grad school isn't very likely anytime soon.
Top student we funded for $360K and they are spending $90K/year. We will add as needed/self pay for grad school.
But while making under $400K/year, we fully funded for each kid. The early you put it in, the more time for tax free growth (of which we had significant amount).

However, with 3 kids it does get harder. And yes if you don't have 4 years and most of grad school funded for each, then you have to consider it all. If the kid most likely wants/needs grad school (ie wants to be a doctor, lawyer, PT, OT, etc), then I'd highly encourage them to do undergrad for a lower price and make sure you have enough for grad school (where there typically isn't merit, it's loans as your only help). So make the $$ you have extend for all of your schooling. And only spending $150-200K on undergrad will give you more for grad school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these types of schools, BC, Tulane, Emory, Miami, GWU provide a great education. Many spend $20k or $30k a year on Catholic schools, so paying for a private school for a large percentage of people is part of the privilege of having money.

Emory-24
BC-36
Tufts-37
GWU- 59
Umiami-64
Tulane-69

You're trying to piss off Emorymom.

Tufts, BU, BC, Northeastern are all in one tranche. Emory is an oddball university but obviously is much closer to these schools than it is to the elite privates like Duke or Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads always devolve into public college parents throwing temper tantrums. Every time. Maryland is a very good flagship with a 40 percent acceptance rate, I’m sorry that triggers you.

Not really. Last cycle DC graduated from Blair Magnet with 1 B in their entire academic career. Top ECs and leadership. NMSF (dime a dozen at Blair Magnet, 42 out of 105 students in fall 2024). Applied UMD-CP EA. Got in, but not in Honors College, which meant did not qualify for Banneker-Key or any other significant merit aid.

Did a lot better with top privates. Accepted in multiple T-10 and T-20 schools, some with with merit aid. Recruited athlete with merit aid at a T-10. Full ride at a T-20 (selection rate 0.02% from applicants). But again, no merit aid at UMD-CP.

The acceptance rate is a matter of public record.

non sequitur

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these types of schools, BC, Tulane, Emory, Miami, GWU provide a great education. Many spend $20k or $30k a year on Catholic schools, so paying for a private school for a large percentage of people is part of the privilege of having money.

Emory-24
BC-36
Tufts-37
GWU- 59
Umiami-64
Tulane-69

You're trying to piss off Emorymom.

Tufts, BU, BC, Northeastern are all in one tranche. Emory is an oddball university but obviously is much closer to these schools than it is to the elite privates like Duke or Georgetown.

Lol. Georgetown is not elite. It is much closer to Emory, etc than Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all those saying cost is not an issue - how loaded are you?! We are still in the financial planning/saving stages (oldest is in 8th grade) but we will be full pay, and we are trying to fund each kid's 529 to cover 4 years each of private tuition prior to their start date such that we can then cash flow room a and board board. We have 3 kids. That said, we will definitely encourage them to look at public schools or chase merit, so there will be some left for grad school or even just helping them launch (with a car, some rent help, etc.) I think we are doing very well financially and consider us to be pretty disciplined with our spending, but I'm wondering how so many are able to not even consider list price of colleges.

Well, we are now UHNW but hit that after last kid was in college.
However, we started saving for our kids when they were little, we only had 2, and they both had enough for 4 years of college of grad school saved for them by time they were 13. We made it a priority since we knew they were not getting FA (when we started saving we were making $250K).
For one we stopped at the "mid level costs" as they were not a candidate for T30 schools, so we assumed ~$70K/year in today's money (it was less 8 years ago) type of school. They got good merit at a school that is now $65-70K and have ~$80K remaining for grad school at some point (or their future kids). But that kid hates school so grad school isn't very likely anytime soon.
Top student we funded for $360K and they are spending $90K/year. We will add as needed/self pay for grad school.
But while making under $400K/year, we fully funded for each kid. The early you put it in, the more time for tax free growth (of which we had significant amount).

However, with 3 kids it does get harder. And yes if you don't have 4 years and most of grad school funded for each, then you have to consider it all. If the kid most likely wants/needs grad school (ie wants to be a doctor, lawyer, PT, OT, etc), then I'd highly encourage them to do undergrad for a lower price and make sure you have enough for grad school (where there typically isn't merit, it's loans as your only help). So make the $$ you have extend for all of your schooling. And only spending $150-200K on undergrad will give you more for grad school

+1
Great financial planning from early on!

[Anonymous]

Georgetown ain’t no Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these types of schools, BC, Tulane, Emory, Miami, GWU provide a great education. Many spend $20k or $30k a year on Catholic schools, so paying for a private school for a large percentage of people is part of the privilege of having money.

Emory-24
BC-36
Tufts-37
GWU- 59
Umiami-64
Tulane-69

You're trying to piss off Emorymom.

Tufts, BU, BC, Northeastern are all in one tranche. Emory is an oddball university but obviously is much closer to these schools than it is to the elite privates like Duke or Georgetown.

For years, Georgetown ranks exactly the same as Emory.