Reply to The New America: Elite Privates forever out of reach for UMC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Income isn't the only variable.  Assets matter too, as well as a host of other factors (special situations such as substantial medical expenses, special needs child, etc.).  Those who were both in a position to start saving early, and in fact did save early, may still find it possible.

[b]If a college isn't affordable, then find another college.  Elite privates are not the only way to skin the cat.  No one is entitled to an elite private, nor is that necessary for success.  There is always another way.[/b][/quote]

Now apply that logic to poor people and minorities. Let ‘em all go to community college, right?

The OP is simply arguing for a redefinition of “poor”.[/quote]

you clearly don't know what poor means. Even CC is out of reach for the truly poor.
[/quote]

Ivies are out of reach for me at full price and I make $240k. So in the context of this discussion, I am poor.[/quote]

Then don't go to an ivy. There are plenty of other more affordable schools for you. I would like to go to a fancy restaurant, but I can't afford or am unwilling to pay, then I go to a less fancy one. I still have a nice meal and I am happy. So what's the problem?

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NP. The problem is you are equating going to Ivy to eating a meal in a fancy restaurant and going to a non-Ivy school to eating in a less fancy restaurant.  [/quote]

Seems an apt comparison to me. Cheap meal or expensive meal, you get fed; Ivy or state directional, you get a B.A. [/quote]

Sure.  You can feed yourself by eating only fast-food restaurant fare or only tacos and burritos.  But experts will say you may become a candidate for obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.  You want to have a better chance at a healthy future, you eat balanced and quality food.  You want to have a better chance at a rewarding career leading to a financially comfortable life, you go to a school that offers varied and challenging opportunities at learning and where your fellow students are well prepared.[/quote]

The idea that state schools are the equivalent of fast food is insulting and uneducated.

There may well be benefits to many kids form gong to a private school.  There are many very good, great and even elite public colleges.

The difference is in the size of classes, access to professors, factors around the edges of a solid education.  DH went to an elite university, I went to an excellent state university (UC system).  I went to an elite state law school (UC system) and DH went to a very good private law school.  We are comparably employed and successful (senior feds).  All were very strong educations.  Our parents, who were of similar UMC means, paid for our undergrad educations and we each paid for our grad educations.

We are not "rich" but we do well and we will be able to pay for whatever college our kids want to attend as we are planning for it (teen and tween).

The point of this thread is the change in what it takes ot pay for an elite private education and how that impacts the SES make up of elite universities.  A strong student, one that could be accepted into an elite college on merit alone, is going to have the options of a strong state university or a good private that they will get merit aid to attend.  No one (or very few) get merit aid to the elite universities.  All strong students should have the ability to get through undergrad at a moderate cost, just not an elite institution.  The question is should society worry about the drop in donut hole kids going to elite universities?

We are a donut hole family (I have run the NPC and we get zero) and we are lucky that we have had strong earnings for a whlle so we are able to save.  We also waited to have kids so will be among the older parents at college graduation.  From our perspective, if our kids get into an elite university that is the best fit for them, we wil pay for them to attend.  We will not pay just for a name or a ranking and the value will be taken into consideration.  We are in DC so are in state nowhere but will get (hopefully) the TAG program money to reduce the cost of a state university if that is where our kids end up attending.

I consider us lucky to be in the position.[/quote]

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