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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The only obstacle is that there are not enough seats for all of the qualified students who want to attend. Unless colleges want to address that (and I can't say that they do -- it would certainly change a lot about campus life, class size, facilities, etc.) this is how it's gonna be.[/quote]

OP - yes I have been reading about that recently - the auS has far fewer slots for well ranked colleges than in many other countries.

So is it accurate to categorize your response as the only reform needed is to create more universities or to expand programs within existing universities to allow more students to enroll? [/quote]

No, that does not reflect my opinion at all. My response is that people need to stop being prestige whores and shift their focus away from the T50 or so schools and apply to the roughly 4,000 colleges that accept the majority of their applicants.

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OP - I am trying to understand your position.

How does this belief that parents and students need to shift focus to applying to lower ranked schools (I think many of us are doing that already BTW with your earlier statement that

“The only obstacle is that there are not enough seats for all of the qualified students who want to attend. Unless colleges want to address that (and I can't say that they do -- it would certainly change a lot about campus life, class size, facilities, etc.) this is how it's gonna be.”

[/quote]

Because your initial question was about "well resourced universities," by which I assumed -- perhaps erroneously -- that you meant the T50 or so. There aren't enough seats in the T50 for every student who is qualified to attend and would like to attend, so unless colleges want to increase the number of seats available, students will have to look at other schools.

But if I misunderstood which schools you consider well resourced, please correct me.[/quote]

OP No I would agree there are many well resourced universities/ colleges outside of T50 schools. It also depends on what major students wish to pursue.

So in terms of buggiest reforms needed - is it fair to say you believe the main issue is that students and parents need to adjust their expectations beyond admission to T50 schools? [/quote]

You can get an adequate education that will get you almost anywhere even at the colleges down to at least #200 in US News national universities & comparable liberal arts colleges. At that level level the tuition is cheaper, the merit aid is easier to get, and they often admit over 80% of applicants. So there really isn’t a cost problem; there is a prestige problem. [/quote]

Plenty of affordable options.  My state has 2 excellent state choices (beyond the highly ranked state flagship, these two are in th e100-200 range) that are all in under $25K.  If your kid is a top student, they would get some merit My 3.5UW, 1250 got $4K at one bringing cost to ~$20K/year---my 3.9UW/1500 kid got $8K in merit and could have gotten more if they applied to the honors program.  A student can easily earn $10K in summers and breaks in our area (min wage is not $7.25 in our area), add in a PT job during school and the kid can easily earn $14K each year to put towards school.  That leaves $8-12K to pay for.  $5K in fed loans and the parent can help with the rest ($3-7K).  Sure it is not the glamorous T20 university, but it's an excellent option that will get you a great education and a great job once your kid graduates.

The above demonstrates that there are indeed affordable options available.  And if you are smart, you will use these options rather than going into major debt.  If money is already saved, then spend more, but if you can't afford more, then go for great education for minimal costs.  [/quote]

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