Reply to Of the top private colleges, which ones do you think are worth $57,000 a year?

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Of the top private colleges, which ones do you think are worth $57,000 a year?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Re Colleges that Change Lives -- I don't think the point of this book or the admissions program that it has spawned is about return on investment.  Most, if not all, of the schools on the list are private colleges with fairly hefty tuition and fees -- they're not holding themselves out as bargains so much as undiscovered (at least on the right and left coasts) gems, which are, perhaps as a consequence of their lower-profile, a bit less selective.  I think it's also fair to say they stress the personal connection between faculty and students, as well as strong advising programs.  As a parent of two college students and a former college admissions officer myself (not at any of the CCTL schools), I would say that can be well worth the price.  All students benefit from opportunities to find mentors among faculty and administrators, and for some students it can make a critical difference in terms of developing a course of study that is meaningful and marketable.

In general, I would question what seems to be the premise of many posters here:  i.e., that education is a fungible product and that the only valuable input that a college or university might offer is the network or brand its students can tap into.  I'm not naive or idealistic, so I won't say that networks and brands are inconsequential (I've benefitted from these), but there's more to education than that.  My own kids attend a highly-selective, upscale-brand research university.  Yes, a lot of employers come to campus to recruit and grad schools generally look favorably upon applicants from the school, but the underlying reason for this is the students themselves -- the raw material, if you will -- and the experience in the classroom -- the value added.  These factors can vary significantly at different schools.

I'd guess that my kids, who were well-prepared by their high school experience and who are focused and highly-motivated students, could have gotten a great education at a large public university, and though they might have given up the fancy brand name, it wouldn't make a significant difference in terms of long-term career prospects or income.  Plus, they'd get to go to March Madness or Bowl Games, which would be totally awesome -- seriously.  But that's not the experience they wanted, and we could pay for a private, so it's our gift to them.

Similarly, if they'd chosen to attend a SLAC, they'd give up a bit on the brand name -- though the impact at the most selective SLACs if more in terms of bumper sticker recognition than in employment or grad school admissions -- but they'd have a very different educational experience which would emphasize a different teaching style with, for example, more intro courses taught by faculty in smaller groups, rather than lectures, plus discussion sections with TAs.  There is a great deal to be said for this experience, which can help students develop very strong writing and oral advocacy skills.           [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics