My DC (home on break) is currently an undergrad at an Ivy, we are a full pay family that saved in a 529. Yesterday he told me that thinking back to the college process he now finds it funny that he worried about location, school spirit etc, while it has all of that and he loves it he said was he really loves is the academic environment. He said his professors, the labs, the libraries and all of the other students are inspiring and he feels like he learns and grows every day.
To me that is worth it. . .

There’s also no way of knowing if a person who is “successful” (again by some subjective measure you decide is meritorious) can attribute that solely due to where they decided to attend college. There are too many complex interacting factors to determine this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see why it matters to anyone how someone spends their money. We can afford it and send our kids to 90-100k private universities full pay. Our kids went to/go to public schools k-12, and so did we. However if one of them had needed to attend a private school to meet their unique needs we would have done that. We see the value in the colleges they are attending and we are okay paying for it.

Again, not the point. Objectively are they worth 90,000? Get back to the point.

Give us your specific rubric for determining value TO YOU. Because there’s no one specific measure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From your personal experience or colleges you toured, which are standouts that really impress you to be worth the full tuition? Less interested in HYPMS, rather ones that are not as prestigious but you think are comparable or even better.

When places like UVA or Michigan are an option, there are very few non-HYPSM schools that are worth 90K.

For me it is anything in IVY+; top 8-10 SLAC; plus Northwestern, CalTech, maybe Carnegie Mellon

Yeah, relative worth is also a factor here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All the ivies are worth it - if it means no loans or debt.

I don’t believe in debt.

Answer the question...regardless of affording it or not, why is it financially worth it and provide evidence supporting the position.

DP, but you seem to miss the point.
Worth it? What is “it”?
The only thing that makes sense is “worth the sacrifice”.
90k is impossible for most people to pay, but for some, it is not really a sacrifice in the same sense: sure, they might do other things with the money, but they are not going into debt, and they are not having to subsist on rice and beans in order to send their kid to college.
If I had 120k each year after expenses and retirement savings to do whatever, I might well decide that the best use of it would be sending my kid to a fantastic college.
I don’t have that much money, and my DC received generous financial aid and will be attending a 90k college for far less. I guess is still a “sacrifice” for us, but only if I compared it to spending the money on home renovations or a nicer car or buying stocks. I’d rather spend the money on my kid’s school. My 40k is someone else’s 90k. I feel very very lucky.
Probably no college is worth going into lots of debt for though.

Anonymous wrote:From your personal experience or colleges you toured, which are standouts that really impress you to be worth the full tuition? Less interested in HYPMS, rather ones that are not as prestigious but you think are comparable or even better.

When places like UVA or Michigan are an option, there are very few non-HYPSM schools that are worth 90K.

For me it is anything in IVY+; top 8-10 SLAC; plus Northwestern, CalTech, maybe Carnegie Mellon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see why it matters to anyone how someone spends their money. We can afford it and send our kids to 90-100k private universities full pay. Our kids went to/go to public schools k-12, and so did we. However if one of them had needed to attend a private school to meet their unique needs we would have done that. We see the value in the colleges they are attending and we are okay paying for it.

Again, not the point. Objectively are they worth 90,000? Get back to the point.

Yes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sending my kids to overpriced private schools to avoid the ignorance and know-it-all attitude that is on display here among all the haters. You spend your money how you want to. I will spend my money how I want to.

It is a free country (at least for now - Trump is trying hard to ruin that).

Hmmm… since you mentioned ignorance…

Where did Trump go to school? How about JD Vance? Hegseth? Kennedy?

Completely missed my point - shocking. Hope some low class ICE thug with a mask being paid more than a teacher with a masters degree doesn’t accidentally arrest you, deny you your constitutionally guaranteed rights and ship you out of the country.

Sorry, your point wasn’t that expensive, elitist institutions will shield your child from ignorant, know-it-all attitudes? Oh, and the haters?

Based on your reply, it sounds like you’d fit right in with these folks you claim to revile. I assume your kid will, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No college is worth $75K tuition (or $90K+ once you add room & board) but ...

it's an experience, like traveling to a foreign country, and if you have the money and don't need loans, it can be justified. However, it's not because it's the only way to be well educated.

As Matt Damon (famous dropout from Harvard) wrote and said in the movie 'Good Will Hunting':
"You dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you coulda' got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library".

The issue with this quote is that it assumes getting an education is all about reading the book. A lot, if not most, of the intellectual challenge and growth comes from interactions with peers and profs.

So are the people there actually smart, or do they just exist inside a 90k bubble? I keep hearing this whole “elite schools aren’t for nerds” thing, like IQ suddenly doesn’t matter. Okay… so then what exactly are people doing in those environments? Please don't tell me weekend trip to some guy's private island.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see why it matters to anyone how someone spends their money. We can afford it and send our kids to 90-100k private universities full pay. Our kids went to/go to public schools k-12, and so did we. However if one of them had needed to attend a private school to meet their unique needs we would have done that. We see the value in the colleges they are attending and we are okay paying for it.

Again, not the point. Objectively are they worth 90,000? Get back to the point.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see why it matters to anyone how someone spends their money. We can afford it and send our kids to 90-100k private universities full pay. Our kids went to/go to public schools k-12, and so did we. However if one of them had needed to attend a private school to meet their unique needs we would have done that. We see the value in the colleges they are attending and we are okay paying for it.

Amen

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sending my kids to overpriced private schools to avoid the ignorance and know-it-all attitude that is on display here among all the haters. You spend your money how you want to. I will spend my money how I want to.

It is a free country (at least for now - Trump is trying hard to ruin that).

Hmmm… since you mentioned ignorance…

Where did Trump go to school? How about JD Vance? Hegseth? Kennedy?

Completely missed my point - shocking. Hope some low class ICE thug with a mask being paid more than a teacher with a masters degree doesn’t accidentally arrest you, deny you your constitutionally guaranteed rights and ship you out of the country.

I don’t see why it matters to anyone how someone spends their money. We can afford it and send our kids to 90-100k private universities full pay. Our kids went to/go to public schools k-12, and so did we. However if one of them had needed to attend a private school to meet their unique needs we would have done that. We see the value in the colleges they are attending and we are okay paying for it.

Anonymous wrote:I am sending my kids to overpriced private schools to avoid the ignorance and know-it-all attitude that is on display here among all the haters. You spend your money how you want to. I will spend my money how I want to.

It is a free country (at least for now - Trump is trying hard to ruin that).

Hmmm… since you mentioned ignorance…

Where did Trump go to school? How about JD Vance? Hegseth? Kennedy?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am happy to spend the money on an expensive school for my kid. I have worked really hard and made sacrifices to do this. My parents did the same thing for me and I had an incredible four years at college and made lifelong friends and professional contacts.

Yes, one can do that at a cheaper school. But if my kid decides that an expensive school is really the right place for them for good reasons, I'm spending the money. I will make sure it is the right reasons.

But this is how I prioritize my money. And I'm fortunate to have the resources to do so. Many others don't, and their priorities are different, and I 100% respect that. Not for me to judge. But don't judge me either.

Your parents didn’t do this for you, though. The cost of college has been growing much faster than inflation.

Yes they did. College was still expensive back then. Agree not like today, but I know plenty of kids who had to settle for state schools or schools that gave scholarships that they didn't really want to attend, while my parents did not limit me. I had a very nice childhood but they definitely made some choices that made it easier for them to do this.

+1 from back in the day. My parents were middle class but just above the aid cutoff. They always told me if I got into a good enough college they would make it work. I got into HYPSM and they made it work. With help from extended family, I got private scholarships, I worked my way through college and paid for all my books, and I was an RA. My best friend in HS had to go to a state school even though she got in better because her parents could not afford it.

The poor dear! How long has she been living in the streets? Does she have access to shelter? Food banks?

What is wrong with you? I responded based on someone's claim that this is a new phenomenon. It's not.

Some people just need to be unpleasant. Happy new year to you too.

Your elitist judgment of your friend’s education compared to your own is what is actually unpleasant, dear. Take some time to engage in self-reflection and maybe try to stop being such an insufferable snob this year. This will help everyone in your real life to have a Happy New Year!