Anonymous wrote:Tufts used to have a solid reputation, BC never did. Wake is a nice school but not worth $400 over 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:Tufts used to have a solid reputation, BC never did. Wake is a nice school but not worth $400 over 4 years.

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Anonymous wrote:Asking genuinely:

What if the school is ranked high for the student's choice of major but not as high overall?

Like, does Purdue make the cut, but only for engineering? Or NYU/USC for business or film?

Just curious how you'd suss this out.

My DC wrestled the same issue, and decided on Stern given interest in finance. Lots of high stats kids at Stern, btw...

Anonymous wrote:At some point this all starts sounding like a variant of the McMansion in the suburbs vs smaller rowhouse in the city debate.

There will never be a correct answer (except my own).

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Anonymous wrote:I went to visit Tufts in the 90s and thought it was depressing. I went to UVa and loved it. Now that college prices are absolutely insane, I am having trouble understanding why you wouldn't go to a good state school instead of one of these places, especially if they feel isolated and depressing.

Interestingly, people have different tastes and often chase what makes them happy. For some that's on the edge of a vibrant city like Boston or in the heart of Philadelphia while for others its a State U in a small town surrounded by mid-American farmland focused primarily on the 50,000 college-age kids that keep the town alive.

I visited friends at UVa and Tech many times and found it depressing each time. They loved it, though, so good for them! I have no trouble understanding that they chased what they found interesting and engaging which can be the same environment I would've found isolating.

Exactly! My kids didn't want to be that Isolated. They would have survived, but there are many better choices for them.

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Anonymous wrote:If you are comfortably full pay, it's all about fit. And BC and Wake in particular are very solid schools and their graduates tend to do very well.

If money is an issue - like it is for the 95 percent of Americans who think 100 grand a year for college is ridiculous - it becomes a different calculation. And it's hard to justify Tulane, BC, or Wake at $90,000 over UMD and UVA at $38,000. None of those private schools are worth going into debt over a couple of very good in-state options.

+1 We technically have the money to send our three kids to these $95K/year schools, but we would really feel it. We would sacrifice to pay for HYPPSM, but these NESCACs and the like just aren't worth it to us. The career outcomes aren't the same.

I could see how it's worth it to families with more money or if they could quality for FA though. We have some very good in-State schools or our kids can chase merit.

I went to Wake Forest. My parents were happy to pay. But if money were an issue, I could have gone to UNC and done just fine. Not everyone is so lucky to live in a state with an excellent flagship.

Places like Wake Forest, Davidson, Richmond, etc. also used to cost $25k/year all in. The cost has increased dramatically relative to incomes.

+1 This is why there are now barbell families like mine. If I'm going to spend $400K for undergrad for each of my kids, then it's going to be a top 20-ish that has superior job placement. Otherwise my kids are going to state schools or privates with significant merit $.

I'm not reducing our lifestyle to send my kids to a tier 2 or 3 private instead of a great State school with equivalent or even better career placement.

So, that’s a lot of pressure on your kids no? Given that T20 is a crapshoot?

Not at all. DC just knows that and handful of small $90-100K privates that don't offer merit are off the table.

There are still dozens of schools that would be a great fit and are either more affordable or offer merit to make it more affordable. Plus around 20 other schools that we'll pay that $400K for if DC gets in.

So you will pay $400K for Harvard, but not for Tufts?

I guess I don't get that. I don't think T10 schools are that great over the others, and if I'm willing to pay for one, I'd pay for all of them

Different poster here, and I am solidly upper class, and I would pay for Tufts, WashU, Emory, Georgetown level, but if my kids don't get into that level, I will expect them to go to our state flagship school. My view is that the top kids at flagships will do well in grad school placement (possibly better actually) and I think alumni networks and jobs are available to kids who rise to the top of their state universities, but I don't think a "no name" school is worth the squeeze when you look at job and grad school outcomes. It's not a money thing - it's more the fact that no hiring manager is going to have any familiarity with say, Rhodes College or Gettysburg College or Augustana College.

Tufts might have similar selectivity, (its still the least selective when compared to Emory, Georgetown, WashU etc.) But academically and prestige wise its not the same prestige level. Its closer to Georgia tech or BC in prestige.

PP here. Why do you think this? I don't this this is true. I think Tufts is a desirable target school for lots of private school and top public school kids - the same if not higher than Emory, Georgetown and WashU. Here is evidence that supports this: https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/1c6j73v/where_the_elite_study_the_t30_for_selective_prep/

Where the Elite Study- The Top 30 colleges for Selective Prep Schools
1 Chicago
2 NYU
3 Georgetown
4 Harvard
5 Cornell
6 Brown
7 Yale
8 Penn
9 Columbia
10 Tufts
11 WashU
12 Stanford
13 USC
14 Princeton
15 BC
16 Michigan
17 Dartmouth
18 Northwestern
19 Duke
20 Tulane
21 Northeastern
22 Virginia
23 BostonU
24 Wesleyan
25 St Andrews (UK)
26 Bowdoin
27 SMU
28 Middlebury
29 Wake Forest
30 UC Berkeley

The only public schools on the list Michigan, UVA and Berkeley.

Anonymous wrote:Asking genuinely:

What if the school is ranked high for the student's choice of major but not as high overall?

Like, does Purdue make the cut, but only for engineering? Or NYU/USC for business or film?

Just curious how you'd suss this out.

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Anonymous wrote:If you are comfortably full pay, it's all about fit. And BC and Wake in particular are very solid schools and their graduates tend to do very well.

If money is an issue - like it is for the 95 percent of Americans who think 100 grand a year for college is ridiculous - it becomes a different calculation. And it's hard to justify Tulane, BC, or Wake at $90,000 over UMD and UVA at $38,000. None of those private schools are worth going into debt over a couple of very good in-state options.

+1 We technically have the money to send our three kids to these $95K/year schools, but we would really feel it. We would sacrifice to pay for HYPPSM, but these NESCACs and the like just aren't worth it to us. The career outcomes aren't the same.

I could see how it's worth it to families with more money or if they could quality for FA though. We have some very good in-State schools or our kids can chase merit.

I went to Wake Forest. My parents were happy to pay. But if money were an issue, I could have gone to UNC and done just fine. Not everyone is so lucky to live in a state with an excellent flagship.

Places like Wake Forest, Davidson, Richmond, etc. also used to cost $25k/year all in. The cost has increased dramatically relative to incomes.

+1 This is why there are now barbell families like mine. If I'm going to spend $400K for undergrad for each of my kids, then it's going to be a top 20-ish that has superior job placement. Otherwise my kids are going to state schools or privates with significant merit $.

I'm not reducing our lifestyle to send my kids to a tier 2 or 3 private instead of a great State school with equivalent or even better career placement.

So, that’s a lot of pressure on your kids no? Given that T20 is a crapshoot?

Not at all. DC just knows that and handful of small $90-100K privates that don't offer merit are off the table.

There are still dozens of schools that would be a great fit and are either more affordable or offer merit to make it more affordable. Plus around 20 other schools that we'll pay that $400K for if DC gets in.

So you will pay $400K for Harvard, but not for Tufts?

I guess I don't get that. I don't think T10 schools are that great over the others, and if I'm willing to pay for one, I'd pay for all of them

Different poster here, and I am solidly upper class, and I would pay for Tufts, WashU, Emory, Georgetown level, but if my kids don't get into that level, I will expect them to go to our state flagship school. My view is that the top kids at flagships will do well in grad school placement (possibly better actually) and I think alumni networks and jobs are available to kids who rise to the top of their state universities, but I don't think a "no name" school is worth the squeeze when you look at job and grad school outcomes. It's not a money thing - it's more the fact that no hiring manager is going to have any familiarity with say, Rhodes College or Gettysburg College or Augustana College.

So I guess if big state school is not the right fit, then too bad so sad??

Nope, go to W&M or a smaller private that offers merit.

This isn't rocket science. But you feel free to spend your $400k however you like. My kid will have grad school tuition and a down payment instead.

Strange that you assume it's a binary proposal. In my circles, the young adult kids including my own get all three.

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Anonymous wrote:Tufts, BC, Wake are worth it imo

Tufts is only worth it if you are going to stay in the Northeast.

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Anonymous wrote:If you are comfortably full pay, it's all about fit. And BC and Wake in particular are very solid schools and their graduates tend to do very well.

If money is an issue - like it is for the 95 percent of Americans who think 100 grand a year for college is ridiculous - it becomes a different calculation. And it's hard to justify Tulane, BC, or Wake at $90,000 over UMD and UVA at $38,000. None of those private schools are worth going into debt over a couple of very good in-state options.

+1 We technically have the money to send our three kids to these $95K/year schools, but we would really feel it. We would sacrifice to pay for HYPPSM, but these NESCACs and the like just aren't worth it to us. The career outcomes aren't the same.

I could see how it's worth it to families with more money or if they could quality for FA though. We have some very good in-State schools or our kids can chase merit.

I went to Wake Forest. My parents were happy to pay. But if money were an issue, I could have gone to UNC and done just fine. Not everyone is so lucky to live in a state with an excellent flagship.

Places like Wake Forest, Davidson, Richmond, etc. also used to cost $25k/year all in. The cost has increased dramatically relative to incomes.

+1 This is why there are now barbell families like mine. If I'm going to spend $400K for undergrad for each of my kids, then it's going to be a top 20-ish that has superior job placement. Otherwise my kids are going to state schools or privates with significant merit $.

I'm not reducing our lifestyle to send my kids to a tier 2 or 3 private instead of a great State school with equivalent or even better career placement.

So, that’s a lot of pressure on your kids no? Given that T20 is a crapshoot?

Not at all. DC just knows that and handful of small $90-100K privates that don't offer merit are off the table.

There are still dozens of schools that would be a great fit and are either more affordable or offer merit to make it more affordable. Plus around 20 other schools that we'll pay that $400K for if DC gets in.

So you will pay $400K for Harvard, but not for Tufts?

I guess I don't get that. I don't think T10 schools are that great over the others, and if I'm willing to pay for one, I'd pay for all of them

Different poster here, and I am solidly upper class, and I would pay for Tufts, WashU, Emory, Georgetown level, but if my kids don't get into that level, I will expect them to go to our state flagship school. My view is that the top kids at flagships will do well in grad school placement (possibly better actually) and I think alumni networks and jobs are available to kids who rise to the top of their state universities, but I don't think a "no name" school is worth the squeeze when you look at job and grad school outcomes. It's not a money thing - it's more the fact that no hiring manager is going to have any familiarity with say, Rhodes College or Gettysburg College or Augustana College.

So I guess if big state school is not the right fit, then too bad so sad??

Nope, go to W&M or a smaller private that offers merit.

This isn't rocket science. But you feel free to spend your $400k however you like. My kid will have grad school tuition and a down payment instead.

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Anonymous wrote:If you are comfortably full pay, it's all about fit. And BC and Wake in particular are very solid schools and their graduates tend to do very well.

If money is an issue - like it is for the 95 percent of Americans who think 100 grand a year for college is ridiculous - it becomes a different calculation. And it's hard to justify Tulane, BC, or Wake at $90,000 over UMD and UVA at $38,000. None of those private schools are worth going into debt over a couple of very good in-state options.

+1 We technically have the money to send our three kids to these $95K/year schools, but we would really feel it. We would sacrifice to pay for HYPPSM, but these NESCACs and the like just aren't worth it to us. The career outcomes aren't the same.

I could see how it's worth it to families with more money or if they could quality for FA though. We have some very good in-State schools or our kids can chase merit.

I went to Wake Forest. My parents were happy to pay. But if money were an issue, I could have gone to UNC and done just fine. Not everyone is so lucky to live in a state with an excellent flagship.

Places like Wake Forest, Davidson, Richmond, etc. also used to cost $25k/year all in. The cost has increased dramatically relative to incomes.

+1 This is why there are now barbell families like mine. If I'm going to spend $400K for undergrad for each of my kids, then it's going to be a top 20-ish that has superior job placement. Otherwise my kids are going to state schools or privates with significant merit $.

I'm not reducing our lifestyle to send my kids to a tier 2 or 3 private instead of a great State school with equivalent or even better career placement.

So, that’s a lot of pressure on your kids no? Given that T20 is a crapshoot?

Not at all. DC just knows that and handful of small $90-100K privates that don't offer merit are off the table.

There are still dozens of schools that would be a great fit and are either more affordable or offer merit to make it more affordable. Plus around 20 other schools that we'll pay that $400K for if DC gets in.

So you will pay $400K for Harvard, but not for Tufts?

I guess I don't get that. I don't think T10 schools are that great over the others, and if I'm willing to pay for one, I'd pay for all of them

Different poster here, and I am solidly upper class, and I would pay for Tufts, WashU, Emory, Georgetown level, but if my kids don't get into that level, I will expect them to go to our state flagship school. My view is that the top kids at flagships will do well in grad school placement (possibly better actually) and I think alumni networks and jobs are available to kids who rise to the top of their state universities, but I don't think a "no name" school is worth the squeeze when you look at job and grad school outcomes. It's not a money thing - it's more the fact that no hiring manager is going to have any familiarity with say, Rhodes College or Gettysburg College or Augustana College.

So I guess if big state school is not the right fit, then too bad so sad??