Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

You can become CEO of Disney, like Michael Eisner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Eisner

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

Yep. You are correct. No jobs for them.

Except for the million or so types of jobs that have no corresponding college major and benefit from good communications skills.

There are loads of Humanities majors making bank in tech and other fields. Oh and BTW you clearly don't understand ROI or you would demand all college grads pursue investment banking regardless of major..

Who are these people

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

Yep. You are correct. No jobs for them.

Except for the million or so types of jobs that have no corresponding college major and benefit from good communications skills.

There are loads of Humanities majors making bank in tech and other fields. Oh and BTW you clearly don't understand ROI or you would demand all college grads pursue investment banking regardless of major..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Okay. So what do you suggest a middle class student with a BA in English do besides law school?

They're SOL. No way to save up for a downpayment on a house or pay back student loans (if they have any) with a graduate or undergraduate degree in the humanities (except a JD).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

No it's not. And, it wasn't for me and my parents either. You live in a very small world if you think you have any idea about higher ed. I have both humanities and fine arts degrees from a middle class background. Your view of higher education is extremely limited -- it's education, not just training.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the C-Suite, make $300k+ and did not get into my field or career path due to connections or why/where I went to school. I worked hard, was hungry, ambitious and willing to work for peanuts in the beginning to gain knowledge in my field and climb the ladder. I made wise career moves/choices the more experience I gained and was not easily swayed into a new job by money but instead by the organizations themselves.

Any graduate out of college who thinks they'll make six figures in their first job needs you as their parent to talk them down from that. Of course there are exceptions - those people come from multi-generational wealth, have connections within family or friends/parents of friends and apart from the aggressive Harvard Business School types, have no idea how to work hard for anything because everything has been handed to them. And so it goes until the end of time.

it's 2022, six figures out of college is not that unusual.

not sure anyone should be taking career advice from you - expecting people to work for peanuts? sounds like you just like exploiting labor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

ROI is not the main point of college if you are going to any kind of professional or grad school (which 50% of top 20 grads are). College sets you up for the next academic choice (M.A., Ph.D. M.D. J.D. etc.). That second choice is where ROI will come in to play.

The ROI guy computed it for grad school, including cases where the undergrad degree was low ROI but paired with a high ROI grad school. One take-away is that low ROI undergrad degrees (eg English, History, Poli Sci) lock you into a high ROI grad program (law) if you ever want to see a payoff for the education dollars you spent. If you do a low ROI BA and then a low ROI grad degree (BA in English or History plus PhD) then as you would expect, you're screwed.

https://freopp.org/is-graduate-school-worth-it-a-comprehensive-return-on-investment-analysis-a84644f29f9

Thanks for confirming my point. Lots of low ROI college grads (heaven forbid!!) go on to high ROI grad degrees. So with most top college kids going on for a second (or third) degree, the ROI for your undergrad college/major choice is clearly NOT the main point of college as the PP asserted.

That’s not the point you made. You included MA and PhD which are not high ROI grad degrees. (MA can be if it’s the right field but generally not.)

Meant to type MBA (which is a high ROI grad degree) not MA. And some Ph.D's make great living in consulting, patent royalties, etc. Some don't. Depends on the field.

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the C-Suite, make $300k+ and did not get into my field or career path due to connections or why/where I went to school. I worked hard, was hungry, ambitious and willing to work for peanuts in the beginning to gain knowledge in my field and climb the ladder. I made wise career moves/choices the more experience I gained and was not easily swayed into a new job by money but instead by the organizations themselves.

Any graduate out of college who thinks they'll make six figures in their first job needs you as their parent to talk them down from that. Of course there are exceptions - those people come from multi-generational wealth, have connections within family or friends/parents of friends and apart from the aggressive Harvard Business School types, have no idea how to work hard for anything because everything has been handed to them. And so it goes until the end of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

ROI is not the main point of college if you are going to any kind of professional or grad school (which 50% of top 20 grads are). College sets you up for the next academic choice (M.A., Ph.D. M.D. J.D. etc.). That second choice is where ROI will come in to play.

The ROI guy computed it for grad school, including cases where the undergrad degree was low ROI but paired with a high ROI grad school. One take-away is that low ROI undergrad degrees (eg English, History, Poli Sci) lock you into a high ROI grad program (law) if you ever want to see a payoff for the education dollars you spent. If you do a low ROI BA and then a low ROI grad degree (BA in English or History plus PhD) then as you would expect, you're screwed.

https://freopp.org/is-graduate-school-worth-it-a-comprehensive-return-on-investment-analysis-a84644f29f9

Thanks for confirming my point. Lots of low ROI college grads (heaven forbid!!) go on to high ROI grad degrees. So with most top college kids going on for a second (or third) degree, the ROI for your undergrad college/major choice is clearly NOT the main point of college as the PP asserted.

That’s not the point you made. You included MA and PhD which are not high ROI grad degrees. (MA can be if it’s the right field but generally not.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

ROI is not the main point of college if you are going to any kind of professional or grad school (which 50% of top 20 grads are). College sets you up for the next academic choice (M.A., Ph.D. M.D. J.D. etc.). That second choice is where ROI will come in to play.

The ROI guy computed it for grad school, including cases where the undergrad degree was low ROI but paired with a high ROI grad school. One take-away is that low ROI undergrad degrees (eg English, History, Poli Sci) lock you into a high ROI grad program (law) if you ever want to see a payoff for the education dollars you spent. If you do a low ROI BA and then a low ROI grad degree (BA in English or History plus PhD) then as you would expect, you're screwed.

https://freopp.org/is-graduate-school-worth-it-a-comprehensive-return-on-investment-analysis-a84644f29f9

Thanks for confirming my point. Lots of low ROI college grads (heaven forbid!!) go on to high ROI grad degrees. So with most top college kids going on for a second (or third) degree, the ROI for your undergrad college/major choice is clearly NOT the main point of college as the PP asserted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the ROI studies are interesting data, but it needs to be taken in context. We will Likely spend anywhere from $200k-350k on a humanities type of degree for our daughter over the next 4 years. Full pay, don’t know where she will be going yet so the cost is a range. We are DC residents so no great state school. We are not wealthy but have planned for this. We want her to have a certain kind of opportunity to go to a school that is the best fit for her. If we had to borrow the money or she did, it would be very different kind of analysis. I did not think of return on investment for all the money we have spent on many things for our child, this is the biggest thing, and important in so many ways, but we are not measuring its value with only that in mind.

If you are rich enough, ROI doesn't really matter to you. Thanks for the great insight!

Exactly lol

I hear what PP is saying. You don't look at every dime spent on the kid as an investment in need of a return. Sure, to have saved this much, they must be UMC, but they saved and have it and don't view it that way. We are similar though less affluent. We have one in college and another applying next year. We'll get need based FA from top schools or merit for other schools, will have about 100k saved and will plan to pay some as they go. I do want my kid to have options to support herself, which factored into university choice (cache/networks), but I am not looking at numbers on ROI. Part of higher ed is the ed, not just training to a certain income level.

The main point of college is ROI. Full stop. And that's doubly true for your kids, who aren't wealthy enough to be from a full-pay family.

ROI is not the main point of college if you are going to any kind of professional or grad school (which 50% of top 20 grads are). College sets you up for the next academic choice (M.A., Ph.D. M.D. J.D. etc.). That second choice is where ROI will come in to play.

The ROI guy computed it for grad school, including cases where the undergrad degree was low ROI but paired with a high ROI grad school. One take-away is that low ROI undergrad degrees (eg English, History, Poli Sci) lock you into a high ROI grad program (law) if you ever want to see a payoff for the education dollars you spent. If you do a low ROI BA and then a low ROI grad degree (BA in English or History plus PhD) then as you would expect, you're screwed.

https://freopp.org/is-graduate-school-worth-it-a-comprehensive-return-on-investment-analysis-a84644f29f9

Thanks for confirming my point. Lots of low ROI college grads (heaven forbid!!) go on to high ROI grad degrees. So with most top college kids going on for a second (or third) degree, the ROI for your undergrad college/major choice is clearly NOT the main point of college as the PP asserted.