Is spending $120K for a private college education worth it?

[D_Kissimmee Coldsore]

Well I'm at university in Scotland and we get our tuition fees paid (Scots studying in Scotland). I don't think wealth should stand in the way of those with potential. I have friends who definitely would not be at university if they had to pay for it all themselves, and they are far more worthy than a lot of the rich airhead snobs I've encountered in my time here. That's not to say you can't buy your way in.

 

[nudeyorker]

So then would it be fair to say that we only have "Free" education for those who have academic merit that justify such allowances? There are stupid people getting advanced degrees in some of the best schools in the world and there are brilliant people getting degrees from what some would consider sub standard schools. What you make of your life when you are out of school is up to the individual.

 

[andrexx]

Is it worth it? Well, I'm not sure.

I currently go to a state university for about $13,000 a year (room and board included) - a bargain compared to pretty much any school in the region.

I switched majors and realized that while my school offers that major, it is not well known for it. This is an engineering, science, and architecture school - and any major in the social sciences is not nearly as strong. So next year I plan to go to a university that IS well known for my major. I believe that the strength of the major will bring in better professors, help me make better connections, and provide better chances for employment.

My cousin, on the other hand, currently attends a tiny private college with a price tag around $42,000 a year (and increasing). It's a lovely school, but I could never justify spending that much. He loves the atmosphere that small colleges have, and thinks that his school's reputation for being top-notch will help him snag a job, even if he'll have quite a bit more debt that I will have once we both finish.

So really...you have to determine how much you value the prestige and connections the school has. These can be key, but it doesn't mean that if your school lacks either that you'll end up in a bad place. Plenty of people go to community colleges and become extremely successful. Also - many of these expensive colleges give out HUGE scholarships. My cousin got a single scholarship for $18,000 based on an essay alone. That's something that cheaper public universities lack.

 

[CALAMBO]

from just my life...did not attend college, parents could not afford, i did not have the drive to attend...so i went to work....did well...with no formal education i have earned at least 250K yr, for last 15-20 yrs....if you want something to happen you can make it happen without a degree...but yet i missed out on the college fun....i feel like i should return and get a real degree, but to busy with life to worry about it now...i consider my example a rare case but anyone can do it, if I can you can, must admit that was 30 yrs ago...today is differnt for sure....

 

[Mem]

Well I went to a private school for primary education and UCLA for Undergraduate and Columbia for Law School.
One of my friends went to public school and private Undergrad and State Law School; did one of us have a better education? It's simply a matter of making the best use of what is available to you.
My mother and stepfather were adamant about private primary school and my brother and I received an outstanding education in comparison to what the public schools were able to offer at the time.
However today I have friends who work in the school system and some school systems that don't have all the funds they need are made up by excellent Parent Associations.
I was accepted into the top Law Schools in the country, I chose Columbia because of their program and faculty. I was a student of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and that would have not been available elsewhere. Am I smarter or better off because of any of it? Most likely not. Did the connections and networking system from this school help me? Yes!

Cheese and rice. I met the guy and did not know that he starred in Coke commercials and went to Law school.

 

[nudeyorker]

Cheese and rice. I met the guy and did not know that he starred in Coke commercials and went to Law school.

I love that! "Cheese and Rice!'Did not know what that meant until I hit it on google! So what can I say? You don't learn everything in school...thank goodness for google. The rest of your post is a mystery to me. To what are your referring?

 

[Mem]

The rest of your post is a mystery to me. To what are your referring?

Now you are confusing me. Did someone not post a link of you in a Coke commercial the other day. Did you not just say that you went to Law School. I'm just commenting that I would have had much more to talk to you about at the NYC Meet N Greet had I known this info about you.

 

[nudeyorker]

Now you are confusing me. Did someone not post a link of you in a Coke commercial the other day. Did you not just say that you went to Law School. I'm just commenting that I would have had much more to talk to you about at the NYC Meet N Greet had I known this info about you.

Mem I'm sorry I was trying to be subtle in my sarcastic way of hoping that that thread could be forgotten... however I did those 100 or so commercials so that I could attend Law School.

 

[Mem]

Mem I'm sorry I was trying to be subtle in my sarcastic way of hoping that that thread could be forgotten... however I did those 100 or so commercials so that I could attend Law School.

Okay I got it. You should be proud of the commercials, the one I saw on the train was amazing. By the way my 7th grade Gym teacher used to say "Cheese N Rice" all the time instead of saying "Jesus Christ".

 

[nudeyorker]

Okay I got it. You should be proud of the commercials, the one I saw on the train was amazing. By the way my 7th grade Gym teacher used to say "Cheese N Rice" all the time instead of saying "Jesus Christ".

I'm going to use that term from now on! If you promise not to share I'll send you more links of how I started working and suffering and struggling to break out of show business!

 

[Mem]

I'm going to use that term from now on! If you promise not to share I'll send you more links of how I started working and suffering and struggling to break out of show business!

I'll keep it private.

 

[musclebutt2]

The rest of your post was quite informative and accurate...but this is not true. I've taken classes at several schools and I have to disagree vehemently. At least, comparing Cornell, whose mantra is "beat the shit out of you so employers know you can handly anything" to particularly UofM (required work, but not difficult), and a local university (which was VERY easy compared to what I'm now used to).

To refine that idea, the quality of instructors is comparable across the board. What is different is the quality of the students, which is very different between the different tiers. The less motivated the student body, the less mind blowing a classroom experience. Instructors have to teach to the slowest learner and everyone suffers. If they don't, teachers get into trouble with department heads because of negative student evaluations.

Re: connections & networking from alumni associations

Bingo!

For my undergrad I had the option of a full scholarship to UCSC, or $6,000 loans a year attending either UC Berkeley or U. Chicago. Even though Chicago cost twice as much as CAL, they covered the difference with university grants. I chose Berkeley and ended up with about $25K in debt for a BA. In the past I wondered if I had made the right decision. What would it have been like, to be without student loan debt over my head if I had gone to UCSC instead? Students I had met from UCSC were well educated and intelligent. However, as time passed, more opportunities arose because of my affiliation with CAL. Not to say that being a Golden Bear got me a job; my qualifications got me the job, but it was Berkeley that got my foot in the door. Was spending $25K worth it? I'm starting to think so.

Any country that does not invest in free education is a dumbfuck.

Any country's taxpayers that do not demand free eduction are even more stupid.

Sure. We have so much money available for public programs, I can't believe free education hasn't been established. Now, do you put this ahead of cancer treatments, or behind social services, or tie it in with highways/roads?

FYI, tuition to the University of California system was free until Reagan became governor of California. Every governor after him followed his precedent and pilfered more and more funding from the system which resulted in higher tuition costs every year. Berkeley used to be the crown jewel of the UC system with the other campuses as surrounding pearls. However, once Reagan got a hold of it, the UC started a slow decline.

I am presently finishing up my MA at SFSU and applying to PhD programs at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford & Berkeley. I don't like SFSU. It's too small and the administration is exasperating because of the huge chip on its shoulder. For some reason it wants to compete with UC. I chose SFSU because of its terminal MA program, I wanted to make sure I had the gumption to continue with academia. I am choosing the highest ranked and most expensive schools because their reputations offer a safety net in case I don't get offered a tenure track position after graduation. The 'brand name' will open doors into private sector and government jobs. Dee is absolutely correct when he says students have to consider marketability very early on. Recent graduates expect high pay because of all the debt they have accrued just to earn a degree. Boomers and the generations before them don't understand this. A running start is hampered by a ball and chain of $80K+ debt, or in the case of newly minted MD's, they owe the equivalency of a home mortgage! All of this feeds into the 'boomerang kids' phenomenon; when "kids" periodically move home after failing in the real world.

$120K is only worth it if future earning potential actually pans out. These days, that's not always the case. It's not worth it as a terminal BA, but "brand name recognition" comes in handy when applying for advanced degrees. Otherwise, save your money at a cheaper school with a great curriculum, and practice networking skills. It's better to have high grades at a second tier school than mediocre grades at a top school.

 

[hardcockcafe]

if ur trying to go to law school or med school, then private school may be worth it. if ur lookin for a regular 4 year bachelor's degree, theres nothing wrong with going to a public university.

 

[Drifterwood]

Sure. We have so much money available for public programs, I can't believe free education hasn't been established. Now, do you put this ahead of cancer treatments, or behind social services, or tie it in with highways/roads?

I would have loved to have a free education, but I had to work my butt off to pay for it, and I don't think that there is anything wrong with that. Because of the whole "Free" issue everyone expects the world on a platter without having to do any work. The biggest education of my life began once I was finished school, but most today feel they should be making six figures out of University with out any experience.

I repay the entire three year cost of my free university education six times over every year in income tax. I am not exceptional in this. My peers had all repaid the cost within five years of graduating.

My society made an investment in me, I am thankful for that, and I owe them for that. The inverse is to think that you don't owe anybody anything and you promote a culture of every man for himself.

 

[B_JasonDawgxxx]

When you see what kind of job you can get having a degree from a fancy college vs not having a degree. Id say its well worth it.