So I’m approaching the end of high school and I’m more or less done with the college admission process. I’m torn on what I’m going to do now, though. I was accepted into two highly regarded but very expensive (around $25,000/year for tuition alone) schools’ early action programs, but I was also offered a full scholarship plus a nice stipend by a decent, but not first or second tier (I don’t think) state university (it’s in Arizona).
What’s the value of going to one of these “good” schools? They’re both ranked in the top 20 universities in the country, and they have good reputations for academic quality. If I go to one of them (or a similar one that I haven’t heard back from yet), will it really make a difference once I’m out in the real world? I like the idea of being paid to go to college but I’m hesitant because I think it may affect my chances at grad school or a job.
Eep, what should I do? Does it really make much of a difference?
Thanks, and sorry if this seems a little stream-of-consciousness.
i can’t remember the article’s author or title right now, but i’ll look for it.
Its an article which polled people who went to high tier colleges (ivy league) vs people who went to regular state colleges. THe people who went to ivy league colleges only did 7% better than those in regular colleges.
Basically, you’re better off saving the $50k in inflated tuition costs and investing it in stocks or real estate, IMO.
There is no substitute for quality, I would look into financial aid, and give serious consideration to attending the best school you can go to. Remember, college is not just the school, it is the people you go to school with. I urge you to look at ways to make the better schools work. <Note, just because US News says a school is number 10 vs. 17 probably doesn’t make that much of a difference, but when you are talking about top 20 vs third tier, you are getting pretty far down the line…>
I would still recommend (if you have $100k sitting around for ivy league tuition) putting that 100k in real estate or stock investments and going to a state school. There is no real wage difference for elite vs. state schools according to research by Krueger and Dale.
In fact, this study by them shows that people who are accepted to elite schools, but attend regular schools do mildly better financially than those who are accepted & attend elite schools.
“When we did this, we found that students who were accepted by similar schools had similar average earnings in 1995, regardless of the prestige of the school they actually attended. Indeed, students who were accepted by the most selective schools but attended only a moderately selective one had slightly higher earnings than those who actually attended the very selective school-$91,000 versus $90,000.”
Well, it depends on why you want to go to the elite schools. If it’s just for the “name factor,” it’s probably not worth the extra money. If the elite school can offer you something concrete – better teaching, better research facilities in your major, or even a more comfortable social environment, you should consider it.
In any case, your best bet is to visit all the schools, sit in on classes, and talk to as many students and faculty members as possible.
Did all the schools offer you a financial aid package? If not, wait until you have all the figures.
All other things being equal, tour best bet is to go to the school you love most. If that’s not the one giving you aid, decide whether you’re willing to pay for the shortfall.
Don’t be concerned about what it’ll be worth to you down the line. There’s no way of telling (the statistics don’t mean much. On average, someone might earn 7% more, but that percentage for any given individual is highly speculative). But if you really like the school, your enthusiasm will translate well in the job market.
I got into all the colleges I applied to, some of which were very highly ranked. Qualified for zero financial aid at any of them. Got a few scholarship offers, then a full ride scholarship offer from my state school.
I chose the state school. Now, that was Penn State which is a pretty good state school, and has a rigorous honors program. (That’s something I’d look into at the state school you’re considering as well). I think I got a great education, I got into all the graduate programs I applied to–and actually ended up staying at Penn State for my MS (though I switched departments) becuase it was the top ranked program in the field.
I had absolutely no problem finding a job after graduation. I have a lot of friends who are struggling to pay off their school debts and are living on very tight budgets while they do so. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have never had to deal with that.
If you’re planning to go to grad school–your undergrad school really doesn’t matter much, people will look at where your grad degrees come from much more.
It’s not enough to compare schools to schools: you really have to compare departments to departments. For example, I seem ot recall that the University of Arizona has a very well regarded Anthropology department. They may be particularly weak in other areas. If you know what you love (and you may or may not), look very specifically into that department at each of these schools. You could even go so far as to call up the department head of the department you are interested in at Arizona and ask him what **he’d['d] (or she/she’d) do: they’ll be biased cause they’ll want you, but this is a person who knows the comparitive schools, and may well be blunt.
Second, many big state schools have honors programs that are comprable to Ivy leauge schools: they are hard to get into, the classes are small, you are surrounded by good fellow students nad the proffs treat you as the ones with potential. There are often special classes, lectures, and events for the honors program kids. I would see if Arizona has such a program and apply to it ASAP. It may compare much more favoritably to the Ivy league schools.
You didn’t say what you’re planning to major in. That might make a difference in your choice of schools.
If you’re planning to go into a field that requires a lot of contact with people as opposed to research in a lab I’d say take the state school option. Then spend a few grand near graduation on “people skills” classes like Dale Carnegie. The way you conduct and present yourself carries more weight than where you went to school, at least in my field (technical sales).
On the other hand if you’re planning to go into a field that relies heavily on “what you know” as opposed to “what you are” then go for the school with the better reputation.
I would exercise caution here. So many people change their minds in college about what direction they are going. I remember on the first day of college orientatoin, the Dean asked everyone who was pre-med to raise their hand. Half the people did. Then she asked for the pre-law people to raise their hand. The other half of the people did so.
What you think you want to do as a senior in high school may not be at all what you want to do down the road. So, unless you are completely set on one major, I think you should still look at the school overall.
-No, I don’t qualify for financial aid. My parents still aren’t eager to shell out upwards of 30K/year.
-My primary reasons for wanting to go to the more competitive schools are a more interesting student body and better teaching quality. I care very little about the name.
-My major is probably gonna be math with a minor or second major in music. As it turns out, AZ State actually has a very good music school, and if I could also be admitted to the honors college (I’m not totally sure on the specifics of that, but I have until August to apply for it) I might still get a very good education. I only applied because of a scholarship offer that came before I ever contacted them. (I guess spam works on me. ;))
-The other two schools are Harvard and Chicago. I feel more and more leery of Harvard every day, but I think it’s just because of stereotypes. I have two more that I won’t know about till April, and I was denied by another. If anyone can shed light on the applicable departments, it would be much appreciated. I haven’t visited any of the three schools I mentioned.
Quonk you should really visit these schools in person. U of C and Az State have got to be about the polar opposites in terms of typical students. U of C has a reputation (well deserved in my experience) for being full of social misfits. Don’t know how important that is to you, but you should visit.
A degree from Harvard would be something you can carry for the rest of your life, and will serve you very very well.
I know, and if someone told me I rushed through the application process without thinking enough, I would agree. Socially, I don’t think either one fits me all that well, but then, I know two very normal people who attend(ed) U. Chicago and like(d) it. But I hear AZ State is the #1 party school in the nation! :eek: I’ll be visiting it for my music audition in a month.
And, I can always transfer if I make the wrong choice.
Quonk, I can’t speak for University of Chicago or Harvard, but having had some experience with Arizona State, I’ll throw in my two cents there!
I found that at ASU, what you get out of the student body and the professors is really up to you. There’s incredibly interesting students there, and not-so-interesting students there. It’s up to you who you meet. There’s incredibly wonderful professors there and professors who were less engaged in undergraduate instruction. I’d encourage you to check out/speak with potential professors before you go to any school, if you have the opportunity.
There’s many opportunities for partying at Arizona State, but if you’re not into that, there’s also a place for you – again, you just have to find it. I didn’t do much partying in college, but there were still things to do and people to meet. A lot of how it will fit you socially is how you want it to fit you. It has a place for a wide variety of people, IMO.
About the honors program at ASU, check out carefully whether or not it fits into any major you may choose – IMO, it fits better with some majors than with others.