And not one is Ivy League?

[Luke]

Highest Total Cost 2008-2009


......College .....................| Total Cost

1. Sarah Lawrence College | $53,166
2. George Washington University | $50,312
3. New York University | $50,182
4. Georgetown University | $49,689
5. Connecticut College | $49,385
6. Bates College | $49,350
7. Johns Hopkins University | $49,278
8. Skidmore College | $49,266
9. Scripps College | $49,236
10. Middlebury College | $49,210
11. Carnegie Mellon University | $49,200
12. Boston College | $49,020
13. Wesleyan University | $49,000
14. Colgate University | $48,900
15. Claremont McKenna College | $48,755
16. Vassar College | $48,675
17. Haverford College | $48,625
18. University of Chicago | $48,588
19. Union College (NY) | $48,552
20. Colby College | $48,520
21. Mount Holyoke College | $48,500
22. Tufts University | $48,470
23. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $48,460
24. Franklin & Marshall College | $48,450
25. Bard College | $48,438


I'm gonna confess to having never having heard of the one's I highlighted in blue text.

[Josh O]

Holy moses, Skidmore is number 8????

[onemind]

I have one in number 11, (though he got a bit of money), that's why the other one is attending (albeit out-of) state school.

[XKnight]

My sister got her Masters degree from number 18. She's now a professor and is still paying off her student loans.

[CharAznable]

Franklin & Marshall represent!

[Josh O]

my alma mater (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) isn't too far off the top 25 list coming in at $47,270 for tuition and room and board although their site also factors in cost of books/personal expenses so they estimate $49,470.

[DavidE]

Total cost.... PER YEAR!!! My son is a high school senior. His college fund is now worth didley squat. Too cool...

Highest Total Cost 2008-2009


......College .....................| Total Cost

1. Sarah Lawrence College | $53,166
2. George Washington University | $50,312
3. New York University | $50,182
4. Georgetown University | $49,689
5. Connecticut College | $49,385
6. Bates College | $49,350
7. Johns Hopkins University | $49,278
8. Skidmore College | $49,266
9. Scripps College | $49,236
10. Middlebury College | $49,210
11. Carnegie Mellon University | $49,200
12. Boston College | $49,020
13. Wesleyan University | $49,000
14. Colgate University | $48,900
15. Claremont McKenna College | $48,755
16. Vassar College | $48,675
17. Haverford College | $48,625
18. University of Chicago | $48,588
19. Union College (NY) | $48,552
20. Colby College | $48,520
21. Mount Holyoke College | $48,500
22. Tufts University | $48,470
23. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $48,460
24. Franklin & Marshall College | $48,450
25. Bard College | $48,438


I'm gonna confess to having never having heard of the one's I highlighted in blue text.

[onemind]

Terrifying having two in right now.

[Bryan T]

Scripps and Claremont McKenna are both part of the Claremont Colleges (plus Harvey Mudd, Pomona, and Pitzer). Great schools, though apparently expensive!

Bryan

[chrisr777]

My daughter and her husband were both accepted over the weekend to a school near the top of a different list.


Humboldt State


I am very proud of them and very happy their school is not on your list.

:banana


(my first usage of banana)

[KissTone]

Bard (http://www.bard.edu) is up the Hudson from NYC. Beautiful campus. Leon Botstein is Bard's president and happens to be director and conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra.

Bard at Simon's Rock is part of Bard (but in Mass.). It's a unique four-year college for younger students. Let's say you are bright, 16, and not relishing twiddling your thumbs through two more years of high school . . . then apply to Simon's Rock. The Coen brothers went there.

I live about 30 miles from CMU. Some of my former students have gone there and done quite well (no thanks to me).

[UndergroundVint]

Four years experience in any field and $200k start-up money would leave most people in better shape than degrees from those schools.

[prsflame]

# 3 is my Alma Mater. It was around 28K per year when I entered as a Freshman in 1990.

[amigo30]

Total cost.... PER YEAR!!! My son is a high school senior. His college fund is now worth didley squat. Too cool...

Just have him join the Army for a couple of years till the markets come back up...tell him it will be good for him...:D

[mojocaster.com]

To the OP: You've never heard of Bates, but you heard of Colby? That's interesting. They usually go together, along with Bowdoin College where I taught a long time ago. I also taught at MIT once upon a time, and I am happy to see that it's not on this list.

College costs have become outrageous... that's mostly why I stopped teaching.

[jcoloccia]

That's sickening. Ugh.

I managed to come out of grad school with no student loans but man it wasn't easy. There's no reason an education should cost this much. $50,000 for NYU?? Gimme a break.

You'd do better investing the $200,000 for 30 years. At a modest 4%, that would be worth almost $700,000. Add to that an additional 4 to 6 years of salary, and it's starting to be a pretty hard sell! Fortunately there are still reasonably priced schools around, and many of them are at least in the same league as the ones on the list, IMHO.

[Luke]

Inflation is 3.5% a year, so your $700,000 in 30 years will have about the purchasing power of $225,000 today. You're acting like you are tripling your buying power when you are basically staying even.

That's sickening. Ugh.

I managed to come out of grad school with no student loans but man it wasn't easy. There's no reason an education should cost this much. $50,000 for NYU?? Gimme a break.

You'd do better investing the $200,000 for 30 years. At a modest 4%, that would be worth almost $700,000. Add to that an additional 4 to 6 years of salary, and it's starting to be a pretty hard sell! Fortunately there are still reasonably priced schools around, and many of them are at least in the same league as the ones on the list, IMHO.

[sundin4prez]

i should send this link to a couple of buddies that are complaing about tuition at university of toronto......about 8000 a year

[Bassomatic]

BA from 23, here. Used to be about 16-20k per, if memory serves.

[Doug's Tubes]

St John's University in NY cost me $900 per semester.......back in 1970 I had a summer job at Jones Beach where I earned $3.35/hr, around $1700 for the summer as a park attendant. My how the economics have changed.

[Seditious]

Someone obviously is paying it though so it must not be TOO expensive for those that go. I'm just glad mine is around 1/4 of those.

[eurotrashed]

Holy crap. I have friends going to some of those schools, I didn't know they were paying that much!!! At the schools I applied to, the most was 35k a year which I thought was too much. I'm not paying anything near that, although it is the highest priced state funded school in PA

[Bassomatic]

Bennington's usually near the top of these lists. What's the source?

[phoenix 7]

My sister got her Masters degree from number 18. She's now a professor and is still paying off her student loans.

#18's my alma mater. I'm finishing my Ph.D. there now. Luckily they gave me a free ride.

Bennington's usually near the top of these lists. What's the source?

Yup, they used to be #1.

[macheesmo3]

Wow , MIT used to be at the forefront of college pricing!( I remember when I was considering them the costs were a sky high $18,000 a year and that was only 17 years ago1!)

Good lord prices are ridiculous!

[Slow Reflexes]

...They usually go together, along with Bowdoin College...Yeah; Bowdoin is usually right up there on this list... wondered where they went this year.

Edit: Oh, there they are... the top 100 has them at number 28, $48,170.
...I also taught at MIT once upon a time, and I am happy to see that it's not on this list.They are at #68. Only $47,000!

I like how there's less than $4K per year difference between #15 and #100... :rolleyes:

[hw2nw]

what happened to University of Southern California? Last I checked they had broken the $50k mark. Ugh!

[Blue Strat]

Highest Total Cost 2008-2009


......College .....................| Total Cost

1. Sarah Lawrence College | $53,166
2. George Washington University | $50,312
3. New York University | $50,182
4. Georgetown University | $49,689
5. Connecticut College | $49,385
6. Bates College | $49,350
7. Johns Hopkins University | $49,278
8. Skidmore College | $49,266
9. Scripps College | $49,236
10. Middlebury College | $49,210
11. Carnegie Mellon University | $49,200
12. Boston College | $49,020
13. Wesleyan University | $49,000
14. Colgate University | $48,900
15. Claremont McKenna College | $48,755
16. Vassar College | $48,675
17. Haverford College | $48,625
18. University of Chicago | $48,588
19. Union College (NY) | $48,552
20. Colby College | $48,520
21. Mount Holyoke College | $48,500
22. Tufts University | $48,470
23. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $48,460
24. Franklin & Marshall College | $48,450
25. Bard College | $48,438


I'm gonna confess to having never having heard of the one's I highlighted in blue text.



I have a good friend who's a tenured prof who "earns" ~$130K per year to teach ONE CLASS PER WEEK and goes on paid educational boondoggles that take her around the world for about a month every summer.

Is there something wrong with this picture?

[jumpnblues]

Four years experience in any field and $200k start-up money would leave most people in better shape than degrees from those schools.


Couldn't agree more. And I have a doctorate.


Tom

[Sandy]

Franklin & Marshall represent!

My daughter looked at F&M but decided on Dickinson in Carlisle instead. Think F&M, Dickinson and Gettysburg are all running about the same price. And it gets worse every year. She did not get a dime in financial aid. All the schools on that list are fabulous, though!

[dzo]

Very few students/parents actually pay those amounts.

[KissTone]

I have a good friend who's a tenured prof who "earns" ~$130K per year to teach ONE CLASS PER WEEK and goes on paid educational boondoggles that take her around the world for about a month every summer.

Is there something wrong with this picture?

She's one of the lucky ones. Fully tenured positions are slowly slipping away as more and more schools rely on adjunct instructors (like individual outside contractors) who get paid a pittance and enjoy few if any benefits.

The year I started grad school, the university I attended just up and eliminated all tenure-track positions in their English department opting for an all-adjunct staff headed by a single full-timer.

Now the real eye-opener comes when you see how much endowment money some of these schools have yet they continue charging these tuitions . . .

[gag halfrunt]

Well, to address the OP's comment that none are Ivy League schools, it just goes to show how much the IL lustre has faded. They used to be used as finishing schools to groom the American aristocracy, but are now bypassed by many who, in earlier generations, would have automatically gone there.


And don't forget that list doesn't include West Point and Annapolis, whose total per student costs easily top $100,000 per year.

[mapleneck72]

Franklin & Marshall represent!

What year did you graduate? I graduated in 94.

[Sandy]

Very few students/parents actually pay those amounts.
HA! Unfortunately we do. And quite a few of my daughters friends' parents are paying for the full ride. There have been lots of discussions on how tuition is going to be paid going forward with so much of college savings going down the tubes due to market conditions.

[zekmoe]

Lots of Northeast Colleges. Where's all the Florida and Nevada schools?

[Bassomatic]

Four years experience in any field and $200k start-up money would leave most people in better shape than degrees from those schools.

Guess it depends on your def of "better shape".

[Bryan T]

Guess it depends on your def of "better shape".

Exactly! I'm a big fan of breadth in education. You aren't going to get that apprenticing at a firm.

Bryan

[Doug's Tubes]

Well, to address the OP's comment that none are Ivy League schools, it just goes to show how much the IL lustre has faded. They used to be used as finishing schools to groom the American aristocracy, but are now bypassed by many who, in earlier generations, would have automatically gone there.


And don't forget that list doesn't include West Point and Annapolis, whose total per student costs easily top $100,000 per year.

Um, not so. Few colleges have the endowments created by very generous alumni that the Ivy League schools have, a huge factor in final tuition cost, which is why they're not near the top of the list. It's reported that Harvard's endowment generated $5.7 billion in investment gains for the period ended June 30. In fact the Ivy League is currently experiencing an application boom and continues to turn away more applicants than any other schools.

[jaevee14]

Franklin & Marshall represent!

Ha! I live in Lancaster and decided to go to Thaddeus Stevens instead. 5K a year. F&M is better looking and has way better parties, though.

[Dave Orban]

I'm going through the college application process with my daughter right now. And four of the colleges to which she's applying are on that list.

And to compound things, I lost my job last week! :jo

[MuseCafeChris]

I'm going through the college application process with my daughter right now. And four of the colleges to which she's applying are on that list.

And to compound things, I lost my job last week! :jo

I can only imagine how much gassier you've become ....

[jaevee14]

Now the real eye-opener comes when you see how much endowment money some of these schools have yet they continue charging these tuitions . . .

Yup. That's why schools should be required to spend 5% of their endowment a year is they want to remain tax exempt.

[Kingbeegtrs]

funny thing is that where you go to school only matters if you want to work for someone who hires people from there. Prime example: here in Texas you could have a degree from Yale and a guy from Texas A&M would get treated better at an interview. A buddy of mine went to Brown and played football...when he came home he found himself waiting tables at Houston's restaurant - his father's business partner told him that until he moved back east he wasn't going to find anything worthwhile....so he moved to Boston and found a great job within a month. THese over-priced universities don't impress me.

[Luke]

funny thing is that where you go to school only matters if you want to work for someone who hires people from there. Prime example: here in Texas you could have a degree from Yale and a guy from Texas A&M would get treated better at an interview. A buddy of mine went to Brown and played football...when he came home he found himself waiting tables at Houston's restaurant - his father's business partner told him that until he moved back east he wasn't going to find anything worthwhile....so he moved to Boston and found a great job within a month. THese over-priced universities don't impress me.

That must be some of that fuzzy Texas thinking.

[RiseofRock]

I thought 15k a year was bad... After "incentives" I only pay 4k though :) I couldn't imagine paying 50k though!

[MuseCafeChris]

funny thing is that where you go to school only matters if you want to work for someone who hires people from there. Prime example: here in Texas you could have a degree from Yale and a guy from Texas A&M would get treated better at an interview. A buddy of mine went to Brown and played football...when he came home he found himself waiting tables at Houston's restaurant - his father's business partner told him that until he moved back east he wasn't going to find anything worthwhile....so he moved to Boston and found a great job within a month. THese over-priced universities don't impress me.
Even better is if the person you're interviewing with was in the same fraternity or sorority as you.

[Scott K]

Even better is if the person you're interviewing with was in the same fraternity or sorority as you.

What sorority were you a member of?

[orangekick]

11. Carnegie Mellon University | $49,200



Hey! I work there. :D

[Dave Orban]

I can only imagine how much gassier you've become ....
You mean now that I'm flat(ulant) broke?

[Brewmaster]

I'm sure glad I went to NYU when it was a lot more affordable. (70's)

[MuseCafeChris]

What sorority were you a member of?

I'm pretty sure that losing my virginity in the basement of one of their houses made me an honorary member of Zeta Tau Alpha.

[Kingbeegtrs]

That must be some of that fuzzy Texas thinking.

well, you have Pollack jokes up north and we have Aggie jokes.

[Kingbeegtrs]

I'm pretty sure that losing my virginity in the basement of one of their houses made me an honorary member of Zeta Tau Alpha.

ah the Zetas! good times.:Devil:Devil:Devil

[Jason Calieri]

Four years experience in any field and $200k start-up money would leave most people in better shape than degrees from those schools.

Financially, possibly. That's only one thing to consider, though.

[Dotneck]

I'm going through the college application process with my daughter right now. And four of the colleges to which she's applying are on that list.

And to compound things, I lost my job last week! :jo


I feel your pain...I had two kids in $40K + schools when I lost my job in 2004. Luckily they each got scholarships for 50% ...but its still a lot of money to spend.

My older son got two job solid offers on commencement day....

[gag halfrunt]

Um, not so. Few colleges have the endowments created by very generous alumni that the Ivy League schools have, a huge factor in final tuition cost, which is why they're not near the top of the list. It's reported that Harvard's endowment generated $5.7 billion in investment gains for the period ended June 30. In fact the Ivy League is currently experiencing an application boom and continues to turn away more applicants than any other schools.
Actually, yes, it is so.

And just how does the size of a school's endowment relate to its importance? Harvard is a brand, pure and simple. Some rich alumni have donated lots of money to it. So what? This in no way challenges my statement that the Ivy League has diminished in their relevance to American education.

It's clearly obvious that the Ivy League brand means much less than it used to. It doesn't mean they aren't quality schools - just that there are so many more school choices now in the US, some of which have very good faculty in some departments. And, as was mentioned earlier, anymore your degree has become much more regionally important when looking for that first or second job.

You mentioned the endowment at Harvard, and that is one of the school's great shames. They use a SMALL part of that money to defray tuition costs, and horde the rest of it like a golden egg. They SHOULD be using that money to cover ALL the eductional costs of undergraduates.

Also, you need to check your stats - the Ivy League does not turn away more applicants than "any other school." Certainly, they are selective, but exaggerations like this are what feed the elitism of schools which are becoming less and less relevant.

[Doug's Tubes]

Actually, yes, it is so.

And just how does the size of a school's endowment relate to its importance? Harvard is a brand, pure and simple. Some rich alumni have donated lots of money to it. So what? This in no way challenges my statement that the Ivy League has diminished in their relevance to American education.

It's clearly obvious that the Ivy League brand means much less than it used to. It doesn't mean they aren't quality schools - just that there are so many more school choices now in the US, some of which have very good faculty in some departments. And, as was mentioned earlier, anymore your degree has become much more regionally important when looking for that first or second job.

You mentioned the endowment at Harvard, and that is one of the school's great shames. They use a SMALL part of that money to defray tuition costs, and horde the rest of it like a golden egg. They SHOULD be using that money to cover ALL the eductional costs of undergraduates.

Also, you need to check your stats - the Ivy League does not turn away more applicants than "any other school." Certainly, they are selective, but exaggerations like this are what feed the elitism of schools which are becoming less and less relevant.

You think I'm a rookie?

http://ivysuccess.com/admissions_stats_2008.html

I always check stats before I post. The size of the endowment has nothing to do with its importance, where did you deduce that from? It has everything to do with net tuition cost, the point of this thread. They don't charge less tuition than the top 25 on this list because they are any less relevant now than 100 years ago.

Why should Harvard offer free tuition when they easily fill all the seats every year now and turn away almost 90% of the applicants? They're a brand just like any other household name. Do you understand supply and demand?

[Jason Calieri]

You mentioned the endowment at Harvard, and that is one of the school's great shames. They use a SMALL part of that money to defray tuition costs, and horde the rest of it like a golden egg. They SHOULD be using that money to cover ALL the eductional costs of undergraduates.

Financial aid: Beginning next year, parents in families with incomes of less than $40,000 will no longer be expected to contribute to the cost of attending Harvard for their children. In addition, Harvard will reduce the contributions expected of families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000.

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/0402/28-finaid.html

[Jon Silberman]

GWU, JD '82

Yeah, I know about that one. ;)

[dzo]

HA! Unfortunately we do. And quite a few of my daughters friends' parents are paying for the full ride. There have been lots of discussions on how tuition is going to be paid going forward with so much of college savings going down the tubes due to market conditions.

I may have stretched things a bit but ususally half or a little more get some form of financial aid at colleges like the ones listed.

[Kingbeegtrs]

did bill gates go to college?

[dzo]

funny thing is that where you go to school only matters if you want to work for someone who hires people from there. Prime example: here in Texas you could have a degree from Yale and a guy from Texas A&M would get treated better at an interview. A buddy of mine went to Brown and played football...when he came home he found himself waiting tables at Houston's restaurant - his father's business partner told him that until he moved back east he wasn't going to find anything worthwhile....so he moved to Boston and found a great job within a month. THese over-priced universities don't impress me.

It's the hiring managers that don't impress me in the situation you described assuming that provincial bias was the reason for treating people differently. But that happens everywhere.

[studiodunn]

skull and bones!
skull and bones?

[CharAznable]

What year did you graduate? I graduated in 94.

'02. It was already insanely expensive back then, although I was on an almost free ride scholarship. Paid like 4k per year.

Insanely rich people go there, especially from foreign countries.

[Doug's Tubes]

did bill gates go to college?

The most famous college dropout went to Haavaad.

[Doug's Tubes]

skull and bones!
skull and bones?


shhh!

[Kingbeegtrs]

The most famous college dropout went to Haavaad.

but he didn't fit in...so he dropped out and made more money than their entire alumni put together...

nice!

[mapleneck72]

East Coast companies care where you went to school. West Coast companies don't care except for Google and Facebook. HBS grads care about you knowing that they went to HBS...

[Blue Strat]

She's one of the lucky ones. Fully tenured positions are slowly slipping away as more and more schools rely on adjunct instructors (like individual outside contractors) who get paid a pittance and enjoy few if any benefits.

The year I started grad school, the university I attended just up and eliminated all tenure-track positions in their English department opting for an all-adjunct staff headed by a single full-timer.

Now the real eye-opener comes when you see how much endowment money some of these schools have yet they continue charging these tuitions . . .


Hopefully they haven't gone that way with Economics professors. One of my favorite ironies of life is a tenured Econ prof preaching about free markets. :D

[Kingbeegtrs]

Well, for what it's worth I think that there are some GREAT state schools here in Texas. University of Texas is as good or better than any of the schools on that list and is about half the price. I can see the need to go to these snobitoriums if you plan to hang out at country clubs and eat caviar while talking about your handicap at a golf course that doesn't allow Jews to play on, but most of us here in a place I like to call reality just can't swing those prices...nor feel the need to.

Rolls Royce...check
Khaki pants with sweater-vest tied around waist...check
crappy attitude...check

you know the score.

[mapleneck72]

'02. It was already insanely expensive back then, although I was on an almost free ride scholarship. Paid like 4k per year.

Insanely rich people go there, especially from foreign countries.

It was 20K/yr when I went and I had a bunch of financial aid + student loans to make it work. Most of my friends did not from wealthy families but I agree that there are a lot of rich boarding school kids.

[Kingbeegtrs]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.

[Bryan T]

Well, for what it's worth I think that there are some GREAT state schools here in Texas. University of Texas is as good or better than any of the schools on that list and is about half the price. I can see the need to go to these snobitoriums if you plan to hang out at country clubs and eat caviar while talking about your handicap at a golf course that doesn't allow Jews to play on, but most of us here in a place I like to call reality just can't swing those prices...nor feel the need to.

Rolls Royce...check
Khaki pants with sweater-vest tied around waist...check
crappy attitude...check

you know the score.

Do the art classes at UT let the students paint with narrow brushes or just the broad ones?

[Dave Orban]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.Some guys are just dicks... doesn't matter which school you go to, they ALL have some like that...

[Kingbeegtrs]

Do the art classes at UT let the students paint with narrow brushes or just the broad ones?


really BROAD ones.:crazyguy

I guess you got me on that one.

[Blue Strat]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.

You should have responded with something like "you have a lot of class sir, all low". :D

[Kingbeegtrs]

actually, I ran into him later that evening at a bar. He got scared and started paying for the drinks at a table full of "rough-looking" characters. At the end of the night I explained that I wanted to kick his ass. He looked at the guys that he had bought drinks for all night and they said "you're on your own holmes". He ran.

A month later I spotted him again...he ran.

I'd say that I've seen him over the years a half a dozen times and each time he has run like a yellow coward.

[Kiwi]

What's scary is how college costs have outrun inflation. When I graduated from one of the schools on that list in 1979, the talk was that costs would break the $10,000 barrier.

Now after 30 years of inflation alone, $10,000 in costs would be $26,550, about a 3.31% increase annually. Instead, the college costs are about $49,000 ... about 5.51% increase annually. Funny how that adds up over a generation's worth of time.

=K

[Sandy]

I may have stretched things a bit but ususally half or a little more get some form of financial aid at colleges like the ones listed.

I knew what you meant, dzo, lots of families do get scholarships, unfortunately ours was not one of them. Dickinson is about 48K this year, and that's before books and all the incidentals. Kelly goes to school with a lot of really wealthy kids, and while she is from an upper middle class family, she's got friends with so much money they don't know what to do with it, just like the grad from F&M was talking about. The east coast schools on the list often times provide entree (sp?) into prestigious jobs once graduation. It still is an old boys/girls network in many ways.

[Kingbeegtrs]

the middle class is becomming the lower class...and the upper class has become so confident in their ability to screw us that they are jacking up the price of tuition so that we can't afford to go to school...conspiracy theory or the rants of a drunk in a bar?

[Jerrod]

do the art classes at ut let the students paint with narrow brushes or just the broad ones?

lol

[phoenix 7]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.

That's ridiculous. I think it's more admirable to work your way through college than to have your parents foot the bill.

[Fendegibs]

I work at #18 and I would be remiss to not say that looking at tuition alone is fruitless unless you look at the financial aid that is given out to discount the tuition. Often, not all times, but often the colleges that are the most expensive are able to return the most back to students in financial aid.

For example I went to a private liberal arts college (not on this list) that was able to give enough aid to me that it was cheaper out of pocket to attend that school than it was to attend a state school with in-state tuition.

My takeaway point is that the price of tuition is not the actual cost of attending college.

[Bradd]

These prices are way off the charts and a quality education can be found for under 12,500k/year IMO, less if you look harder and are willing to settle\not living on campus, ect.

Not to mention BUY USED BOOKS.

[KissTone]

Khaki pants with sweater-vest tied around waist...check

Um, I'm not quite certain how one ties a sweater vest anywhere sans sleeves . . . so maybe that's just one more way the haves keep us have-knots (pun intended) down. :crazyguy

[Wizard of Ozz]

As a Hopkins alumni... the current price of tution is OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Definitely a good school, with some good teachers, and a good LaCrosse team... but $50,000/year... c'mon! I have to think the name especially with the weight it carries in medical and medical research fields has directly caused this increase. Tuition was about half that about 10 years ago. It's also not in the best part of the city.

[Bassomatic]

Well, for what it's worth I think that there are some GREAT state schools here in Texas. University of Texas is as good or better than any of the schools on that list and is about half the price. I can see the need to go to these snobitoriums if you plan to hang out at country clubs and eat caviar while talking about your handicap at a golf course that doesn't allow Jews to play on, but most of us here in a place I like to call reality just can't swing those prices...nor feel the need to.

Rolls Royce...check
Khaki pants with sweater-vest tied around waist...check
crappy attitude...check

you know the score.

With all due respect, I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.

[Jerrod]

With all due respect, I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.

Exactly. How the heck does one tie a sweater vest around one's waist?

Seriously, as a state land grant university grad, I'm a firm believer in "education is what you make of it," and I wouldn't change a step in my degrees (except maybe to take some more classes :)). However, I've always thought that having the opportunity to attend some of those schools would have been great, and I've never found the need to criticize the schools or their grads. What's up with that?

[mojocaster.com]

I come from a system where education is free - or more to the point, paid by taxes. it's a darn good thing, too, because I didn't have the 1st cent to pay for college.

I graduated at 23 w/ two master's degrees - and didn't have to pay for either one of them.

I then came here back in 1994 to teach at Bowdoin College. Two years later, I accepted a position teaching at MIT in Cambridge, MA. At Bowdoin, I was told about how cool the computer lab was. So I went to look at it, and I didn't get it. It was the same size as the one back in my home university.

The difference? At home, our university is 6000+ students. At Bowdoin, they had roughly 1000 students.

I decided to stop teaching at College after MIT because I didn't like the fact that it was so expensive to attend College here. I became a professor to sort of say thank you for the opportunity with which I was presented as as student. So charging $40K at the time seemed outrageous.

Later on in my professional life, I obtained two jobs because I had Bowdoin College on my resume. I also obtained another two because I had MIT on my resume. To this day, MIT and Bowdoin continue to open doors with new clients all the time. I can say that the local state university would never have opened the doors that these two institutions have.

Now this is no knock against the local state U - it's just the way the system works, and that is part of what you acquire when you attend that sort of institution.

Now, human nature being what it is, some people will attend State U and automatically hate or resent those who attended a $40K+ college, while some people who attended the latter will look down on those who didn't. Note that I used the word "some" in both cases.

I personally believe that a good student is a good student anywhere. I also believe that the caliber of instructors available at a place like Colby or Bates - both of which appear in the list posted by the OP - is higher on average than those who teach at the local State U. It's simple economics. Those colleges pay a ton better and attract top talent, at least that top talent that is motivated by money. It is not to say that all State U professor are inferior to Small College Profs. But the argument cannot be disregarded either.

The other thing to consider is the overall experience. At Bowdoin College, for example, there is a superb museum *on campus* to open the minds of the students who attend. That museum is expensive to maintain and make available for free.

As a favor to a friend, I taught a course at the local State U... the room stank, it was equipped with an actual blackboard and chalk - chalk! :) - and the AV system didn't work. There was no support staff to assist with any of the requirements of the course. Oh yeah, and the room was not heated properly, either. It was wicked cold in that building.

There are excellent instructors at your local State U, and excellent students as well. Hey, that's basically what I attended :)

But overall, it's fair to say that the education delivered at a small college like Colby or Bates is certainly of a higher class. Now, whether or not that should come with a $50K price tag attached is another story all together.

[nitehawk55]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.

No....mommy and daddy were paying for his ride . I see this a lot of this at the University I work at and if some of those students were mine they would have a boot firmly planted up their ass !!
Before you send your kids to college/university , make sure they go out and earn some of the cost of their tuition , they will appreciate the the cost of their education and work at it harder .

[Kingbeegtrs]

No....mommy and daddy were paying for his ride . I see this a lot of this at the University I work at and if some of those students were mine they would have a boot firmly planted up their ass !!
Before you send your kids to college/university , make sure they go out and earn some of the cost of their tuition , they will appreciate the the cost of their education and work at it harder .

amen. I firmly believe that you should pay at least 25% of your expenses in college. My brother-in-law worked 2 jobs and graduated with a 3.5 GPA in less than four years...now he's a Lt. Col. in the Army...I'd say he's successful - and he did it all on his own. Really proud of that guy.


just read about "Guitars for Vets"....awesome idea!

[Luke]

amen. I firmly believe that you should pay at least 25% of your expenses in college. My brother-in-law worked 2 jobs and graduated with a 3.5 GPA in less than four years...now he's a Lt. Col. in the Army...I'd say he's successful - and he did it all on his own. Really proud of that guy.

None of my friends, nor I, paid a dime towards our educations, our parents paid full freight PLUS gave us spending money. One dropped out and later went to school on his own, the rest graduated on time and have gone on to good careers. I intend on offering my son the same opportunity. My father let it be known that if I did poorly, dropped out or got arrested for anything, I was homeless and he was done paying.

[Kingbeegtrs]

None of my friends, nor I, paid a dime towards our educations, our parents paid full freight PLUS gave us spending money. One dropped out and later went to school on his own, the rest graduated on time and have gone on to good careers. I intend on offering my son the same opportunity. My father let it be known that if I did poorly, dropped out or got arrested for anything, I was homeless and he was done paying.

[round of applause]

[PinoyBoy]

None of my friends, nor I, paid a dime towards our educations, our parents paid full freight PLUS gave us spending money.

Same here, and I plan to do the same for my kids. I will however encourage them to try to shoot for scholarships as well. I think that helps instill some sense of responsibility and accomplishment. If they get it then great, if not then that's what parents are for.

[PinoyBoy]

I firmly believe that you should pay at least 25% of your expenses in college.

Why? And how'd you come up with that number?

[Kingbeegtrs]

Why? And how'd you come up with that number?

out of thin air...

I wouldn't expect a kid to pay for the whole thing. (although I believe it would be to his benefit) I guess 25% seems like a reasonable amount for him to come up with.

Now, If the kid were really involved in extras like sports, music, or something along those lines (not frats) I would probably consider paying the full 100%. But as far as just sending a kid to go and drink beer and nail drunk sorority chicks...I don't think so.

Case by case basis.

[PinoyBoy]

out of thin air...

I wouldn't expect a kid to pay for the whole thing. (although I believe it would be to his benefit) I guess 25% seems like a reasonable amount for him to come up with.

Now, If the kid were really involved in extras like sports, music, or something along those lines (not frats) I would probably consider paying the full 100%. But as far as just sending a kid to go and drink beer and nail drunk sorority chicks...I don't think so.

Case by case basis.

You didn't answer the main question. Why should kids even pay part of their tuition if it can be covered by the parents?

[Dave Orban]

I paid for all of my undergrad and grad school. A combination of loans, part-time work, full-time work with part-time school, etc. Took me 9 years from start to finish.

I'm planning on paying for all of my daughter's undergraduate degree. After that, it will depend on how she's handled herself in her first 4 years...

[Bassomatic]

I'm planning on paying for all of my daughter's undergraduate degree. After that, it will depend on how she's handled herself in her first 4 years...

A generous and prudent plan, imo.

[Dave Orban]

The government pays for your school fees here, but when you begin to make over $X per year (I think $30,000) you start paying it back in payments which are proportunate to your income.

Cool if you ask me. Do you guys have that in the states?No, but I could see it happening.

[jefesq]

I'm going through the college application process with my daughter right now. And four of the colleges to which she's applying are on that list.

And to compound things, I lost my job last week! :jo

Lost job, the January before my daughter was to go to college. EXACTLY the right time. I appealed my FARFSA numbers to the schools and wound up with grants and the like to the tune of half of what the cost was. Of course when I did get a job, took a 40K hit and it took six or seven years to get back where I was financially. The numbers never went up nothwithstanding the change in income.

She's getting her masters in December.

My alma mater BTW is in the high 47s now, was about 4K way back then.

[nitehawk55]

It's a noble thing to want to pay for all you child's expenses but you are missing a chance to teach them an important lifes lesson in that everything in life won't get handed to you . Show them they have to work for things they want and a lot of things don't come easy or without some personal sacrifice. I see too many kids that do not have any life job skills nor do they know how to be responcability with money/finances or appreciate anything they do get .

Do you kids a favour and get them out in the real world ASAP so they learn that mom and dad won't be their personal ATM machine/bank with endless amounts of money for them for whatever they want . Even if they work for a portion of an education , car , clothes or anything else they want believe me they will be better for it by learning to appreciate things , how to handle money , become self motivated and build character . Parents don't seem to realise that teaching them this will make them much better in how the are responcable and well prepaired to handle life when they do finally get out on their own , they won't hate you for teaching them that , in fact they will respect you and others more . I do not understand the mindset of parents who feel they must provide everything for their kids , you are not doing them a favour .

[HeeHaw]

When the new president is elected my children will go to school for free.

[nsureit]

I went to a party with a guy who went to SMU (overly priced private school near Dallas) who actually mocked me because I admitted that I "had a job to put myself through college". Out of respect for the girl hosting the party I left. They must have failed to teach respect and manners at SMU...or else he skipped that day.

S M U...Simple Minded Underachievers. I was offered a scholarship to SMU back in the earky 70s. Turned it down for the very reason you just described. Went to a nice college a few miles up I-35 - North Texas State University. Tuition for 18 hours was $250! I did just fine later in life, as I lived and learned among the riff-raff of humanity at a "state" school where the average Sally and Joe were happy to get a no frills, yet excellent education.

BTW, I'm paying $75K per year for one daughter to attend law school in New York, and the other to attend grad school at the University of Texas (forensic biochemistry). It would be difficult for them to work and complete such an onerous curriculum at the same time. They will pay me back someday (in kind) if they can. My wife and I have discovered that if you add hot water to dry Alpo, it makes a nice gravy.:drool

[caelum7]

i know that working your way through an education is character-building and keeps you from taking it for granted... but sometimes having your parents' help means achieving things you couldn't otherwise. i turned down a free ride at the #18 school at the urging of my parents, who footed the full bill for a #1 school. i don't think they regretted it at all- they worked their tails off to pay for it, i worked my tail off for good grades and now i'm in med school. it's doubtful i could have gotten here while moonlighting. and i fully intend to take care of my parents into their old age. if my kids are hardworking then i would have no problem paying for a good college, and i encourage that for others too!

p.s. yes going to an ivy league is worth it... in the academic/medical world it's all about who you know, not what you know.

[hollowbody]

I was a tenured professor in this year's #2 Ivy League School for a decade.
It may be "worth it" but not for the education you get.
I'm pleased my own kids made different choices because for me the quality of the education comes first.
YMMV

[wstsidela]

Scripps and Claremont McKenna are both part of the Claremont Colleges (plus Harvey Mudd, Pomona, and Pitzer). Great schools, though apparently expensive!

Bryan

Verrrrry expensive and verrrrrry good. David Foster Wallace was teaching at Pomona when he committed suicide.

[joseph]

BTW, I'm paying $75K per year for one daughter to attend law school in New York, and the other to attend grad school at the University of Texas (forensic biochemistry). It would be difficult for them to work and complete such an onerous curriculum at the same time...


I understand the law school tuition, but I thought that Grad school, especially at a big'un like UT, would come with some teaching responsibilities and therefore a stipend/reduced or no tuition...?

[TD_Madden]

S M U...Simple Minded Underachievers. I was offered a scholarship to SMU back in the earky 70s. Turned it down for the very reason you just described. Went to a nice college a few miles up I-35 - North Texas State University. Tuition for 18 hours was $250! I did just fine later in life, as I lived and learned among the riff-raff of humanity at a "state" school where the average Sally and Joe were happy to get a no frills, yet excellent education.

BTW, I'm paying $75K per year for one daughter to attend law school in New York, and the other to attend grad school at the University of Texas (forensic biochemistry). It would be difficult for them to work and complete such an onerous curriculum at the same time. They will pay me back someday (in kind) if they can. My wife and I have discovered that if you add hot water to dry Alpo, it makes a nice gravy.:drool

Yeah, my first semester at Southwest Texas State cost me $125 for 18 hours, plus another $300 for room/board....books extra of course. That was in 1972.