I was reading a thread over in FS/FT where this guy was selling his computer due to 'financial trouble' because his tutition costs $26K. I fail to understand why someone would pay 2-3x as much to go to a private school which they can hardly afford and gives an education on-par (or worse) than a state school. Now, there are a few special cases in which I would understand going to a private school. One is that if you are going to a super-tier school, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, and some of the better ivy league schools, in which your alma mater would bring you great rewards when applying to graduate and postgrad. Or maybe you got a scholarship and your tuition is heavily discounted, 85-90%. Or if your family is rich and $100K really isn't all that much money, certainly not enough to put you into debt.
But the vast majority of people attending private schools do not attend due to the reasons above. People are paying $30K a year to go to small liberal arts and otherwise completely mediocre schools. Why do they do this when they are having to take in $100K in student loans? A school like Baylor, for example, doesn't even rank in any category, yet people pay $25K a year to live in a sh!thole town.
I mean, there are obvious reasons why smaller schools are better. And I know that I'm going to hear the same few, recycled reasons why a small or medium private school is better than a larger public school. Namely -
"I don't want to just be a number." This here is the biggest POS reason I've ever heard. First of all, only a select few of the freshman classes are held in auditorium-like classrooms. Basic English classes, general chemistry and programming, and histories, for example. 85% of the classes you will take over four years will be held in small classrooms where the professor will learn your name even if you don't go to office hours. And even in those bigger classes, you will only be a number if you choose to. All professors have office hours and most of the time they are idle or at the very least, not overly busy. You have to make a bit more of an effort in those classes if y ou want to be on a first-name basis with the professor, but it isn't all that difficult.
"People aren't as outgoing at large schools." This here is another unfounded rumor that small-town advoates like to make. Yea, it is true that if you are sitting on a shuttle bus, people won't actively start talking to you. Of course, the alternative is to be forced to socialize with people you really aren't all that interested in. You just need to seek out small campus organizations if you want to meet like-minded people.
Prestigious state universities and top-tier private schools have more research and more funding. 85% of all private schools have minimal research and professors that are completely average. Because of these two reasons, the TAs that will be working with you in recitiation and labs are barely average, as well. People go to school for four years and come out with a sub-par education with fewer social skills and $100K in debt. A family that makes $115K a year is expected to contribute $33K a year in college edudation - a sheerly ludicious amount.
Why?
EDIT: Typos
But the vast majority of people attending private schools do not attend due to the reasons above. People are paying $30K a year to go to small liberal arts and otherwise completely mediocre schools. Why do they do this when they are having to take in $100K in student loans? A school like Baylor, for example, doesn't even rank in any category, yet people pay $25K a year to live in a sh!thole town.
I mean, there are obvious reasons why smaller schools are better. And I know that I'm going to hear the same few, recycled reasons why a small or medium private school is better than a larger public school. Namely -
"I don't want to just be a number." This here is the biggest POS reason I've ever heard. First of all, only a select few of the freshman classes are held in auditorium-like classrooms. Basic English classes, general chemistry and programming, and histories, for example. 85% of the classes you will take over four years will be held in small classrooms where the professor will learn your name even if you don't go to office hours. And even in those bigger classes, you will only be a number if you choose to. All professors have office hours and most of the time they are idle or at the very least, not overly busy. You have to make a bit more of an effort in those classes if y ou want to be on a first-name basis with the professor, but it isn't all that difficult.
"People aren't as outgoing at large schools." This here is another unfounded rumor that small-town advoates like to make. Yea, it is true that if you are sitting on a shuttle bus, people won't actively start talking to you. Of course, the alternative is to be forced to socialize with people you really aren't all that interested in. You just need to seek out small campus organizations if you want to meet like-minded people.
Prestigious state universities and top-tier private schools have more research and more funding. 85% of all private schools have minimal research and professors that are completely average. Because of these two reasons, the TAs that will be working with you in recitiation and labs are barely average, as well. People go to school for four years and come out with a sub-par education with fewer social skills and $100K in debt. A family that makes $115K a year is expected to contribute $33K a year in college edudation - a sheerly ludicious amount.
Why?
EDIT: Typos
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