What matters most, cost or recognition? ?

Question

I had a lot of college ideas in mind and I'm wondering what do you think matters more, the overall cost of the college or the recognition. Because some schools with high recognition and GPA's are 40 grand + while theres the cheap school with less recognition.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Dude this is your future! Who cares about cost?? as long as you graduate from a well recognized school, employers will find you!!

Saving $20,000 is not worth the potential money you'll make later on in life graduating from a famous college.

Answer 2

Why not do both? Berkeley is highly recognized, but it only costs about 9k for a year. I am sure there are plenty of public schools that are similar in cost. Of course, if you are thinking of private schools that are at the same level as some of the ivy league schools then cost will be about the same across the board. Try to get a good mix of both if you are not fortunate enough to be able to afford the expensive schools.

A.B.- I know it's 14k a semester for out-of-state students, but I am a resident of California, so it is only about 9k a year just like your website said. I realize that this guy is probably not a resident of California, and that is why in the next sentence I said, "I am sure there are plenty of public schools that are similar in cost.". I am sure there are highly recognized schools in his state.

Answer 3

It depends on the recognition to me. The college I go to is well known in my state, it doesn't have the recognition of NYU but I can certainly get jobs with it, people what be saying "Where?" and my school which is expensive, is still cheaper than others with better reps.

Sure you can say take the rep and worry about the money later but if you're going into a field where there is no money to be made to pay back those loans you carelessly took out (say social work or teaching) then you may have gone to one of the best schools but you'll be in debt to it for the rest of your life.

Answer 4

To Simon :

Hunh ...Berkeley is 14,769 per semester for nonresidents of California.

Roughly 30k per year.  And this does not include books or dorms.

But...it is a proven fact that those that graduate from Ivy league schools make more money and have higher starting salaries than those that graduate from lesser schools. You will also find that some companies recruit from those schools and will not be present at other schools.  It also helps when or if you apply to grad school.

Graduating from an Ivy league school does not guarantee   success but it certainly gives you a head start on it.

Go to the best school you can get into for the major you think you might want to pursue. ....Business, medicine, IT etc...no school in number one in all areas.  Most have 1 or 2 niches that they do well. After you get into the best school you can, then figure out how you are going to pay for it with scholarships and loans.   And do not be intimidated by the cost of private schools.  I recently read that  very few people ever pay full price for tuition at the Ivy leagues.  They said like 80 percent got some kind of scholarship and they even said that tuition can even be negotiated down.

Answer 5

While it is a proven fact that graduates from prestigious highly recognized schools INITIALLY earn more, it is a proven fact in the long run it makes zero difference - your motivation is what counts.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/educat...

Even the notion that a prestige degree unlocks doors and leads to higher earnings has been challenged. A 1999 study by Alan B. Krueger of Princeton and Stacy Dale of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation found that students who were admitted to both selective and moderately selective colleges earned the same no matter which they attended. The study suggested that the motivation and drive of the student mattered more than the college.

Go to a school that offers value for your undergrad - not prestige.  The money saved can be put towards doing a Masters, which long term will definitely get you more money.

Thanks

Bill