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I grew up relatively poor but was encouraged by my high school teachers to attend a nearby private undergraduate university, which at the time (2005) was $40k/y

I grew up relatively poor but was encouraged by my high school teachers to attend a nearby private undergraduate university, which at the time (2005) was $40k/year. Even as a 17-year-old I was worried about carrying a lifetime of debt. My parents weren't involved at all in the situation (neither having gone to college and not particularly concerned with my choices -- long story), so these teachers were the trusted adults I turned to for advice. They universally said, "the degree will pay for itself! Don't worry about the debt!" I did get some financial aid and scholarships, but now 7 years post graduation my total debt is still around $50k, with about $44k of that being federal loans. Just an anecdote of someone who not only wasn't educated about the options, but actively encouraged to ignore them.

hash-set 10y ago
You were supposed to meet a rich girl/guy at that college and be set for life. That you didn't understand the real game is whose fault?
- iamatworknow 10y ago
  I'll keep that in mind for my next reunion.
mholmes680 10y ago
I was in a similar boat, but picked the cheaper state school (which now, btw, is not cheap 15 years later). I think, realistically, the only benefit I maybe missed out on at a more expensive school is that I could have (completely anecdotally) met a larger, richer network. And now, I would be using said contacts in that network to get me better job(s). For example, I've seen perfectly regular people come out of Cornell and they just mint money. On the other hand, investing in a network doesn't stop at college, so it can be overcome in various ways.
- iamatworknow 10y ago
  Perhaps unsurprisingly I got my current job because the owner of the company is the brother of one of my professors. I guess what I find most disappointing in retrospect was that I wasn't encouraged to research further out from the local area. My original comment may have been a bit hyperbolized in that clearly I knew about state schools, but my idea of what constituted a "state college" was influenced by the three within an hour drive of where I grew up. In my state's college system these three also happen to rank toward the bottom of most lists in terms of job placement and campus quality of life. I toured two of them and wasn't exactly impressed. So belief became that "state college" meant "cheap college", as in the degree would be worthless. Again, this is the naivete of a rural-raised 17 year old. In the summer before my final year at my expensive university, I did a "Research Experience for Undergraduates" internship thing at one of my state's larger research universities and was blown away by how different (and better) it was compared to the state schools I was familiar with. I was 21 at this point and had a better understanding that even though it was about a 7 hour drive from home, it really wasn't that far away, and if I had known about it when I was graduating high school it would've been doable. For curiosity's sake, I just looked up what the tuition plus room and board for this state school, and in 2016 it's still less than half of what I paid for my school in 2005. But that's all in the past. I think I got a decent, though not stellar, education from professors who genuinely seem to care (even now, as I stay in contact with a few), in addition to the networking opportunities. In the end I don't regret it, but I do try to advocate to my younger relatives that they should shop around and take the decision seriously, and of course ask me for guidance should they need it.
r_smart 10y ago
Fellow poor student checking in. My experience was roughly similar but I also didn't get any real advice from my high school. Basically left to work much of it out on my own.

hash-set 10y ago

You were supposed to meet a rich girl/guy at that college and be set for life. That you didn't understand the real game is whose fault?

iamatworknow 10y ago
I'll keep that in mind for my next reunion.

mholmes680 10y ago

I was in a similar boat, but picked the cheaper state school (which now, btw, is not cheap 15 years later). I think, realistically, the only benefit I maybe missed out on at a more expensive school is that I could have (completely anecdotally) met a larger, richer network. And now, I would be using said contacts in that network to get me better job(s). For example, I've seen perfectly regular people come out of Cornell and they just mint money. On the other hand, investing in a network doesn't stop at college, so it can be overcome in various ways.

iamatworknow 10y ago
Perhaps unsurprisingly I got my current job because the owner of the company is the brother of one of my professors. I guess what I find most disappointing in retrospect was that I wasn't encouraged to research further out from the local area. My original comment may have been a bit hyperbolized in that clearly I knew about state schools, but my idea of what constituted a "state college" was influenced by the three within an hour drive of where I grew up. In my state's college system these three also happen to rank toward the bottom of most lists in terms of job placement and campus quality of life. I toured two of them and wasn't exactly impressed. So belief became that "state college" meant "cheap college", as in the degree would be worthless. Again, this is the naivete of a rural-raised 17 year old. In the summer before my final year at my expensive university, I did a "Research Experience for Undergraduates" internship thing at one of my state's larger research universities and was blown away by how different (and better) it was compared to the state schools I was familiar with. I was 21 at this point and had a better understanding that even though it was about a 7 hour drive from home, it really wasn't that far away, and if I had known about it when I was graduating high school it would've been doable. For curiosity's sake, I just looked up what the tuition plus room and board for this state school, and in 2016 it's still less than half of what I paid for my school in 2005. But that's all in the past. I think I got a decent, though not stellar, education from professors who genuinely seem to care (even now, as I stay in contact with a few), in addition to the networking opportunities. In the end I don't regret it, but I do try to advocate to my younger relatives that they should shop around and take the decision seriously, and of course ask me for guidance should they need it.

r_smart 10y ago

Fellow poor student checking in. My experience was roughly similar but I also didn't get any real advice from my high school. Basically left to work much of it out on my own.