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If you take away the cost of college, would it ever be a bad idea to go? It is only 4 years (3.5 if you are ambition, but again, ignoring the cost I'd do it in
by krschultz 16y ago
If you take away the cost of college, would it ever be a bad idea to go? It is only 4 years (3.5 if you are ambition, but again, ignoring the cost I'd do it in 4 to gain breadth).
Not only was it a really good learning experience, but it was a hell of a lot of fun and I made a lot of life long friends. 4 years seems like a long time to 18 year olds, but it is a very short time looking at it from the perspective of someone who has graduated and is working.
So the issue is cost. I absolutely 100% agree that running up $100k+ of debt on an undergrade degree is insane. The difference in value of the degree is so much less than the difference in cost, you have to go to the cheapest place you can get a quality education. You can do the entire thing for very little money if you work your butt off in high school and pick a school you can get a scholarship to. Or just go in state.
- enjo 16y agoJust to elaborate: Almost every single state has at least one reputable state school were things are absolutely affordable. In Colorado (where I live) you can attend Metropolitan State for something like $15,000 for four years of school. That's a car payment. University of Colorado Denver is something like $20,000 for the same degree. The flagship school is closer to $40,000 for the same degree. The Colorado School of Mines (an outstanding engineering school) is in the same range. That's not a huge amount of money either. Just a nicer car payment. note: Those figures include books, but not room and board. I went to college in Arkansas for a lot less than that (they hand out scholarships like candy). College costs have gotten out of control on the high end. You don't have to go to MIT, Harvard, or NYU. In state tuition is still really affordable for what you get out of it.