Public Vs. Private

phishfan0969 · 08-17-2008, 11:27 PM

Can someone please explain to me the allure of a private school. With the exception of ivies, the only big advantages of most private school are aesthetic, and the well known, fancy name associated with it.

Also, I was talking to a girl who was deciding between Rutgers and Princeton. She had spoken with a Professor at Princeton who advised her to go to Rutgers because guess what...he teaches there too. As do many of his collegue.

I guess to me the difference between most privates and publics are the price tag. If you want to go into debt until your 30s, then that's cool. I guess a private school's for you.

I don't mean to be bashing anyone's desicions, but does anyone else have any insight as to why, other than scholarships or financial aid, someone would go to a non-ivy private school? I'm boggled.

xenonator · 08-17-2008, 11:28 PM

Any sane person would pick Princeton over Rutgers. public schools generally have weaker students and rutgers particularly is a pretty bad school, while Princeton is basically #1.

Private colleges usually have better classes and better research opportunities, interships, etc and are just overall better.

phishfan0969 · 08-17-2008, 11:33 PM

This girl got offered a full ride at Rutgers and nothing at Princeton. She couldn't apply for FA and didn't want to be in debt forever...

I guess if you call insane thinking about your financial situation in the future, then you can call her crazy.

phishfan0969 · 08-17-2008, 11:34 PM

...also rutgers is quite far from a weak school

xenonator · 08-17-2008, 11:36 PM

This is Princeton we are talking about! It's the best school in the world, so a full-ride to rutgers or whatever should never override it.

phishfan0969 · 08-17-2008, 11:38 PM

It's also over $40,000 a year we're talking about vs. close to nothing. She'll be so happy down the road...especially the way the economy's going

highopes · 08-17-2008, 11:55 PM

"I guess if you call insane thinking about your financial situation in the future, then you can call her crazy."

I think most people would choose Princeton over Rutgers BECAUSE they're thinking about their situation in the future. College is an investment into the rest of your life. Most top privates also have larger endowments and thus can offer generous need-based aid packages to prospective students. Really, it's a personal decision (my main point) - no one's going to force you to go to a private school, right?

EDIT: Just as an example, look at these statistics. There's no huge debt incurred just from going to a private school - in fact, the publics seem to have more debt upon graduation. I'm sure a study could also find that grads of top prviates make more money over time, too, in general. If you're set on a public, then that's good for you, but someone who chooses a private isn't make a stupid financial decision at all.

Average indebtedness at graduation: (numbers from CollegeBoard's site)
School (Type) - Amount
Ohio State University (Public) - $19,975
University of Virginia (Public) - $16,847
Harvard College (Private) - $9,290
Princeton University (Private) - $5,592

Alexandre · 08-17-2008, 11:59 PM

xenonator, Princeton is indeed awesome, but it is $200,000 better than any university, let alone Rutgers, one of the top 100 universities in the US. Of course, if one comes from a wealthy family, financial consideration would not be a factor. But to most people, $200,000 is hard to overlook.

nd09 · 08-17-2008, 11:59 PM

I don't think her decision was a bad one, in fact it was probably a very smart decision. If she was pre-med for example, an extra 160 would be HUGE for med-school. A talented/driven student (which she most likely is if she got into Princeton) will have very good prospects coming out of a school like Rutgers with top grades and many graduate school opportunities.

Pizzagirl · 08-18-2008, 12:04 AM

"Can someone please explain to me the allure of a private school. With the exception of ivies, the only big advantages of most private school are aesthetic, and the well known, fancy name associated with it."

Why are you singling out Ivies? If you're going to go with a discussion of elite privates vs publics, the Ivies are just 8 of the top elite privates.

madeforthestage · 08-18-2008, 12:25 AM

Well private schools have many advantages. They usually have a smaller student to teacher ratio, so more specified help with professors. Also, a lot of the time there is guaranteed jobs afterwards. better education usually.

geranium · 08-18-2008, 12:34 AM

Just to let you know, private schools may be more expensive but they offer more financial aid than large public schools. Also, you have an advantage to be recognized by professors for your work due to low class sizes and more elite opportunities. You are paying for those opportunities that will put you into a more competitive place for jobs, grad school, or whatever else.

phishfan0969 · 08-18-2008, 10:07 AM

"I'm sure a study could also find that grads of top prviates make more money over time, too, in general."

Actually, I read a study a while ago that said the majority CEOs do not come from ivies or even the very top schools. This is probobly because to become a CEO, you need social skills which are generally what some students in top schools lack.

Also, geranium, if you read my first post, i know that. However, many people can't recieve FA and loans are there only option.

Pizzagirl, i'm singling out the ivies because it is understandable that someone would choose to go to an ivy over a top public school because of the sole fact that it is an ivy.

tenisghs · 08-18-2008, 10:22 AM

@ phishfan0969

I would only recommend a private university for undergraduate education if it offers a top-notch education and is considered prestigious/well-known. There are some public universities that offer a superior education than a private school, such as Michigan and UCLA. If the private school doesn't offer you financial aid, I would default to the public school.

ferryboat10 · 08-18-2008, 10:24 AM

Selectivity.

And not just for prestige. Many applicants don't want join the rest of their class at the flagship. Many applicants want a unique experience - LAC, religious, rural/city, academic, social, whatever that only a private can offer. The high cost of privates make them self-selective in some ways and merit (academic/EC) scholarships will only further sift out the applicants for ones that fit the private college's profile/reputation/stigma.