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<p>Because they have the money and they choose to spend their money that way for a child they love and who they have hopes and dreams for. You know, just like the rest of us. Really, you’re as elitist-snob as some of the people you decry - what, people don’t become worthy of nice things unless they hit certain ACT scores?</p>
<p>I mentioned this back in post # 32: </p>
<p>I believe that more faculty at 4 year institutions are fulltime faculty, with Ph.Ds moreso than masters degrees and generally more available to the students than at the typical community college.</p>
<p>That is IMO a prefectly reasonable reason to go to a 4 year school</p>
<p>Some shop at Nordstroms because they think they get better quality and better service. And some shop at that big box Wal Mart that just invaded your area. Neither is right or wrong. It is a matter of choice or opportunity or both. You are entitled to believe that Wal Mart is as good or better than Nordstrom’s. Just don’t be surprised or get all huffy when others disagree.</p>
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That would be 27.</p>
<p>So the “reason” for spending money on sending a low achieving kid to an expensive school, where they will get no better education than at a cheap CC, is because we want to? </p>
<p>As I said - if you got it, flaunt it.</p>
<p>This is off topic, but I am watching the news about LI test cheating scandal. They paid up to 3300 for someone to take the test. Scores those test takers got were 29 ACt and 1930 SAT. I was on the floor. I would have been so mad at my kid. If she were to pay so much money to someone to take test for her, I would hope it would be at least 2200+ or 34 to get her money worth.</p>
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<p>Yep, 27 is the magic number. ;)</p>
<p>Annasdad- why do you think people are flaunting it. Could they be doing it for their own enjoyment? Whether its a private school, nice clothing, or car.</p>
<p>My God, pizzagirl, you sound like a conservative. Has someone hijacked your cc account?</p>
<p>Now I also don’t attribute any sort of morality attached to what a person purchases or how they use their money. There is nothing intrinsically good nor bad about being rich or poor. There is also no special morality that is endowed when one’s child has a high GPA either.</p>
<p>I have a nephew that only got a 20 on the ACT, yet did extremely well in college and is very high achieving in his career. Another one who had a high GPA, got into a great school and promptly flunked out, a couple of years in a row due to too much partying. I have a son who had a very mediocre GPA, yet managed to get into a phenomenal college. He somewhat blew off high school, determined that he wanted to enjoy his activities and his time off while his cohorts were staying up till 1:00am every night studying. And now he is kicking butt in college due to his own motivation. Glad we didn’t decide he wasn’t worth the money and the effort, and just send him to a community college.</p>
<p>People can spend their money how they want. Most people know their kids.Just because the student has other priorities in high school, doesn’t mean they’re a loser and not worth it. Just because they are competitive and driven to always do what it takes to get that A doesn’t mean they are morally exceptional and the family must go into poverty to give them everything they want. Every family has a different situation, and people have the choice to spend their money how they think is best. I have always told my kids, nobody knows what is inside of you. Your future is your choice, in your hands. Don’t let any person’s generalized opinion of you shape the future you make for yourself.</p>
<p>Freedom. Ain’t it great?</p>
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<p>More to the point, buying / owning / doing something that costs money isn’t “flaunting” it. This reminds me of the stereotypical catty suburban woman who decrees that her neighbor is “flaunting” a big diamond ring, designer handbag, or fancy car. Uh, no, her neighbor is simply going about her life and happens to be wearing a big diamond ring, carrying a designer handbag, and driving the fancy car. “Flaunting” is rubbing something in someone’s face, or making a big production about the fact that one has X. Simply buying / using things as intended is not flaunting. When I was younger and more insecure I used to think people who had nicer X’s that I did were flaunting it. Then I grew up and realized that was my problem, not theirs.</p>
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<p>By virtue of where they are going to school, my kids will undoubtedly be exposed to other students who have more money than God, and lifestyles to match. (And students on the opposite end of the spectrum, too.) This attitude – of resentment of others’ good fortune, of scrutinizing other people’s expenses, of thinking that people need to justify their purchases or lifestyle, and that anything more than what we have / what we live is “excessive” and needs to be viewed scornfully – is precisely NOT the attitude that I ever want them to have around wealthier people. Why would I want them to be intimidated the way you seem to be?</p>
<p>Here’s a healthy attitude towards how people spend their hard-earned money. “Good for you! Enjoy it in the best of health!” Whether that’s Harvard for the smart kid, Whatever U for the not-so-smart kid, a trip to Neiman-Marcus or a trip to Walmart.</p>
<p>For the third time, annasdad- do you think that the faculty at cc’s (usually part time or masters level) are as good as the faculty (usually fulltime, doctorate level)?</p>
<p>I actually think you can get an excellent education at a community college. But, why does every thread with Anna’s Dad on it turn into some whine about how other people want to spend their money? Honesly, AD, you ought to go out and get a better job, at this point, because your obsession is ruining threads.</p>
<p>As to the OP, it is interesting to see colleges such as Sewanee lowering their cost. I wonder if this is the tipping point for college pricing? </p>
<p>Could be.</p>
<p>“As to the OP, it is interesting to see colleges such as Sewanee lowering their cost. I wonder if this is the tipping point for college pricing?”</p>
<p>We can only hope this is the start of a country wide trend. The prices at many public and private schools are just way too high. It seems they can’t keep going up forever.</p>
<p>My guess and bet is the secondary and tertiary schools need to reduce costs to attract students…the so -called top 100 schools can raise their tuition and people would line up to get accepted regardless</p>
<p>When you consider that college loan debt now tops credit card debt, yeah, you’d think it would be the start of responsible pricing. I’m stunned by how much the market has been able to bear, myself, even as a full pay.</p>
<p>"I wonder if this is the tipping point for college pricing? "
Hey! that’s my line!-[ see post #12] </p>
<p>“Honesly, AD, you ought to go out and get a better job, at this point, because your obsession is ruining threads.”</p>
<p>or perhaps I should say instead -" great minds think alike!"</p>
<p>see, I must have accidentally plagerized you. ;)</p>
<p>^^ you’re forgiven![ especially as I dont have a TM on that remark!]</p>
<p>personally I think we should all plagirize this line of poetgrl’s:
Well said.</p>
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<p>That depends on the individual professors each individual institution happens to employ…cc or 4-year university. Having a PhD can add cachet, but does not necessarily indicate its holder is better than a Masters or <em>shudders</em> even a “mere” bachelors holder at being an excellent…or even a passable teacher. </p>
<p>Some cc’s may actually have better faculty than your lower-tiered 4-years depending on each institution’s ability to attract faculty to teach there. </p>
<p>More importantly, teaching is only part of the equation here. Something also needs to be said for the quality of one’s peers not only in terms of scores/GPAs, but also their levels of engagement with academics/learning or the lack thereof. </p>
<p>If the prevailing campus student body has a critical mass of students who are academically disengaged at best and anti-intellectual at worst…even the best Profs with tippy-top PhDs and excellent teaching skills may not be enough to hold out against that onslaught. </p>
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<p>While I’m not 100% on board with Annasdad’s statement about “flaunting it”, I can sympathize with his question about whether it’s worth it to send a low achieving kid to a $21,000/year private uni as opposed to a $5000 cc if the quality of education one receives is comparable or even better at the latter. </p>
<p>That’s not necessarily condemning others for being “rich showoffs”, but can be a legitimate questioning of whether the parents are actually getting their money’s worth in terms of quality of education provided. Personally, if I’m spending $21,000+ for my future kid’s education…I’d like to be sure that it’s worth the risk he/she represents in light of his/her average/below average high school academic performance and there’s value-added to the private college’s academic quality. Especially considering what happened to one older aunt and her S and how the main point of going to college for most people is supposedly for the education…both from classes/Profs and being around a critical mass of classmate peers with similar academic capabilities and same/better work ethic at the very minimum. </p>
<p>I did this very ROI evaluation when I was a 16-17 year old high school senior evaluating my college acceptances. This process factored in my choosing a Midwest LAC over several other universities with arguably better locations/facilities. If the ROI in education quality for tuition money spent after scholarships/FA are accounted for is poor at a given institution, there’s no real point in going there.</p>