<p>I think that for the top school (top 20), it is easily worth it simply for the people you are with and quality of the school. However, at what point do you draw the line after that? top 50? top 100? top 150? </p>
<p>Or is it more about fit?</p>
<p>For example, for a kid in Pennsylvania. Should they go to Penn State, Pitt, or U of Miami?</p>
<p>Thanks, this is mostly out of curiosity.</p>
<p>For engineering and sciences most top states are as good or better than all but the Top 10 privates.</p>
<p>If you are just looking at the “quality” of a program then I would say outside the top 10 go to a public school. If you are looking more for experience I would say go where you think best fits you. You may find, if you pick a school just for “quality” of a program, that the school just doesn’t fit you and due to that it can become very difficult to do well there. So in short it depends on why you want to go to a private school.</p>
<p>I have a simple formula for this. I’d consider the private school over my state school if</p>
<p>S > P x 1.5</p>
<p>S = State School’s USNWR Rank
P = Private School’s USNWR Rank</p>
<p>So, for example, if the private school in question is Brown (#15), 15 times 1.5 is 22.5. I would only consider going to state school if it is ranked higher than rank 23. </p>
<p>The only state school with this rank is Berkeley (#22). So if you don’t like in California or you live in California and you weren’t accepted into Berkeley, I would always choose to attend Brown over my state school(s).</p>
<p>Top 20? Yes. Dramatic falloff from there.</p>
<p>I think it’s more about fit, as well as cost and the like. Some students don’t want the competition of elite schools, and state schools may fit them better, as well as be less expensive. It’s difficult to give an answer in such abstract terms.</p>
<p>It’s all about fit. Rankings can help focus searches, but relying solely on them, and especially on one methodology, is doing oneself a major disservice. </p>
<p>If you want my opinion, having experience at all three schools, Pitt, PSU, and Miami, with degrees from Miami and Pitt, I can tell you that Miami is a fine school, but for most fields what you’d get there is inferior to Pitt or PSU, and it certainly isn’t worth any cost difference. A decision between Pitt and PSU should come down to your particular field of interest, because the schools have different strengths, and the type of setting and environment you prefer: medium size/urban vs large/rural. You can find an equal number of rankings that put one ahead of the other, but you should visit all of them, if possible, and make sure the fit is good.</p>
<p>It is about money. If you have to go more than 20k in debt, don’t do it. Even for Brown. I think that any UC trumps privates if you have to have major debt. Don’t doubt that Brown is a great school, education, experience, we know that. But is it champagne if you have a beer budget. It is a Mercedes, when a nice Honda will get you where you need to go.</p>
<p>"Top 20? Yes. Dramatic falloff from there. "</p>
<p>Nonsense. wgmcp101 is exactly right.</p>
<p>
In this example, assuming the debt loads are the same, the kid should decide based on where they want to work after school. With the exception of the elite privates, it is practically never worth it to incur debt to go to a school just because it is “private”. Your local state school offers most likely better options after graduating and less debt. Miami is not an elite private, so I wouldn’t take on more debt to go there if it would be more expensive than PSU or Pitt.</p>
<p>It depends on what the kid is interested in majoring in and what, if any, plans they have to go to grad school. If they plan to go right away to grad school, a state school is a great way to conserve money and not incur large student loans. Also, some professional schools (med & vet) are very numbers focussed, so it may not make sense killing yourself for a 3.5 at Harvard, when a 3.7 at State U will be viewed the same by Grad school admissions.</p>
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<p>. . . If all you’re going to college for is to compile a resume for grad school. But I would suggest that you’re very likely to be a different person after four years within a Harvard peer group than you would be after four years at a less selective school.</p>
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<p>Yet given the grade inflation at Harvard, you may actually earn higher grade at Harvard than at a state school. That’s right - higher. </p>
<p>This is particularly salient at the low end of the grading spectrum. It’s nearly impossible to actually flunk out of Harvard. You might get barely-passing grades, but you won’t actually flunk out. On the other hand, it is very possible to flunk out of most state schools.</p>
<p>So if I’m looking to be a Chemical Engineer, it would be a better move to attend Delaware (ranked #10 and my state school) than to attend, say, Columbia?</p>
<p>The peer group at a top 20 is worth paying to be educated among if you can afford it IMO. Fit is overrated.</p>
<p>“The peer group at a top 20 is worth paying to be educated among if you can afford it IMO. Fit is overrated.”</p>
<p>Heaven forbid if you’re interested in the school ranked number 21. The use of the absolute numbers at USNWR is overrated here on CC.</p>
<p>For example, for a kid in Pennsylvania. Should they go to Penn State, Pitt, or U of Miami?</p>
<p>Do you want your kid on the beautiful beaches, shopping in the grove and hitting the night life scene in South Beach? No winter coats…just bikinis :)</p>
<p>“So if I’m looking to be a Chemical Engineer, it would be a better move to attend Delaware (ranked #10 and my state school) than to attend, say, Columbia?”</p>
<p>If you are looking to be a Chemical Engineer, you want to attend an institution that is ABET accredited for that field of study, and that has a solid track record of preparing students for the licensing exams in that field. If those factors are true of your home-state U, it is almost certain to be your best option because of the difference in cost.</p>
<p>For Engineering, the ranking of top schools differs significantly from LACs & state schools, plus some hard-core engineering schools (RPI & WPI) give signficant merit aid to qualified students. I think you need to look at the bottom line of each school before making sweeping generalizations.</p>
<p>Re: engineering…</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s better to be at a school that has a good program and has nearby job opportunities. My friend is upset to realize that after spending mega bucks to send her son to Columbia engineering, he is still out of work (graduated in May 09), yet her friends and neighbors who sent their kids to Cal Poly Pomona, SLO, CSU Fullerton, and CSULB at the same time all graduated with jobs in hand.</p>