<p>Lee Iacocca would be surprised to hear about Princeton’s lack of an engineering program. Published reports have him holding a masters degree in engineering from there. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, I rephrase the question to be “what makes you believe that:” as opposed to the question above, so that I can answer the question, since the question implies something that I didn’t say. But I do believe there is evidence of it. I know a number of northeastern HS students who have attended UNC, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and a recent one who’s headed to Texas Tech, who might in decades gone by have gone to one of the private northeastern schools. Times are changing and the competition for students is national. Its especially true for full-pay students (although that’s of the schools’ own making because they charge people different prices). </p>
<p>I’m not speaking about the top NESCAC schools, or even the best Liberty or Centennial conference schools, but there are a lot of other schools in those groups where one should look long and hard about what you get from them compared to the alternatives. And I’ll grant you the observation that some of the decision may be culturally based rather than purely academic, as campuses are a bit more conservative-friendly in the south.</p>
<p>In any case, the fundamental premise that choosing a school is an investment decision is accurate. You spend four years of your life there, and, for some, $200k of your family’s money (or your own future earnings. If you’re receiving aid, your out-of-pocket costs are lower, so you may not have to be as careful. If you’re FAI (financial aid ineligible), it makes sense to weigh for instance, Union at $60K per year vs Clemson at $40k. I think people have been doing that. </p>