Ivy undergrad education worth debt?

riverrunner
Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:38:14 +0000

Two thoughts on this one:

My daughter is “just a freshman” at Yale. She could have gone to a number of other schools at no or little cost. Is it worth it for us to pay for this particular education?

So far, yes.

The part you can’t measure in dollars is her immediate immersion in a community of engaged, bright, enthusiastic students and teachers. I know this sounds like a caption in the viewbook, but I’ve met some of her friends and room mates, and it’s true. She’s heard more “top of their field” speakers in her first semester than she would have heard in four years at many other schools. These years will shape her for the rest of her life, and to us, it is worth it find the best place for someone like her to learn and to meet lifelong friends with similar drive, curiosity and ability.

Now for the money part. She’s just started applying for summer internships using the network of Yale alumni. The feedback she’s already gotten is that, yes, times are tight, but the Yale credential will put her application at the top of the heap, and not just among that particular network, but at the other places she is applying. A paying job, and the opportunity to work at a top organization, in the field she hopes to eventually work full time are harder to come by now than ever.

Good luck with your decision. I’m not sure I can say how much debt is too much. There are some big intangibles to weigh here.