<p>I don’t really see how one could interpret from your posts that you all at all believe SBU is inferior to the Ivy CS departments. Even though you say your claims are only in relation to “bang-for-buck” it’s quite clear that you’re attempting to create a platform for competition at a general level. </p>
<p>Moving on to the actual argument of cost, I think you’re distorting the difference. Unless you’re a resident of NY, it costs 32K/year for a student to attend Stony Brook. The aforementioned Ivies have a sticker of $60K/year, but everyone knows they offer the best financial aid of any US university. In reality, it’s often the most affordable option to attend an Ivy. This means that your advice applies primarily to international students, who receive no aid of any type. In many such cases, applicants are concerned only with prestige, and an extra $30K seems worth it for the brand name. Is it really worth it? Probably not, but that’s another discussion.</p>
<p>In terms of how people interpret these posts, it’s quite clear that it’s only a tiny fraction of their overall impression. I addressed your attempts to influence these perceptions, however, because I’m not sure why else you’d be posting this article. You may say that you’re trying to address only the strengths of SBU CS in relation to its less prestigious name overall, but you really can’t do that without saying something about “more expensive” universities. Maybe I didn’t emphasize it enough, but I meant to say that whatever point you’re trying to make is no more prominent than what this discussion has become about, the strength of SBU CS in direct relation to other CS departments.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I value public education and the reality of COA vs. prestige as much as anyone else. A public university might not be your dream school, but if it gets you to the same place for cheaper, it’s hard to justify attending a private. I make exception at the point of Ivies, because most who attend receive large financial aid, or are not in a position where they need not worry about cost.</p>