What exactly makes better colleges...better?

eyemgh
Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:07:37 +0000

If we were comparing Wash U to Arizona for business or liberal arts majors, I’d be on the Wash U band waggon. It’s a strong regional school and has been for a long time. We aren’t though. We are talking engineering. Wash U is solid for engineering, but certainly not a powerhouse. It’s much smaller than Arizona. They offer 5 ABET accredited majors where as Arizona offers 13. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited Wash U and I’ve never visited Arizona, but my suspicion is that Arizona has more toys. Now, will an undergrad be as supported at Arizona or have access to said toys? I don’t know. They are very different, one not clearly better than the other.

Money should be a huge part of the conversation. It always is for the smartest kids and wisest parents. Opportunity cost for the differential between Wash U and Arizona in state over a career is an large amount of money…in the neighborhood of $2,500,000.