A recent CNN.com video, “Students choosing price over prestige?” describes how American high school seniors have some pretty tough decisions to make: Should they pursue a prestigious, top-dollar education at an Ivy League school? Or should they settle for a more affordable option—a state school or community college? Which, in the end, will offer more value?
Part 1 of this video tells the story of a high school valedictorian who chooses to attend The College of New Jersey, over Boston College, so that he can afford med school later on. The video explains how such a move (away from prestige and towards a more attractive price tag) is increasingly popular, as is the decision to attend a three-year undergraduate program, another hot topic in the discussion of cutting costs and increasing value.
Part 2, as commentary in the New York Times‘ The Choice puts it, is “a cautionary tale.” It tells the story of an NYU graduate with a business degree who now lives in Pennsylvania, over a gas station, and with a two-hour commute to his New York City job, so that he can pay off his $250,000 debt.
For more on determining school value and return on investment (ROI), please see related Accepted blog posts:
- BusinessWeek’s Top 10 Undergraduate Business Schools with the Best Returns on Investment
- Forbes ROI MBA Rankings for 2010
- The Rankings: An Accepted.com Special Report
- Financing Your Future: Winning Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards for Grad School, an instantly downloadable ebook
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Read the full article: How to Choose a University: Price over Prestige?