Chatham's Co-ed Debate (university, good, solution)

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I said generally speaking. Your two examples are clearly outliers. A lot of the better private colleges are more expensive but you get a better aid package which brings the cost down to where it is similar to some less selective schools.

Why don't you compare Chatham to Bryn Mawr?

I agree with you that whether or not a college is affordable depends on your specific aid package.

Any idea how much parents can make and still get a decent aid package?

First, read this article about the "Tuition Discounting Game:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/ed...rice.html?_r=0

Here is a key quote from the article:
"Over all, private colleges discounted freshman tuition by 45 percent last year, a new high, according to a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and the share of freshmen getting institutional aid rose to 87 percent last year, from 80 percent in 2002, also a new high."

Very few private school students pay the sticker price and it is important to understand this key point before discussing cost of college and comparing private and public schools. To answer your next questions:

1) Yes the colleges I posted are outliers because they are cheaper than most public schools and relatively speaking do not have massive endowments. However, with the current average discount rate for private colleges they are much cheaper than you would think for many students. Yes there are schools like Berea College that offer virtually free tuition, because they have a $1 billion+ endowment, but there are many small, private schools that discount their tuition significantly and offer significant amounts of financial aid to many students.

2) Why would I compare Chatham to Bryn Mawr? If we apply the average discount rate to Chatham, the annual tuition is about $14,000 per year. This is very similar to the major public colleges/universities in Pittsburgh and as I said before it is not as easy as one would think to compare the cost of college unless you actually apply for financial aid at two schools and compare for your specific case.

3) Your question about how much one can make really depends on the type of financial aid received and if we are talking about private colleges, the threshold they have set for discounting tuition based on the "means" of the parents as determined by the college. This is usually something that is internal to the university and is not disclosed to the public. In terms of federal aid, Pell Grants are typically available for people with an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000, however, parents can get the American Opportunity Tax Credit with household incomes of almost $200,000 and this is also a ballpark cutoff for getting a decent amount of tuition discounting at most small private colleges (again this is highly variable though). Private colleges have significant leeway with the sticker price for education and I have worked in higher education for most of my life, at both public and private universities so I have significant knowledge of these practices. Cost of college is very complicated and thus very hard to explain and debate.

[SchellBelle]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Sounds like just about every recent college graduate I know, sadly.

I will say that they are in the field they went to school for, but man, it is a daily rant on their fb pages about how much their job sucks, how Chatham's high tuition might not be worth the cost and how they glorified the real world. I find though that most people my age (24) who complain about their student loans are the ones who didn't plan out their intended career interest and career pay to what that would cost to achieve.

[LillyJo]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Sounds like just about every recent college graduate I know, sadly.

I have not seen that problem in Maryland, Virginia, or North Carolina. Might the problem be Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Any idea how much parents can make and still get a decent aid package?

There are many variables. My girlfriend's family makes 120k and got great packages because they have four kids in college at once. My sister figured this out when her only child was heading to college so my sister returned to school for her Masters and her husband went to a trade school, when neither of them needed to attend. Having three family members in school helped them qualify for more. As a result, my husband and I both went back to school when our children started college. I had another friend whose husband earns over 100k and they're youngest is going to med school with a great package from a private university. Many families that had college funds realized the college funds were going to cause them to pay more so they emptied out the college funds and renovated their houses before their children started college, but that only works for state colleges since private colleges take house value into consideration.

[PenguinsFan14]

Originally Posted by Hopes

My sister figured this out when her only child was heading to college so my sister returned to school for her Masters and her husband went to a trade school, when neither of them needed to attend. Having three family members in school helped them qualify for more.

I've never heard of anything like this before. Can you explain their situation a little more in detail, such as what schools they went to and what kind of aid they received? Sure, they could qualify for a little more in grants, but the max per year is set at $5,645. That's it. Anything above that would have to come from the school itself. When I went to graduate school, pell grants weren't even an option. The only options were academic scholarships, which were very limited, and gov't/private loans. The vast, vast majority of colleges offer very little aid for master's programs. PhD progams, certainly, but not master's. I can't imagine someone going to Pitt, PSU, Carnegie Mellon, etc. for a master's program and getting loaded with grants. And, for trade schools, the same thing. Again, there are things like pell grants, but those have a maximum of $5,645 per year. After that, it's loans or cash. I can't imagine ITT or trade schools like that are offering much in scholarships. I've went through two different graduate programs and I'm starting a third in the Fall, so I'm extremely interested in this, especially since everything you wrote just goes completely contrary to everything I've ever witnessed during my 15 years of college experience. Thanks in advance for your help, Hopes!

[TechCom]

This transition isn't anything new. I'm a guy and went there over 5yrs ago as part of a nursing program with UPMC. The pool had way too much chlorine.

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by TechCom

This transition isn't anything new. I'm a guy and went there over 5yrs ago as part of a nursing program with UPMC. The pool had way too much chlorine.

I don't think ive ever seen a girl from chatham out and about. most are pitt. where do chicks from chatham hangout? I know Duquesne= southside. so id assume chatham= murray ave?

[TechCom]

Originally Posted by BarqCider

I don't think ive ever seen a girl from chatham out and about. most are pitt. where do chicks from chatham hangout? I know Duquesne= southside. so id assume chatham= murray ave?

Well I used to walk from Chatham to Shadyside hospital, so I imagine around that radius. That said its not like they don't have shuttles and buses.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by selltheburgh

They have no choice. The university isn't getting enough women to enroll there.

This is it. Yes, Chatham has a long tradition of educating women. Yes, it is considered one of the better all women's schools. Yes, it will close it doors if it remains as it is.

A couple women's colleges here in MD, Goucher and Hood, went co-ed several years ago. They had to, just like Chatham has to.

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by SchellBelle

I will say that they are in the field they went to school for, but man, it is a daily rant on their fb pages about how much their job sucks, how Chatham's high tuition might not be worth the cost and how they glorified the real world. I find though that most people my age (24) who complain about their student loans are the ones who didn't plan out their intended career interest and career pay to what that would cost to achieve.

see, I realized the cost-benefit of attending pitt is too skewed for me, that I have decided to eat the loss of a year in pitt and return back to va, where ill still be considered in state and odds of finding a job in my field are much much higher than say, here in PGH.

I would love to return to Pittsburgh down the road, and I have some great ideas for an IT start up,but I want to gain more experience and funds before doing so. OR if my side of the field is actually here and growing (and saying IT is growing is ignorance, because there are many sides of it)