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My older two kids were B, B+ students in High School and both got big merit aid at small privates. Not loans. The key is researching the schools, looking for ones that have a history of large grants and big endowments, and matching the student up with colleges where their stats are higher then the average student. As Katiana said, the big money is not from scholarships, it's from the schools themselves.
One of my children was accepted to a heavily endowed private university. The final tuition total was less than it would have been for in-state tuition at the University of Illinois.
Some kids do well at big, public schools. I knew practically half the administration, dined and partied with my profs, had private personal classes made just for me...at a school with almost 50,000 students.
Other kids need more coddling and special attention, are scared to make the effort themselves, and will get more out of a smaller private school.
You need to get the most out of college that you can...it may not just be about money.
I don't think it's just the kids who need "coddling", "special attention" and are "scared to make the effort themselves" who get more out of smaller private school. Some people just prefer the more intimate atmoshere.
BTW, there is a big scandal at the University of Northern Colorado, not a huge public university becasue of faculty "dining and paytying' with students, and oh, yes, having sex. (Please note I am not implying you had sex with any professors, just saying, that's what can happen in that atmosphere.)
I don't think it's just the kids who need "coddling", "special attention" and are "scared to make the effort themselves" who get more out of smaller private school. Some people just prefer the more intimate atmoshere.
Bingo. It's a personal taste thing. I felt that I got more opportunities at a small private college than I would at a more densely populated large university. Smaller class size meant MORE effort. When there are ten people in your literature class, you'd better be there, or it's noted. You'd better have done the work, or it's obvious. No hiding, no floating. There were also opportunities outside of academics that were more plentiful than at a larger school. For those of us who did theatre arts, it was possible (and not uncommon) to get a role and/or significant tech experience in a mainstage production as a freshman if you were good enough, regardless if you were a major or just somebody doing it as a general matter of interest. I performed in our top choral ensemble, which did lengthy international tours. Less than half the ensemble was comprised of music majors. There are many larger schools where you're not going to be even considered for the top tier program unless you are a major. All of these were very good perks of opting for a small, intimate educational community...loads of experiences I would not have gotten elsewhere.
In keeping with the original topic, I am one of the ones who attended a higher-price tag private college outside my home state for a fraction of the cost of a public university in-state (applied to many in both categories, submitted FAFSA for both kinds and saw what was the best deal, financially). I got three of four years for free. Not loans to be paid back, but free and clear. The vast majority of my financial aid was in the form of merit scholarships and grants. I had the combination of a very strong academic record and a lower income family, going in, and that netted me an outstanding, nearly free private education at my school of choice.
While I do feel that there are advantages to small schools, and the important thing is to find the right match for you, I wanted to say that my experience was at one of the largest public universities in the country (University of MN) and I had plenty of classes with ten (or fewer) people, as well as many, many opportunities, both inside and outside of class. That's one of the major advantages of a big school - there are so many options. It obviously varies, but the notion that all classes are huge at big universities, or that students are going to be get lost in the shuffle, isn't necessarily the case. You create a smaller community within the larger framework. I would say that a student probably does have to work harder to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities at a large school, or at least needs to be more proactive and to take the first step in pursuing them. It is easier to float through college at a large school, so for those students who don't have a developed personal internal ambition (along with those who prefer a smaller setting for any reason) will be better off in a smaller school (assuming they don't want to float!). There is no right or wrong answer here, just finding the right personal match for the individual student.
My oldest daughter had a very good experience at a small, private, liberal arts college. The second one started at such a school, but felt out of place, too liberal for some, too conservative for others, transferred to the University of Colorado, where she found she could meet people like her b/c it is such a large place (not to mention, many of her high school acquaintences were there, though none of her close friends).
One difference I noticed at CU, compared to the private schools, is that CU had more of a "hands-off" approach and was more likely to tell you sr. yr. that you needed this or that class to graduate (which the student had not yet taken). At the smaller schools, students had a closer relationship with their advisors and the advisor had to approve each semester's plan, and helped the student meet all their pre-reqs, etc.
I attended a large public-private college. While some of my freshman classes were big, others were not, and once I got into my nursing classes, we were a group of about 100, and became very close.
Again, does anyone have stats on the average student loan balance at graduation for students who graduate from private colleges vs a state school? That will solve the puzzle once and for all.
(I agree that for most students a small private college would be much nicer and provide a better education)
Last edited by Weekend Traveler; 07-24-2009 at 08:04 AM..
Again does anyone have stats on the average student loan balance at graduation for students who graduate from private colleges vs a state school? That will solve the puzzle once and for all.
(I agree that for most students a small private college would be much nicer and provide a better education)
Those stats will NOT solve anything for anyone. What good would an overall statistic do if it's (a) not related to the specific school, of (b) related to the specific student? Having that information would be essentially meaningless.
And I still don't agree with you that a small private school will necessarily be a better education. Especially not when you're talking about a school like the U of MN.
...He wants to go a University that costs about $40,000 a year...Parents have no savings for college...
People are funny sometimes. They saved nothing for their kids and still had the idea in mind that they should go to private school. Seems to be a conflict of ideals there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00
If I went to a community college my first 2 years, I would still have had to go 4 years to my private, $40,000 a year university. Credits don't transfer.
Yeah...that happens.
But here's the thing. You have to do your homework when you set off on this journey. Some Juco's have a transfer program to other schools for various majors. You have to look at what will and what will not transfer. If nothing transfers then it's a waste of time and money. And you should look down the road to the next school.
In my case I went to a couple years of Juco and transfered about 90% of my credits to the university I attended. The key is there has to be an equivalent course at the university to what you took at Juco. If there is no equivalent it will not transfer. It will just become a 'general credit' that is applicable to nothing. The remaining 10% of the credits that I had became general credits. The funny thing was they still counted toward my overall GPA.
After I transfered it still took me 3 years to complete the degree....which mean't that the 2 years I spent at Juco were effectively my 'Freshman year'. You see....Juco's don't offer upper level courses....which in a lot of cases the universities want you to begin taking your sophomore year. So by going to Juco for 2 years you are missing out on taking those courses.
Don't get me wrong it's a good place to get the basic courses out of the way cheaply (like lower level electives) but in most cases it lengthens the time it takes to graduate. If you are fine with that (as I was) then why not save some money?
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