College Tuition Cost

[Passionata]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

I went to film school. Total waste of money.

I made a documentary ,it was fun

[Wesley Crusher]

AP credits and community college is a great way to save time and money. With the right planning, you can easily finish school in 3 years. Cutting an entire year = big savings when you think about how much private schools and even some public schools (e.g., the UC system) cost.

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Passionata

I made a documentary ,it was fun

That's awesome! What was it based on? Documentary filmmaking is awesome and I'm still dreaming of making one.

When I was in film school I realized early on that a student film was going to cost me quite a sum of money which I just didn't have. So after my first year, I changed my major to screenwriting (which was my passion anyway) and to boot, paper is really cheap! So rather than being graded my senior year on an expensive student film, I was graded on a feature film screenplay instead. I'm so cheap.

[gulfstream69xr7]

Originally Posted by rolexgiants

It's getting crazy!!! My friends son will start nyu in September... Tuition,room and board will run 70,000 per year...

They recruited my son while he was in high school. They offered zero FA.

He is at Drexel University right now studying Engineering.

All in, if you live on campus, it's $55,000 a year, and it's a five year program.

[gulfstream69xr7]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

AP credits and community college is a great way to save time and money. With the right planning, you can easily finish school in 3 years. Cutting an entire year = big savings when you think about how much private schools and even some public schools (e.g., the UC system) cost.

My wife, myself and both of my kids did two years at community college before going to finish at other schools. All combined it saved a couple hundred grand.

[gmh1013]

In reading all this Im kind of shocked....I went to all public schools and was just an average kid all the way through high school. My parents divorced when I was in 11 grade ....my brother got his college paid for....I was not so lucky. I went one semester and dropped out.....then started working in the oil field off-shore as a grunt in Alaska.
Lucky me because I was making twice what my college degreed friends from high school were.
I saved up a lot of money and put myself and my ex-wife through college in 3 years and did not graduate till I was 29 years old. Fast forward 20 years later and I'm retired. Life is being at the right place and right time ....true.....but also just plain dumb luck. My ex cleaned me out so I started from Ramen noodles and Mac and cheese everyday. I never had children but if I did I would tell them if you want a degree.....do like I did and figure it out and pay for it yourself.

[doubleinfive]

You need a college degree if you're going to work for someone else...if you're going to be your own boss, then go to the school-of-hard knocks...you will ultimately realize that your credit score is more important than your GPA...

[Lion]

What I found very interesting about State Colleges and all Colleges in general, when our son went for Freshman Orientation(we had Parental Orientation)at an Instate College is that many students take 4 1/2 to 5 years to complete an Undergraduate Degree. And this has become the "Norm" because young adults change Majors so often or can't handle Full Time Semester Hours(15 Credit Hours is considered Full Time)so it takes them longer to finish up.....

When I went to College Full Time was 15 Credit Hours per Semester(two Semesters a year not including Summers)and you were expected to finish your Degree in four years. With my Major being Science orientated, for Plant and Soil Science, if I had a Three Credit Hour Course this meant two hours of Lecture and two hours of Lab each week. A four Credit Hour Class meant three hours of Lecture and two hours of Lab each week. I did a few classes of Working in the Greenhouse Research Stations and my Senior Year I designed the Curriculum for a couple classes of Work/Study and again worked at a Research Station which had very sensitive projects. I was in charge of all the daily maintenance for the Professor's and Grad Students projects and I also was in charge of growing all the Annuals for the University's Summer Flower Show.....

Once I found my groove I could party 90% of the time but the secret I figured out was it was prudent to go to Class whether it was Lecture or Lab as over 90% of Test and Quiz material came from the Lectures.....

[threemonkeys]

Originally Posted by Lion

The quality of the Higher Education you receive regardless of the school attended still comes down to what effort is the student willing to give and do to obtain the goal...which in this case is Graduation with a Degree. What priority does a person assign to learning, excelling and obtaining the "Tools" needed to succeed and move on in their life.....

Great comment. A degree is only worth what you make of it.

[singe89]

College is BIG BUSINESS in the US. Seems like the next bubble to burst with all these fly by night multi campus and online colleges willing to take your money and give you a worthless degree.

My first child is due any day now. Figured I would put some money aside to pay for her college education. (Using a college plannng calculator) If I decided to make monthly installments to a 529 plan it would cost me more than $1,000 per month to have enough money to cover my alma mater, University of Arizona. My wife and I plan to have 3 to 4 children so that can get expensive pretty quick. We'll probably end up funding college with a combination of 529 plans and VUL for the tax benefits as well as the ability to front load it to have a longer investment horizon.

At 32 I still have friends that have tens of thousands of $$$ in student debt. They have good paying jobs but the burden of the debt doesnt allow them to buy a house, afford kids, save for retirement, let alone take on any financial/investment risk. Because I graduated w/o any student debt I was able to save more money early on and take much more risk in my career that has paid off so far. I hope I can allow the same options for my children and they dont have the burden of massive debt.

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Lion

What I found very interesting about State Colleges and all Colleges in general, when our son went for Freshman Orientation(we had Parental Orientation)at an Instate College is that many students take 4 1/2 to 5 years to complete an Undergraduate Degree. And this has become the "Norm" because young adults change Majors so often or can't handle Full Time Semester Hours(15 Credit Hours is considered Full Time)so it takes them longer to finish up.....

When I went to College Full Time was 15 Credit Hours per Semester(two Semesters a year not including Summers)and you were expected to finish your Degree in four years. With my Major being Science orientated, for Plant and Soil Science, if I had a Three Credit Hour Course this meant two hours of Lecture and two hours of Lab each week. A four Credit Hour Class meant three hours of Lecture and two hours of Lab each week. I did a few classes of Working in the Greenhouse Research Stations and my Senior Year I designed the Curriculum for a couple classes of Work/Study and again worked at a Research Station which had very sensitive projects. I was in charge of all the daily maintenance for the Professor's and Grad Students projects and I also was in charge of growing all the Annuals for the University's Summer Flower Show.....

Once I found my groove I could party 90% of the time but the secret I figured out was it was prudent to go to Class whether it was Lecture or Lab as over 90% of Test and Quiz material came from the Lectures.....

That's very interesting. It sounds like you have a fascinating and very self-fulfilling career.

I sit in a cube. Like my other mates. We talk about how grand it would be to buy a cafe or ice cream parlor to escape the nonsense.

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by singe89

At 32 I still have friends that have tens of thousands of $$$ in student debt. They have good paying jobs but the burden of the debt doesnt allow them to buy a house, afford kids, save for retirement, let alone take on any financial/investment risk. Because I graduated w/o any student debt I was able to save more money early on and take much more risk in my career that has paid off. I hope I can allow the same for my children.

I believe I was around 35 when I paid those bastards off. I have never been asked if I have a degree. I have never been asked what I majored in. Ever. And I don't make films.

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by gulfstream69xr7

My wife, myself and both of my kids did two years at community college before going to finish at other schools. All combined it saved a couple hundred grand.

CC is also a good place to determine what you really want to major in. Too many people switch majors 2, 3, even 4 times in their college career since they have no idea what interests them and they end up wasting a lot of time and money.... but the schools don't mind, I'm sure.

[Lisa]

My teenager has already said she wants to start out in a community college. I could not be happier! After going through the traditional "graduate-from-high school-go-straight-to-college-for-four-years" routine, I am skeptical that it's the best way to prepare for a career. Besides, many people end up in a job they enjoy that has nothing to do with what they majored in in school.

Kids are not "one size fits all" when it comes to higher education. I am much more willing to explore different options with my kids than my parents were.

[Rock]

Interesting to compare the US Vs Australia system. Very similar these days.
I told my kids early in the piece that I would not be living in poverty for 10 years whilst paying for their university education and that they had better think about what they wanted to do, where, and why.
One has paid off his debt already and the other has chosen to let it ride until she is earning a higher income. Neither would have been willing to cause hardship for their parents to make life easy for them.
I knew many people who were happy to work two jobs to keep their kids in school - good for them.
I did all my quals as a married, mature-age student and I am a better person for it.

[Passionata]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

That's awesome! What was it based on? Documentary filmmaking is awesome and I'm still dreaming of making one.

When I was in film school I realized early on that a student film was going to cost me quite a sum of money which I just didn't have. So after my first year, I changed my major to screenwriting (which was my passion anyway) and to boot, paper is really cheap! So rather than being graded my senior year on an expensive student film, I was graded on a feature film screenplay instead. I'm so cheap.

The story of the local underground bands under the Kadar-communist era-,i focused on the last 10 years since i was involved too those days , it s on the Tube sorry your hungarian need some brush up to understand.

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Passionata

The story of the local underground bands under the Kadar-communist era-,i focused on the last 10 years since i was involved too those days , it s on the Tube sorry your hungarian need some brush up to understand.

That's awesome.

I wrote a screenplay about the American music industry called 'Yesterday's Hits' and it was optioned by Warner Brothers but never came to fruition.

I need more than brushing up.

[Passionata]

Laszlo what a shame i didn t know you before it was just 5months i was in SF.
Anyhow ,next time

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Passionata

Laszlo what a shame i didn t know you before it was just 5months i was in SF.
Anyhow ,next time

Yes, I agree, George. Next time for sure, okay.

[Passionata]

^love that city

/no worry she is my daughter/

[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by Passionata

^love that city

/no worry she is my daughter/

That's a great photo

[crew]

Interesting comments about going to a community college to save money. I agree, that's a great way to start. Also, there is nothing wrong with most in-state schools. They typically represent a good value for the money proposition.
If you can afford a top tier school that's great for you. However, if you can't afford it you owe it to yourself or your child to look at the other options.
Remember the old saying, it's not where you start that counts, it's where you finish.

[Gaijin]

I graduated from university but I paid for it myself. Took me 10 years. My Dad told you can and should go to college, but I ain't paying for it. Paid fpr it myself while working full time as a cop.

BS in Criminal Justice.

If I ever have kids I am not paying for their university costs wither. They can work and go to school full time like my Sister and I both did.

[descartes]

Two in college at the moment. Total tuition is approx. $130,000 per year, plus expenses. That's a lot of watches. I'm counting on them getting off the payroll after graduation. Lol

[Star Ferry]

I realize it's an old thread -- but my opinion is that education cost in the US is ridiculous. The schools waste so much money on financial aid (which is a scam because many people lie about their financial means), administrators (desk warmers who largely don't do anything) and student activities (hardly relevant to coursework). Most are not-for-profit -- but when you pay your university president 2 million USD per year, it's not surprising that there's no profit left

I agree with Peter Thiel, who called student loans a bubble. Higher education doesn't need to cost $250,000. Everywhere else in the world, it costs far less. And many of these countries (such as UK) have top flight universities that rival the Ivy League and its peers (Stanford, MIT), so there isn't always a quality trade-off.

[68camaro]

Originally Posted by psv

The other problem with "elite" public schools like UVA is that they are now so in-demand from overseas students willing to pay full tuition that fewer and fewer seats are alotted to VA residents.

Its not only out-of-country its out of state as well. With state funding cut UVA increases out of state students who pay full boat. But cost at VA Tech is crazy as well.

[520Matt]

Originally Posted by AzPaul

My niece has just picked a school. In state tuition (Arizona) runs close to $10,000 a year while the few out of state schools she was considering ranged all the way up to $30,000 a year.

'Big Education' is very bit the rip-off 'Big Oil' or 'Big Pharm' have ever been.

UA is closer to $18k (tuition only) per year in state, I know firsthand

[520Matt]

Originally Posted by AzPaul

My niece has just picked a school. In state tuition (Arizona) runs close to $10,000 a year while the few out of state schools she was considering ranged all the way up to $30,000 a year.

'Big Education' is very bit the rip-off 'Big Oil' or 'Big Pharm' have ever been.

LMFAO. Just noticed your post was from 3 years ago

[Relyt]

I got my masters from University of Cincinnati. There is NO reason it needed to cost as much as it did.

Universities figured out that they could charge "what the wanted," because of student loans.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[J!m]

Higher education is now a business. I have seen costs go stupid in far less than 40 years.

My son is not two yet and we already have 20k saved for him... maybe that will cover his books. Maybe.