July 2, 200818 yr I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA.
July 2, 200818 yr Went to The University of Florida for my Bachelor's in Sociology. Currently attending the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale for a Bachelor's of Interactive Media Design. Wanted to expand my horizons.
July 2, 200818 yr Author Went to The University of Florida for my Bachelor's in Sociology. Currently attending the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale for a Bachelor's of Interactive Media Design. Wanted to expand my horizons. Thats awesome, I almost went to MassArt for basically Interactive Media Design. It was more Computer Programming, but some freedom as far as deisgn is concerned. I was a sociology major, but in research so I didn't get the traditional sociology experience. Everyone I know said it was the best decision they made being a soc major, you agree?
July 3, 200818 yr of course its worth it, the earning potential w/ just a bachelor's degree is much higher than with a high school degree.
July 3, 200818 yr School of Hard Knocks, Class of 05! Oh, and I'm currently getting my BS in Computer and Information Science at FIU. I'm still on the fence on going for my masters.
July 3, 200818 yr Author of course its worth it, the earning potential w/ just a bachelor's degree is much higher than with a high school degree. Not necessarily earning potential but i mean the amount of knowledge actually consumed.
July 3, 200818 yr I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school?
July 3, 200818 yr Author I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more.
July 3, 200818 yr I did fairly well in college, but I don't think I learned anything that useful in my classes. Looking back, I wish I had paid more attention in the gen ed classes I took just so I could have more knowledge about random things. My degree is in telecommunications, which I only majored in because it was the closest thing UF had to a film program, and I minored in English. That stuff isn't helping me out much right now. College is definitely "worth it" though in the sense that it's a buffer zone between childhood and the real world. I learned to live on my own, make adult friendships and make connections. Plus, the debauchery. Man, I miss college.
July 3, 200818 yr I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt?
July 3, 200818 yr I did fairly well in college, but I don't think I learned anything that useful in my classes. Looking back, I wish I had paid more attention in the gen ed classes I took just so I could have more knowledge about random things. My degree is in telecommunications, which I only majored in because it was the closest thing UF had to a film program, and I minored in English. That stuff isn't helping me out much right now. College is definitely "worth it" though in the sense that it's a buffer zone between childhood and the real world. I learned to live on my own, make adult friendships and make connections. Plus, the debauchery. Man, I miss college. Cant argue with that. For 95% of students taht exactly what it is. But when we talk about what students are actually learning and retaining is a different story. How many students take the "easiest professors" or "easiest classes" just to get some courses out of the way? At the end of the day its just a piece of paper that will get you a better job than had you not had it.
July 3, 200818 yr Author I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt? Of course I know Stonehill, they were conference mates for about 20 years until Bryant moved up to Division I. Stonehill is a great school, and this I think works in your favor. If you just went to say Bridgewater St. it may be a lot harder to get into a decent masters program or find a job, while Stonehill is no Harvard it is also a lot better than BSC. Is the money worth it I do not know, but I know the advancement you get are much more worth it in the end. I also think about it with Bryant, very similiar to SC (except not a huge LA school), and even though the school was harder than say a URI or a RIC, it is still a better decision I think. I could have a 4.0 GPA at a RIC, but not learn a thing or go to Bryant graduate with my 3.2 and know more than anyone graduating at RIC. Not just in the sense of academics, but preparation for life. I know how to network, I had support from teachers, students, staff etc... I know people who go to those state schools and after 4 years have no resume and have never had a real job and are trying to find one. At schools like Bryant, Stonehill, Bentley, the second tier schools per say they prepare you. You are aware of how important post college is and you make those goals a reality. Where I went we have a 96% placement in your field/graduate studies within 6 months (and its the 9th highest in the country for placement) and you won't get that at other schools. Of course when I go to Maryland or Florida no one has ever heard of the school, so in that sense the name no longer helps, but the things I learned and was prepared for do. I guess it is just hard to gauge. I got so much out of college through friendships, education, career that I can not say the money I owe was not worth it. Again, not every student experiences that and many can experience that at a state school, but I think at a small private school those options are there for you. IDK about many other schools, but at our two undergraduate schools tuition was extremely expensive that if you were not trying or succeeding you were leaving. State schools you may hav a kid on a 7 year plan, that won't happen at a private school, so I think that also allows for more ambition from a lot of people. I can not think of many kids who were taking 3 classes a semester and failing 1 a year and their parents were happy they were paying 47,000 after room/board and school. I assume SC was the same?
July 3, 200818 yr Author I did fairly well in college, but I don't think I learned anything that useful in my classes. Looking back, I wish I had paid more attention in the gen ed classes I took just so I could have more knowledge about random things. My degree is in telecommunications, which I only majored in because it was the closest thing UF had to a film program, and I minored in English. That stuff isn't helping me out much right now. College is definitely "worth it" though in the sense that it's a buffer zone between childhood and the real world. I learned to live on my own, make adult friendships and make connections. Plus, the debauchery. Man, I miss college. as JM just stated its about the growing up. I think thats why I started the topic, because i wondered if others felt the same. As I am in my graduate courses and in my job I do not use 95% of the things I learned, but the things I experienced I use every day. Just gauging how others felt/what they experienced.
July 3, 200818 yr I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt? Of course I know Stonehill, they were conference mates for about 20 years until Bryant moved up to Division I. Stonehill is a great school, and this I think works in your favor. If you just went to say Bridgewater St. it may be a lot harder to get into a decent masters program or find a job, while Stonehill is no Harvard it is also a lot better than BSC. Is the money worth it I do not know, but I know the advancement you get are much more worth it in the end. I also think about it with Bryant, very similiar to SC (except not a huge LA school), and even though the school was harder than say a URI or a RIC, it is still a better decision I think. I could have a 4.0 GPA at a RIC, but not learn a thing or go to Bryant graduate with my 3.2 and know more than anyone graduating at RIC. Not just in the sense of academics, but preparation for life. I know how to network, I had support from teachers, students, staff etc... I know people who go to those state schools and after 4 years have no resume and have never had a real job and are trying to find one. At schools like Bryant, Stonehill, Bentley, the second tier schools per say they prepare you. You are aware of how important post college is and you make those goals a reality. Where I went we have a 96% placement in your field/graduate studies within 6 months (and its the 9th highest in the country for placement) and you won't get that at other schools. Of course when I go to Maryland or Florida no one has ever heard of the school, so in that sense the name no longer helps, but the things I learned and was prepared for do. I guess it is just hard to gauge. I got so much out of college through friendships, education, career that I can not say the money I owe was not worth it. Again, not every student experiences that and many can experience that at a state school, but I think at a small private school those options are there for you. IDK about many other schools, but at our two undergraduate schools tuition was extremely expensive that if you were not trying or succeeding you were leaving. State schools you may hav a kid on a 7 year plan, that won't happen at a private school, so I think that also allows for more ambition from a lot of people. I can not think of many kids who were taking 3 classes a semester and failing 1 a year and their parents were happy they were paying 47,000 after room/board and school. I assume SC was the same? You'd be suprised. I didnt see that at stonehill, but where I work now I'vd seen a quite a few people add a 5th year or an extra semester. I dont understand why anyone would go 12 credits at a private school It costs exactly the same to take 15 and you need to maintain 15 to graduate in 4 years. Its pretty scary to see students and parents taking about 35,000 a year in loans! Its actually terrifying when their major is dance. Speaking of public schools... your assesment is pretty acurate. At stonehill I did about average, nothing to write home about. Currently I am at URI and the program I am in is literally a falacy. I am half way through my program (3.9 average) and havent learned a dam thing!
July 3, 200818 yr I thought college was easy. Most of the classes I took in music, I was already at the top of my game. so classes & assignments were a snap. I'm not saying I didn't learn anything but as far as the background info is concerned, I learned something. As far as the application goes, I was right up there. I had been teaching piano lessons since I was 16, so I had lots of experience with the teaching aspect. And, I had been a professional musician since I was 13, so I had experience there as well. I was able to form lasting adult relationships, many of which I still have today, almost 25 years later. But, I really think the bottom line is, you get out of college what you put in to it. If you're going to slack off on your classes, then you'll have a mediocre education, at best. I was an animal- I had a double major and worked in the evenings and taught lessons on Saturdays. If you dive in head first and try your best, you'll come out far better than when you went in. When I went for my Master's, it was different. I was already teaching for the school system, married and was pregnant. But I'm glad I finished my Master's shortly after I got my Bachelor's. I believe if I had waited, I wouldn't have done it.
July 4, 200818 yr Author I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt? Of course I know Stonehill, they were conference mates for about 20 years until Bryant moved up to Division I. Stonehill is a great school, and this I think works in your favor. If you just went to say Bridgewater St. it may be a lot harder to get into a decent masters program or find a job, while Stonehill is no Harvard it is also a lot better than BSC. Is the money worth it I do not know, but I know the advancement you get are much more worth it in the end. I also think about it with Bryant, very similiar to SC (except not a huge LA school), and even though the school was harder than say a URI or a RIC, it is still a better decision I think. I could have a 4.0 GPA at a RIC, but not learn a thing or go to Bryant graduate with my 3.2 and know more than anyone graduating at RIC. Not just in the sense of academics, but preparation for life. I know how to network, I had support from teachers, students, staff etc... I know people who go to those state schools and after 4 years have no resume and have never had a real job and are trying to find one. At schools like Bryant, Stonehill, Bentley, the second tier schools per say they prepare you. You are aware of how important post college is and you make those goals a reality. Where I went we have a 96% placement in your field/graduate studies within 6 months (and its the 9th highest in the country for placement) and you won't get that at other schools. Of course when I go to Maryland or Florida no one has ever heard of the school, so in that sense the name no longer helps, but the things I learned and was prepared for do. I guess it is just hard to gauge. I got so much out of college through friendships, education, career that I can not say the money I owe was not worth it. Again, not every student experiences that and many can experience that at a state school, but I think at a small private school those options are there for you. IDK about many other schools, but at our two undergraduate schools tuition was extremely expensive that if you were not trying or succeeding you were leaving. State schools you may hav a kid on a 7 year plan, that won't happen at a private school, so I think that also allows for more ambition from a lot of people. I can not think of many kids who were taking 3 classes a semester and failing 1 a year and their parents were happy they were paying 47,000 after room/board and school. I assume SC was the same? You'd be suprised. I didnt see that at stonehill, but where I work now I'vd seen a quite a few people add a 5th year or an extra semester. I dont understand why anyone would go 12 credits at a private school It costs exactly the same to take 15 and you need to maintain 15 to graduate in 4 years. Its pretty scary to see students and parents taking about 35,000 a year in loans! Its actually terrifying when their major is dance. Speaking of public schools... your assesment is pretty acurate. At stonehill I did about average, nothing to write home about. Currently I am at URI and the program I am in is literally a falacy. I am half way through my program (3.9 average) and havent learned a dam thing! So when it comes down to things learned and things not learned, where does the money draw the line? Is it worth having a free education at URI and not learning? Or is it better to pay 40,000 and have an education at a Stonehill? You may not retain it all, but at least some institutions challange you while others let you breeze through
July 4, 200818 yr I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt? Of course I know Stonehill, they were conference mates for about 20 years until Bryant moved up to Division I. Stonehill is a great school, and this I think works in your favor. If you just went to say Bridgewater St. it may be a lot harder to get into a decent masters program or find a job, while Stonehill is no Harvard it is also a lot better than BSC. Is the money worth it I do not know, but I know the advancement you get are much more worth it in the end. I also think about it with Bryant, very similiar to SC (except not a huge LA school), and even though the school was harder than say a URI or a RIC, it is still a better decision I think. I could have a 4.0 GPA at a RIC, but not learn a thing or go to Bryant graduate with my 3.2 and know more than anyone graduating at RIC. Not just in the sense of academics, but preparation for life. I know how to network, I had support from teachers, students, staff etc... I know people who go to those state schools and after 4 years have no resume and have never had a real job and are trying to find one. At schools like Bryant, Stonehill, Bentley, the second tier schools per say they prepare you. You are aware of how important post college is and you make those goals a reality. Where I went we have a 96% placement in your field/graduate studies within 6 months (and its the 9th highest in the country for placement) and you won't get that at other schools. Of course when I go to Maryland or Florida no one has ever heard of the school, so in that sense the name no longer helps, but the things I learned and was prepared for do. I guess it is just hard to gauge. I got so much out of college through friendships, education, career that I can not say the money I owe was not worth it. Again, not every student experiences that and many can experience that at a state school, but I think at a small private school those options are there for you. IDK about many other schools, but at our two undergraduate schools tuition was extremely expensive that if you were not trying or succeeding you were leaving. State schools you may hav a kid on a 7 year plan, that won't happen at a private school, so I think that also allows for more ambition from a lot of people. I can not think of many kids who were taking 3 classes a semester and failing 1 a year and their parents were happy they were paying 47,000 after room/board and school. I assume SC was the same? You'd be suprised. I didnt see that at stonehill, but where I work now I'vd seen a quite a few people add a 5th year or an extra semester. I dont understand why anyone would go 12 credits at a private school It costs exactly the same to take 15 and you need to maintain 15 to graduate in 4 years. Its pretty scary to see students and parents taking about 35,000 a year in loans! Its actually terrifying when their major is dance. Speaking of public schools... your assesment is pretty acurate. At stonehill I did about average, nothing to write home about. Currently I am at URI and the program I am in is literally a falacy. I am half way through my program (3.9 average) and havent learned a dam thing! So when it comes down to things learned and things not learned, where does the money draw the line? Is it worth having a free education at URI and not learning? Or is it better to pay 40,000 and have an education at a Stonehill? You may not retain it all, but at least some institutions challange you while others let you breeze through Well its not as cut and dry as that. There are many people that skate through at both places and there are many people that learn and retain and both. All things equal, is one better off paying 40,000 for higher education?
July 4, 200818 yr Author I just thought it would be interesting to see if people went to college and if they did was it really worth it? I know the amount I learned in college was overly useful, but the experience of college prepared me so much more for life. The bonds with teachers and friends made the experience awesome. The only real useful thing college brought me education was the ability to move on. I kind of slacked in my undergrad because I enjoyed it so much, still got decent grads, but not enough to WOW people. Anyway, just wondering how others experiences are/were/hope to be etc... I went to Bryant University for a BS/BA in Actuarial Mathematics and Business Statistics. I will then be going to Nova Southeastern University in the fall for my JD/MBA. Bryant is right down the road from me. We'll the thing with higher ed is that what you learn in the class room, usually does not transfer into the work place. What it proves is that you have an ability to learn. I took religion courses, math courses, english courses, ect... How much do I use those now? The important thing is that you are getting some sort of education to help you advance. Most people in the US do not have a BA, let alone a masters or phd. Therefore the earning potential is enhanced by a getting a degree, not so much by what you are actually learning. The real question is, is private higher education worth it? I am actually doing my masters thesis on this very subject (next summer). Is getting 80,000 + in debt worth it to go to a private school? Did you go to PC living in Providence and taking religion courses? Bryant was a great experience for me so I can't complain about any debt that Ihave. I am only 20,000 in the whole so it is not the end of the world. But it is an interesting and true topic. I think that it really comes down to if you look at things in a qualitative or quantitative way. If you look at just the numbers it may not make sense, but if you look subjectively and see what else you got out of it, it could be worth a lot more. I went to Stonehill college in Easton, MA. Its a liberal arts school (much like PC) where you take a bunch of general classes the first two years. Then you get to do whatever you major in the last two years. I am not arguing anything about the experience. It was probably the best four years of my life. However, the question is: are 35,000-45,000 a YEAR schools worth it? For example lets use two Rhode Island examples. The first is a private school I work at. With room and board it cost 40,000 a year. University of Rhode Island (where the other school is paying me to get my masters) is about 16,000 a year for room and board. Is the school I work at (it will remain nameless for now) 24,000 a year better? Obviously the real high end schools such as Brown, Harvard, ect.. are a good deal regardless of cost. But what about 2nd and 3rd tier schools that cost the same? Is there a tremendous advantage to going to one of these 40,000 a year schools and coming out with 90,000 in debt? Of course I know Stonehill, they were conference mates for about 20 years until Bryant moved up to Division I. Stonehill is a great school, and this I think works in your favor. If you just went to say Bridgewater St. it may be a lot harder to get into a decent masters program or find a job, while Stonehill is no Harvard it is also a lot better than BSC. Is the money worth it I do not know, but I know the advancement you get are much more worth it in the end. I also think about it with Bryant, very similiar to SC (except not a huge LA school), and even though the school was harder than say a URI or a RIC, it is still a better decision I think. I could have a 4.0 GPA at a RIC, but not learn a thing or go to Bryant graduate with my 3.2 and know more than anyone graduating at RIC. Not just in the sense of academics, but preparation for life. I know how to network, I had support from teachers, students, staff etc... I know people who go to those state schools and after 4 years have no resume and have never had a real job and are trying to find one. At schools like Bryant, Stonehill, Bentley, the second tier schools per say they prepare you. You are aware of how important post college is and you make those goals a reality. Where I went we have a 96% placement in your field/graduate studies within 6 months (and its the 9th highest in the country for placement) and you won't get that at other schools. Of course when I go to Maryland or Florida no one has ever heard of the school, so in that sense the name no longer helps, but the things I learned and was prepared for do. I guess it is just hard to gauge. I got so much out of college through friendships, education, career that I can not say the money I owe was not worth it. Again, not every student experiences that and many can experience that at a state school, but I think at a small private school those options are there for you. IDK about many other schools, but at our two undergraduate schools tuition was extremely expensive that if you were not trying or succeeding you were leaving. State schools you may hav a kid on a 7 year plan, that won't happen at a private school, so I think that also allows for more ambition from a lot of people. I can not think of many kids who were taking 3 classes a semester and failing 1 a year and their parents were happy they were paying 47,000 after room/board and school. I assume SC was the same? You'd be suprised. I didnt see that at stonehill, but where I work now I'vd seen a quite a few people add a 5th year or an extra semester. I dont understand why anyone would go 12 credits at a private school It costs exactly the same to take 15 and you need to maintain 15 to graduate in 4 years. Its pretty scary to see students and parents taking about 35,000 a year in loans! Its actually terrifying when their major is dance. Speaking of public schools... your assesment is pretty acurate. At stonehill I did about average, nothing to write home about. Currently I am at URI and the program I am in is literally a falacy. I am half way through my program (3.9 average) and havent learned a dam thing! So when it comes down to things learned and things not learned, where does the money draw the line? Is it worth having a free education at URI and not learning? Or is it better to pay 40,000 and have an education at a Stonehill? You may not retain it all, but at least some institutions challange you while others let you breeze through Well its not as cut and dry as that. There are many people that skate through at both places and there are many people that learn and retain and both. All things equal, is one better off paying 40,000 for higher education? I think that is when it becomes subjective and how each person experienced their higher ed career. Don't you?
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