Pricey Schools are…Pricey!
October 23, 2009 | Todd G.
Just saw this at CBS MoneyWatch, it lays out the most expensive colleges in the United States. Number two is my alma mater. Here’s the top five:
- Sarah Lawrence College $54,410
- New York University $51,991
- The George Washington University $51,730
- Bates College $51,300
- Skidmore College $51,196
Wow. That’s a lot of dough. So what is it about these schools that make them so expensive? Is it just a matter of location?
The writer of the article points out that it doesn’t include the price of textbooks. You would think they’d just throw those in for the amount of coin you’re dropping. The problem is, going to any of these schools doesn’t guarantee you a high-paying job in the career of your choice. In fact, it might not even land you in the career of your choice for years to come after graduation.
I can attest to the cost of NYU being so high, as it was very expensive for not only the tuition, but also for housing. After all, you’re living in downtown Manhattan. Now there are those schools who have a reputation for being pricey, but are actually supplementing their tuition with financial aid. USC is pointed out in the article as one of those schools. And I have also read that although it is expensive it caters to a huge amount of low income students.
And then there’s the fact that these are private universities we’re talking about. But as long as they’re private, maybe they should come with some sort of guarantee. Really put their career services department on the hook for finding graduates jobs that will help them pay off that tuition. Of course, some of these schools are so expensive I imagine many of the students come from wealthy families and these wealthy families likely have connections that will certainly help with the job search when graduation arrives. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it may make part of guarantee argument moot.
Anyone out there want to speak up about the cost of their college? Is it a fair exchange? Are you getting your money’s worth?
