Over the past month or so, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to
go on several college visits with my son.
It was both exciting and interesting to see the similarities and
differences at each institution.
 |
| The "Shoe" at Ohio State |
He’s seen a slew of small, private schools as well as some
large public institutions such as UMass Amherst, Westfield
State , Ohio University
of Cincinnati
On our recent drive to Ohio ,
we discussed some factors that would enter his ultimate decision, and he said
money is the last factor – meaning he didn’t want to eliminate any schools
solely on the basis of cost.
My reply was that money was both the first and last
factor. After all, if a school is too
expensive, he may not be able to go. At the
same time, if a school that he doesn’t like gives him a full ride, would he
really want to go and be happy? Perhaps
not.
 |
| Nippert Stadium, Univ of Cincinnati |
Like many families, it does come down to some qualitative
factors. How much is having a nice
campus worth? How much do small class
sizes count? What about D1 level
intercollegiate sports? And having
choices in majors just in case his first choice doesn’t work out?
These all seem like non-financial factors, but they do have
a real dollar impact. When I was in
school, a measurement of the school was the 4 year graduation rate. That is, what percentage of students
graduated within 4 years. Now, schools measure
a 6 year rate. Students may drop out or
transfer. And transferring schools
typically means adding time because some classes may have to be repeated – so you
may be paying twice for that English Lit class!
Just for reference, of the schools he’s visited, the 6 year
graduation rates ranged from 38% to 84%.
That’s a huge difference!
There were even differences on a smaller scale, but can add
up. One school made a point of stating
they offer unlimited printing for students.
Other schools offer 150 prints per semester. One school stated that if you want a
microwave and mini-refrigerator, will have to rent them to you while others
provide them.
At the school where those appliances are rented, the tour
guide even stated that you can’t use both at the same time or that will blow a
fuse. Other schools have no such
restriction. Of course, after we heard
this, we started asking at all of the schools, usually receiving a “what the
heck are you talking about?” type of response.
I don’t know where my son will ultimately end up. It’s exciting to go on this journey with
him. But college costs aren’t just
tuition, room and board. What may appear
inexpensive but end up being the most expensive of all.
Happy Labor Day!
