Why do Americans go to expensive lib art schools?

[piezoe]

Quote from denner:

A bit confused on this last point. There is no doubt in my mind that the elite Eastern boarding schools have some of the most intelligent students around and are a fast track to gain admissions to Ivy League schools. On the other hand, gaining admissions to the schools you've listed above is no small task, more than likely requiring the parent to spend quite a large sum of money on private elementary schools (which aren't exactly cheap either).

As far as college taking care of itself after that...how? No doubt the child will have a better shot at getting into a prestigious college or university, but the parent will still have to foot the bill in most cases. If you were to total up the amount of money it costs nowadays to send kids to the best elementary schools + best high school/prep schools + undergrad, we are literally talking $400,000 or thereabouts. To say that this is obscene is an understatement.

Well, I didn't do a good job of explaining. It's true that giving your child a first rate primary and secondary education is expensive. It is not as expensive, however, as an education at one of the elite colleges and universities. If you send your kid to one of the prep schools I mentioned, or their equivalent, you'll be pleased to know that these expensive schools have big endowments and lots of scholarships available for worthy students regardless of family income, in fact I don't know of any that don't try to enroll good students from all walks of life. If you're wealthy, you will be expected to pay a lot, but the amount of the tuition you pay will be adjusted according to your means, once your child is admitted. It will be expensive, of course. But your kid will get a great education and lots of individual attention. Class sizes are very small and all of these schools expect their students to study at their campuses abroad for at least a semester and the only difference in cost is transportation.

As a result of their superior education, most of the kids graduating from these schools score very high on the SAT and ACT exams, and a high score can be an all expenses paid trip to many first rate colleges and Universities across the country. It's true that your child will still have to compete to get into the most selective schools, but they will be very well-prepared to do so. You may still have to pay something, but again, what you pay will be adjusted according to your ability to pay.

One of my kids went to public high school and then to Yale, the other went to Choate for high school and then to Rice. Both had scholarships, thank god!, though I still had some pretty hefty expenses. Looking back on this experience, however, there is no doubt in my mind that the latter route provided the most education bang for the buck, and that's what i would recommend to any parents out there. Keep in mind that you still have to pay attention to grade school and junior high or your kid is not going to get into Choate, but by no means are all the kids in these outstanding boarding schools from wealthy families.

 

[fundjunkie]

Quote from the1:

The demand for such graduates is also dropping seeing as the US is now competing with India in these fields, among others. That may be an additional reason for the drop in grads from these disciplines.

The demand for graduates of the type I refer to has been steady or rising consisently. It's the supply that's been falling for many, many years. It has nothing to do with india or China. Rather it has a lot to do with comfortable lives in the west and a belief that there is an easier option. This is not a S phenomena so please snap out of this myopic point of view. It is an issue for the entire developed world.

The real question is not "why is this happening", but rather "how should we address it". Again, I'm not talking about the USA here, which everyone always seems to assume. This is an international problem. Widen your thinking, it may take you somewhere!


Thanks,
D

 

[rew]

Quote from Debaser82:

Because they are looking for cultural and personal enrichment.

Not everyone wants to be a droid who's sole purpose in life is bringing in the biggest paycheck.

Books are cheap. Buy the right books and read them and you'll get everything you can get out of a liberal arts education except the frat parties. Now ask yourself if the frat parties are worth $200,000.

 

[chartman]

Quote from rew:

Books are cheap. Buy the right books and read them and you'll get everything you can get out of a liberal arts education except the frat parties. Now ask yourself if the frat parties are worth $200,000.

One cannot be Abe Lincoln and be self educated and expect to be accepted in the 'modern' world. Those days are long gone to never return. One must have the degree or the doors of opportunity are closed. It is not what one knows but what one is suppose to know that counts.

 

[FerdinandAlx]

The main problem is that wages as a share of GDP have been trending down since the early 80s. This lead to an economic system where individuals take on large amounts of debt in order to make up for their loss in purchasing power. Student loans are a symptom of this trend.

So why do young people take on large amounts of debt in order to go to an expensive liberal arts school? Well, their college sets the price and the government provides them with the means to pay for it.

Hypothetically, they could have made a different choice. Studying law, medicine or engineering are seen as alternatives that would land higher paying jobs. But this is based on the current job market and provides no guarantees for the future. Furthermore, being a lawyer or a dentist is incredibly boring.

Not going to college would be another possibility. It would save them the student debts but it costs them the risk of doing low income menial jobs their entire lifes.

 

[dandxg]

To the OP orig questions, because ppl like to dream, its what keeps America going, hope.

 

[FerdinandAlx]

Quote from dandxg:

To the OP orig questions, because ppl like to dream, its what keeps America going, hope.

I'm kind of disappointed that people try to render the choice of going to college as the result of "dreaming" or some other, irrational cause. Individuals may make irrational choices but when dealing with categories of very large numbers of people those irrational choices even out.

When large numbers of people make choices that do not really benefit them, or that may only benefit a small number of them, it's because there's an economic system that forces them to make those choices.

If you're wondering if such an economic system can perpetuate itself, take a clue from egypt and tunesia. The next Egypt will be the United States.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from FerdinandAlx:

I'm kind of disappointed that people try to render the choice of going to college as the result of "dreaming" or some other, irrational cause. Individuals may make irrational choices but when dealing with categories of very large numbers of people those irrational choices even out.

When large numbers of people make choices that do not really benefit them, or that may only benefit a small number of them, it's because there's an economic system that forces them to make those choices.

If you're wondering if such an economic system can perpetuate itself, take a clue from egypt and tunesia. The next Egypt will be the United States.

That's a quite interesting comment. I want to think about that. Thank you.

 

[twofacedjoker]

Quote from FerdinandAlx:

I'm kind of disappointed that people try to render the choice of going to college as the result of "dreaming" or some other, irrational cause. Individuals may make irrational choices but when dealing with categories of very large numbers of people those irrational choices even out.

When large numbers of people make choices that do not really benefit them, or that may only benefit a small number of them, it's because there's an economic system that forces them to make those choices.

If you're wondering if such an economic system can perpetuate itself, take a clue from egypt and tunesia. The next Egypt will be the United States.

Yet here you are "dreaming."

You are a prime example of what you wrote. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[chartman]

Quote from dandxg:

ppl like to dream, its what keeps America going, hope.

This is the only thing that keeps the poor and downtrodden from revolting. The American dream that they can some how raise themselves from poverty and become one of the privileged. The hope of one generation that the next generation will have a better life than themselves is fast becoming a dissolution as a larger percentage of the population each year earns less than the official poverty level.