1,500,000 fewer students are going to U.S. colleges and universities than 5 years ago

I believe theres a five...uhh fifteen minute class in high school.

The only lesson?

WEAR A CONDOM

 

lol it’s hard to find a good doctor? Nurses are burnt out? The latter work 3 days a week in shift work. I think you’re confusing it with the former. The problem is people rely on an anecdote here and there too much, no field is set to a higher bar and threat of litigation with any mistake. Believe me, malpractice lawyers are salivating at the thought of it.

 

I graduated from SHSU in business and now I run a business and after expenses my take home pay averages $50-60 per hour for the time invested..not bad but I can honestly say a lot of what I do now is NOT because of my degree in business but rather hard work and common sense …however I do credit my degree for enhancing my communication skills and that has definitely helped

 

Some very good posts in this thread.

I have a degree. My private college (TCU) was about $60k all in (graduated in 99) and was considered expensive at the time. TCU is now 60k PER YEAR. 240k for a tier two degree that opens no doors.

As a father of two I don’t even root for the school in front of my kids as I don’t want them going there. As a parent saving for college I hope the education system checks itself as tuition is out of control and it is so unfair for millennials and younger to have to deal with that much debt for a degree…

 

I just did a calculator for Sam Houston State. Without meals and housing, the semester cost came out to $6,192 for a 15 hour semester. So for a year, you're about $12,400 for tuition and fees (also includes parking and books).

If you worked, you could pretty easily cash flow the housing and meals. So if you took out a loan on 100% of tuition, fees, parking and books, you'd be about $50K for 4 years (no summers and full 15 hours every year, so 120 credits).

Sounds cheap compared to folks who get strung up for $200K in loans, but when I was there (2004-2008) I was on a "full scholarship" and they gave us about $5K a semester (I think tuition and fees was in the $3K range, and rest went to room and board. I worked, so money got a little messy after that, but I also lived in a trailer for 2 years for pretty dirt cheap...but it was like, a pretty nice trailer). So costs really basically doubled in the last 13 years or so (I think that scholarship I was on gives 9-10k per student per semester now).

So, there are still schools that are "doable". If we stopped giving these crazy loans for expensive schools and made it where people had to think about their money, tuition costs could fix itself. If we just let everyone go wherever they want, costs could continue to rise.

Also - the above costs don't include dropping courses or failing and needing to retake courses. I know of people in college who took a class 3 times and never got credit because they failed, and then get mad about their student loans.

 

I feel the same way about Baylor, my alma mater. I can't justify that level of expense for a college education at this point relative to options. I have great memories of being there...I loved the experience...I met some amazing people. But it's simply not worth the cost to me.

 

This is so true. School choice and degree choice are HUGE.

I think a lot of kids are deciding where to go to college based on....I'm just gonna say it......team colors.

My nephew is a freshman as OkState this year. He was a straight A student and is majoring in Engineering. He could have gone anywhere he wanted. But he chose OSU because that's where his dad went and he grew up going to their football games in Stillwater every Saturday. So now they have to pay out of state tuition.

College football is so HUGE right now and everyone wants to be a part of it. I'm guilty of it too, since "my" team won a NC last year. But I have no doubt that a lot of kids are basing their decisions on lifestyle over cost and/or ROI.

Is there really a big difference between an accounting degree from Texas A&M vs. an accounting degree from Prairie View?

 

As someone who has interviewed and hired many accountants no there’s not. Where you went to school only matters if you went to an Ivy as there are certain firms, organizations, etc that recruit there specifically.

I’m sure Baylor, TCU, and the other private schools in Texas are great but I would never suggest my kids go there without a substantial scholarship.

 

https://www.baylor.edu/admissions/index.php?id=872111

Baylor Undergrad tuition is $50,232 and room and meals is 12,682.

$251,656 for a 4 year degree?!?!

Who in the world thinks Baylor is worth that?

Just looked Baylor is ranked 75th nationally by US News and World Report behind Texas A&M and UT.

 

No. The majority of good accounting students end up going to public accounting. From there, you eventually end up in industry. You might see more UT, A&M, etc. out there, but that's really due to sheer numbers of students who went there. They all start with the same salary, and work the same job for at least a couple of years. After that, it's all about how you actually performed and basically being lucky with your first job out of public (everyone seems to just use head hunters for that).

That's why when I hear people bragging about their big school and how great a program might be, in my head I'm thinking "you probably paid double or more for your degree, and we both got the same job and pay, so how is it better?"

 

Some people say a bigger school is better for networking, but I don't know if I want to work for someone who hires talent based on their favorite college football team.

 

probably better than which Greek letters are on their hoodie

 

It really depends on HOW good the school is. I can tell you that in the case of being a lawyer, if you go to a top 10 school, you will make money as long as you are not a complete monster. You can literally do almost nothing all day and keep your job....

 

These posts are the most upsetting in the whole thread. Sadly I can see myself being in the exact same shoes in 10 years.... nervously laughing when my kid starts to see other kids cheering for UVA or Virginia Tech... or worse yet, Georgetown and GW.

 

Our oldest daughter is going to university in Austria for international sales and marketing. The entire program is in English. It costs about EUR 1500 a year and it includes virtually all of her books, materials, and a train pass. Her dorm last year cost about EUR 350 a month and included pretty much everything she needed including internet. She has to pay for food, a cell phone plan (EUR 20/month) and we also bought her a bike. Any American can apply for the program.

College in the US, like most things, is a scam.

edit:
Also, once she was accepted to the program she was able to obtain a residency visa and with that, she is covered by Austria's nationalized healthcare.

 

You mean in the real world?