Most Expensive Colleges
Found an interesting list this morning while reading the morning “papers ” here on CNN. It shows the top 10 most expensive colleges in the US and not surprisingly 9 of the 10 are on the east coast. Four of them are in the state of New York while only one is in the midwest…Washington University in St Louis, MO.
The total cost at the most expensive school of them all is $55,788 at Sarah Lawrence in Bronxville, NY. I’ve heard many great things about Sarah Lawrence – it has academic rigor, a wonderful history, celebrated alumni, etc. But, can it really be worth that much money? Can it be worth over $220,000 for an undergraduate education? The short answer is no!
I don’t doubt that students get excellent educations at Sarah Lawrence, or any of these top 10 most expensive schools, but I do doubt the value. While most serious students definitely want to obtain the best education they can, in economic times like these they should also consider value in education. I doubt students obtain that much better of an education at Columbia over say SUNY-Stony Brook? In fact, it could be argued that there is more value in a lower cost public school education for most students…especially less serious ones.
I think in the end expensive schools thrive on the Chivas Regal effect…the more it costs the better it is. When in reality they simply attract the best students. That is, the smartest kids. This in turn makes the professors look good, the school seem better, the classes tougher, and the endowment grow. It’s all about the student, not the tuition.
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