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Is $200,000 really worth name?

Staff Perspective

College, for most students, is a four-year journey. Many students want to get the best education, adopt many new majors and experience a new town and culture, so wouldn’t it be nice to have all that for “free”? Today, schools that aren’t considered big name schools offer thousands of full-ride scholarships each year, yet students still choose to pay that extra $30,000-$50,000 just to choose a big name school or their perfect “dream” college over the money. Why, you ask? According to Time.com, students and/or parents are more worried about the name and the school’s reputation rather than finding a school that provides the proper education and fits the needs of that student.

Time.com’s article “Who Needs Harvard?” said that today, parents are very worried about making their children attend Ivy League schools or colleges that offer the Top 5 NCAA sports programs. The article also said that while some students may be accepted into top schools—Yale, Harvard and Princeton reign at the top of the list—most are usually put onto waiver lists or are forced in by parents. That completely skews the students’ chances of finding the proper education for them. As the article so wisely pointed out, “college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.” What students need to find is a school that fits them, not a school that could fit someone that they are not.

Of course, education is one of the most important aspects of attending college. By taking that full-ride scholarship to, say, smaller schools like Cornell College or PSU Fayette, students may find the proper education that they are looking for. Also, for students attending schools that match their abilities, it’s much easier for that individual to succeed and go onto a more prestigious graduate school, rather than a student going to a big name university, struggling to barely get a C. That could really hurt their chances for the future. Attending the smaller and lesser known schools is what everyone should do, but it’s an option to consider.

If this school is offering a student a full-ride scholarship, should he take it because it’s taking the financial burden off his parents? Would he do better in a smaller setting? Is excelling and finding the proper education more important to the student than his school’s name? Those are all scenarios to consider.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, choosing that “dream” school over the full-ride scholarship may be more beneficial. If a student really, really has his eye set on a particular big-name dream school, which costs $50,000 a year, and thinks that he would excel there, then he should try to go to the dream school. Parents will probably understand. Just be aware, with the pressure of being accepted into a big-name university comes the pressure to succeed. Most students attending that school are the ones who do extremely well academically. But if the financial aspects are taken care of and really challenging yourself and succeeding at extremely high levels is what you prefer, go for it.

The answer here is quite clear, and education is the key. Students should choose the school that offers the best education. Even if the school is costly, that university is going to work with parents to try to offer them the best financial package. So, in the end, making a decision between a “dream” college and an essential “free” college should really depend on the educational benefits. Remember, education is the solution.

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