Northern Woman Getting Bids at an SEC School

[UF56]

The same thing is occurring in Florida because of our Bright Futures scholarship. I have taught HS for the past three years and have noticed every year that is it is harder for the students to get into UF. I haven't noticed the trend with FSU but I am sure it is happening. This past year the valedictorian and salutitorian did not get into UF however they did get into FSU. The sad thing is that they both had like 4.5's and over 1400 on their SATS as well as tons of volunteering and extracirriculars. I think more and more Florida students are going to Auburn. I know quite a few girls who have gone without recs and have become Phi Mus and DZs. But sometimes I think SEC schools consider students from SEC states as locals and not necessairly the same as someone from say New York.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally Posted by UF56

I have taught HS for the past three years and have noticed every year that is it is harder for the students to get into UF.

Have you really been out of college for three years???? It doesn't seem that long ago that you were colonizing your chapter!

[kdonline]

Originally Posted by UF56

The same thing is occurring in Florida because of our Bright Futures scholarship. I have taught HS for the past three years and have noticed every year that is it is harder for the students to get into UF.

Yes, this is so true. At the high school I taught @ in Miami, probably 90% of the students in the IB program went to UF, rather than going out of state, because of the free tuition from the Bright Futures scholarships, etc...

I was shocked when one of my students turned down Harvard to go to UF for free. Personally, I'd WANT my kid to choose Harvard over UF - and I'm a die-hard Gator - I will gladly take out loans (if I have to) to pay for an Ivy League education.

[alum]

Originally Posted by kdonline

Yes, this is so true. At the high school I taught @ in Miami, probably 90% of the students in the IB program went to UF, rather than going out of state, because of the free tuition from the Bright Futures scholarships, etc...

I was shocked when one of my students turned down Harvard to go to UF for free. Personally, I'd WANT my kid to choose Harvard over UF - and I'm a die-hard Gator - I will gladly take out loans (if I have to) to pay for an Ivy League education.

Here is a link to an article regarding the issue of whether some state universities are admitting too many out of state students, while excluding students from the home state.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...es-cover_x.htm

Kdonline, I definitely agree with your opinion. An education from a top LAC or research university is well worth the cost.

[Zillini]

While I understand your point about the top notch Ivy League schools, I have to disagree. Ok, maybe not completely disagree but I'd certainly have to think long and hard about it.

Free education at a highly respected in state school vs. $42,500+ per year for out of state at Harvard (tuition, room & board, books and supplies cost listed at http://www.collegetoolkit.com/Colleg...d/166027.aspx). Of course that's without any financial assistance that may be available and accumulated savings which would have to be factored in to the decision.

I don't know what my Hubby, my son and I would decide if we were in this situation. I don't want to see my son saddled with massive loan payments for the rest of his life. Nor do I want to jeopardize my Hubby's and my future by taking on massive debt as we near retirement age. We're not planning on retiring in luxury. We simply don't want to end up in the poorhouse and have to rely on our son to take care of us financially either.

[Angels&Arrows]

[QUOTE=Zillini]
Free education at a highly respected in state school vs. $42,500+ per year for out of state at Harvard (tuition, room & board, books and supplies cost listed at http://www.collegetoolkit.com/Colleg...d/166027.aspx). Of course that's without any financial assistance that may be available and accumulated savings which would have to be factored in to the decision.
QUOTE]

The endowment at an IL is large enough, that students do not pay the full tuition. Often, (ex. Harvard), if your parents make under a set income school is free; if you go into a public service type position your loans are paid in full, etc. I would wager, that a senior from a state school vs. senior from an IL would owe the same upon graduation. (I am not including state schools where free tuition is given to all students with a certain GPA).

That is only the beginning... Many large firms do not even recruit anywhere but IL or the equivilent. Prior to returning to school for Nursing, I worked as the Admin Manager for a mid-sized Cap. Mkts group. Starting salary w/ bonus for new assoc. was close to 100k. (that was five years ago). Unless you had an in.. we did not look at resumes from State schools and/or many Private schools. I would argue w/ the type of network that ILs offer, the earning potential is far greater on base.

[FuzzieAlum]

Public-College Graduates Accrue Almost as Much Student-Loan Debt as Private-College Peers, Report Says

By STEPHEN BURD
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/08/2006083003n.htm

Students who attend public universities and state colleges graduate with nearly as much student-loan debt as those at private colleges on average, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, "Student Debt and the Class of 2005," is the work of the Project on Student Debt, an effort being led by Robert M. Shireman, a former senior education-policy adviser in the Clinton administration. The project, which is being financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, is working to develop public-policy proposals to reduce the burden of student debt on those least able to afford it.

The report's authors analyzed data on the average debt levels of college students who graduated in 2005, as reported by more than 1,400 four-year colleges around the country to Peterson's, a publisher of college guidebooks.

The authors found that the average debt for seniors graduating from public colleges ranged from $23,198 in Iowa to $11,067 in Utah; the average debt of those from private colleges ranged from $32,504 in Arizona to $13,309 in Utah.

While in most states the average debt of graduates from public colleges is lower than that of private-college graduates, the reverse is true in seven states: Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The report also found that just because a state college is relatively inexpensive does not mean that its students are not taking on large debt loads. And conversely, just because a private college is costly does not mean its students are assuming unmanageable levels of debt.

In many cases, students from low-income families who attend low-cost institutions have no other option but to take out loans to pay for books, food, rent, and other living expenses. As a result, "a number of campuses with low in-state tuition," of less than $3,500, and high proportions of low-income students report having "average student debt levels of more than $20,000," the report says. Those colleges include Florida A&M University, Grambling State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Texas Southern University.

At the same time, some of the costliest private colleges provide such generous amounts of institutional need-based aid that financially needy students do not need to borrow as much as they otherwise would if they attended lower-priced institutions.

According to the report, more than 30 private colleges "charge more than $20,000 in tuition yet report that the average debt of their graduates is $15,000 or less." Those include Amherst College, Bard College, Colgate University, the Johns Hopkins University, Macalester College, Sarah Lawrence College, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, and Williams College.

Along with the report, the project has posted on its Web site an interactive map that provides statewide averages and campus-by-campus data.

[KillarneyRose]

My sister went to an Ivy League university and, things may be different now but back then if you were granted admission, the school made sure you were given enough in grants and scholarships to get through. I understand that it also helped that our family was spectacularly poor.

So she got through college with very little debt but her debt from medical school? YIKES

[ISUKappa]

Originally Posted by FuzzieAlum

Public-College Graduates Accrue Almost as Much Student-Loan Debt as Private-College Peers, Report Says

[hijack from OT]
We were just talking about this at work today. I went to a state school, paid in-state tuition and still racked up $20K in student loans and that was 5 years ago.

The husband went to a small, private engineering school but was able to get grants and scholarships so that he had less than $15K in debt which, at the time 10 years ago, was a little less than tuition for one year. Tuition now is around $30K/year.[/hijack]

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by kdonline

Yes, this is so true. At the high school I taught @ in Miami, probably 90% of the students in the IB program went to UF, rather than going out of state, because of the free tuition from the Bright Futures scholarships, etc...

I was shocked when one of my students turned down Harvard to go to UF for free. Personally, I'd WANT my kid to choose Harvard over UF - and I'm a die-hard Gator - I will gladly take out loans (if I have to) to pay for an Ivy League education.

This is true...when I was writing the UF Recs, all of the young women who would have gone out of state stayed in because of Bright Futures. They were also telling me that about half of the kids from the local HS (an IB school) didn't get in! I'm sure I've said it before, but 8 years ago, UF was my SAFETY, and it was for most of the kids in my IB class. I almost didn't apply because I was 99% sure I wasn't going to go.

My sister, a UF alum, insisted that I NOT go to UF and to go to my much more expensive school! I'm glad I listened to her (for once!).

UCF is becoming more popular among kids who don't get into UF.

[alum]

Do the Hope (GA) and Bright Futures (FL) scholarship actually keep bright students in their states after graduation?

[PenguinTrax]

Originally Posted by alum

Do the Hope (GA) and Bright Futures (FL) scholarship actually keep bright students in their states after graduation?

They do in FL plus the FL Prepaid College Fund helps, too.

[Elephant Walk]

Northerners don't even dress up for football games...how are we expected to take them when they don't know how to dress appropriately?

[lauralaylin]

It's only appropriate to dress up for football games? I think sitting on a bleacher for 3 hours in a dress and heels sounds uncomfortable.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

Northerners don't even dress up for football games...how are we expected to take them when they don't know how to dress appropriately?

LOL! I have to admit that when I attended a Vanderbilt football game a couple of years ago I was taken aback by all the young ladies walking around in Lilys (Lilies? What's the plural for a Lily Pulitzer dress, anyhow?) and strappy sandals. I thought maybe they were planning to attend church afterward!

That look wouldn't have worked at my college where it was cold and rainy on most game days, but I did think they looked really cute.