How worth it is it to spend 60k on college?
So, two potential out of state schools that I could go to are UW-Madison and IU Kelley. Both of these schools are costing me around 60k to attend. I will probably not be receiving any financial aid and I'm going to be paying for my college costs. I can only save up by working part time so much and maybe winning a few random scholarships here and there. Assuming the alternative if I choose to not go to one of these schools is cc then transfer, what should I do. I'm not really set on just one career path, I am open to different paths whichever I think is the best fit going forward in college. I just don't know if it worth it to take on that debt considering the colleges aren't even targets and semi targets at best.
Spending $60k on college is a significant financial decision, especially if you're covering the costs yourself. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some key considerations to help you decide:
1. Debt vs. Return on Investment (ROI):
2. Community College (CC) to Transfer Path:
3. Flexibility in Career Goals:
4. Debt Management:
5. Networking and Alumni Support:
Recommendation:
Ultimately, weigh the financial burden against your career aspirations and the opportunities each path provides. If you’re disciplined and strategic, you can succeed regardless of the school you choose.
Sources: Northwestern ECON vs IU Kelley vs Vanderbilt ECON, Don't go to IU Kelley*, Undergrad School OPTIONS (please help), Why does IU Kelley get so much hate despite being a top ranked school?
My opinion is no. I would recommend doing two years at community college and then transferring to a top university. I did this many years ago and was accepted to a an Ivy League school, a public Ivy, and several others, so you can go literally anywhere and the competition for top unis will be less than from HS. I chose the public Ivy for in-state tuition and its top rated undergrad biz program. I graduated with an i-banking job out of school and now work in private equity, but that’s because that’s what interested me. I have other friends who pursued other degrees and work in great jobs elsewhere. This path saved me a ton of money, gave me time to mature, and opened doors that would have never been available to me out of HS.
If you’re in California, you have many great in-state options, which will give you even better value for your money and I suspect the UC system may have guaranteed admissions agreements, but out of state will, of course, be available as well and could also make sense. Wisconsin and Indiana are solid, but you can do better than that. You don’t have to graduate from cc either. You could just do 1yr and then transfer. The key to make it all work is to get as close to a 4.0 GPA as possible and then get involved in a couple of leadership roles on campus. The game is similar to applying to college out of high school: you just need to present yourself as a smart, compelling and active student with a great story. Good luck!
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