Tuition, college campuses, admissions, etc

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I've been on this board a while and have noted the numerous times we have discussed new fieldhouses, golf courses, fancy dorms, and the other trappings and trimmings that are associated with college and university educations as tied to the cost of tuition and room and board. 

 

Now that I am on the business end of this discussion, my perspective has changed. I no longer believe that these things are 'extras' or used to justify increased tuition. They are necessary in order to recruit prospective students. I've only been recruiting for a month and I already have a long list of potential recruits who won't consider my college due to aging buildings and lack of facilities. These are the same recruits who put down value of education and cost of tuition as important aspects when considering colleges or universities.

 

My college ranks in the top 25 nationally for value and grad school admissions. It's a tier 1 LAC with a history of providing an excellent education. None of that matters when the recruits are comparing facilities. I've lost recruits to schools that are $10K more a year out of pocket, when comparing tuition, merit aid, and financial aid, because our dorms need to be upgraded (just one example). The most amusing was the student who cited the condition of our swimming pool as the reason for not selecting our college; this student doesn't swim, has no interest in swimming, and would never have need to be in the pool if said student chose not to.

 

I now understand why college tours are tailored to highlight certain aspects and avoid others. I understand the push for capital campaigns and fundraising to upgrade physical plants.

 

It's a catch 22.

[teachermom2834]

I agree. My ds is a D3 athlete. We visited most of the schools in his conference and his school is definitely the least updated, fancy, etc. It was also the cheapest by far. His bottom line is $10,000-$20,000 cheaper than the others.

 

He is having a great experience and getting value out of every penny he is spending. We all feel like he got a bargain and being able to look past the aging dorms and lack of swimming pool saved him thousands of dollars. (Also important was the ability to not care that others looked down at this decision).

 

I know from talking to other families that we are the anomaly, though. I am sure it makes recruiting much more difficult.

[JanetC]

I'm sorry it's hard. Teens definitely can be fickle when looking at colleges. Hopefully you'll figure out the best way to highlight the strengths of your school and team. You started something great with your team this year, so your players might be good ambassadors or have ideas? Good luck.

[MarkT]

I've been on this board a while and have noted the numerous times we have discussed new fieldhouses, golf courses, fancy dorms, and the other trappings and trimmings that are associated with college and university educations as tied to the cost of tuition and room and board. 

 

Now that I am on the business end of this discussion, my perspective has changed. I no longer believe that these things are 'extras' or used to justify increased tuition. They are necessary in order to recruit prospective students. I've only been recruiting for a month and I already have a long list of potential recruits who won't consider my college due to aging buildings and lack of facilities. These are the same recruits who put down value of education and cost of tuition as important aspects when considering colleges or universities.

 

My college ranks in the top 25 nationally for value and grad school admissions. It's a tier 1 LAC with a history of providing an excellent education. None of that matters when the recruits are comparing facilities. I've lost recruits to schools that are $10K more a year out of pocket, when comparing tuition, merit aid, and financial aid, because our dorms need to be upgraded (just one example). The most amusing was the student who cited the condition of our swimming pool as the reason for not selecting our college; this student doesn't swim, has no interest in swimming, and would never have need to be in the pool if said student chose not to.

 

Obviously many of these are "rich" kids with distorted priorities.

 

I do think that the dorm and meals must be commensurate with the tuition/fee rate.  As a parent, if I am paying a high tuition for my child to attend college X then college X better have clean and updated dorms along with "good" food!  

 

Your college doesn't need a "climbing wall" and other crap like that.

[catz]

I cannot imagine having the luxury of dropping another 10K a year over nicer dorms or a better gym?  And we are a family who is going to need significant merit aid to make anything but the state options to work (and some of the state options may be rough).  It's a crazy world!  :lol:

[Bootsie]

This is not limited to fancy private schools.  I taught at a state school which serviced a historically underserved minority population of students; most were first-generation college students; the graduation rate was about 60%.  Many students weren't academically prepared for college.

 

The university had a new recreation center with a lazy river.  The university brought in a Chilli's restaurant because students were bored with the cafeteria, chick-fi-la, Strabucks, pizza place, sushi place,... already on campus.

 

But, the school had the lowest amount of academic facilities per student of any school in the state of Texas.  So, when your child could not get into any classes in the middle of the day because there were no classrooms with seats available--don't worry, he can go float on the lazy river before going out for his nice dinner before his classes start at 9:30pm because that is the earliest a classroom is available (and yes it will be in a classroom with 300 other students taught by a teaching assistant...)

 

On the other hand, I did look at things like a pool that wasn't maintained when I visited campuses with my own children.  Is it a sign that the school doesn't take pride in what it is doing?  Does it mean the school is having financial problems?  Does it mean that there has been poor planning and budgeting in that money has been spent on capital improvements without the forethought of how will items be maintained?  Long-run is the school financially viable?  (In other words, I would rather see no pool than one that is in disrepair.)

[Sneezyone]

I look at those details as a sign of priorities and  the training of the staff. If there are health and safety code violations, I'm out. If the student parking lot looks like the surface of the moon, I'm out. I do understand in some areas its impossible to get good help...but Ill see the result of that at the hotel/motel also.

 

This is where I am. Cleanliness, orderliness, and facilities that are functional and well-maintained are my baseline. On the next level up is food. I'm a great cook and my kids like good food from around the world. They might scratch a school over instant mashed potatoes, drowned veggies, and brown gloop gravy in a sparsely occupied chow hall but the brand new, single-room 'pods' and high-end shopping center that my alma just opened do nothing for us.

[daijobu]

Some students who aren't division 1 swimmers may still swim for fitness and fun.  (I am a slow swimmer, but it was a convenient way for me to get some exercise in college.  And I got to use the same fabulous pool as our swim team.) 

 

I made the mistake of taking my dd to visit a college the week after move out, but before summer classes started.  The campus was dead, and there was still the detritus of move out in the dorm halls.  It was 80 degree weather and we saw a whole gallon of milk just sitting out in the hallway.  (Thankfully it hadn't been opened.)  It's been over a year, and I still can't think about this college without thinking of spoiled milk, garbage, and no students.  (And the buildings were pretty crummy too.)  

[Arcadia]

We toured Harvey Mudd, Caltech and UCLA yesterday.

 

Kids didn’t like HMC because it’s too small, lots of skateboarders and one food court. The buildings were a mix of old and new. We didn’t notice any sports facilities and it’s not a concern. It’s also in the middle of nowhere, no shops to walk to. (ETA: Their sports facilities was probably not at the HMC part of the consortium. They do have plenty http://cmsathletics.org/facilities/index The Claremont consortium is big but HMC is small)

 

Caltech was old buildings and kids didn’t mind it. Has a turtle & duck pond, a fountain near the library and food courts. We only saw tennis courts. People were studying at the food court. We got lost there for a while because we took the wrong turn to walk back to our car. Lots of campus directories so we found our way easily after getting lost. (ETA: Caltech sports facilities is across the street from the main compound. They have squash courts which is what I missed here in the states http://www.gocaltech.com/Recreation/About_Us/Facilities/The_Facilities )

 

UCLA is a big state university smack in the city. Plenty of food courts and medical centers. Luskin Conference Center is a nice hotel but no microwave in room and no breakfast. A very short walk away is Target, CVS, Trader Joe’s, Sur La Table so easy shopping for dorm needs. The UCLA bookstore is about the same price as Target which is nice. We didn’t walk the entire campus. People were studying at the food court or web surfing.

 

So on first impressions, kids eliminated HMC.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Arcadia

[Closeacademy]

My daughter's priorities:

 

1. variety of foreign languages (preferably Eastern European)

2. study abroad options

 

We've done one college tour because it's the only one in our state that has these. It's a beautiful campus but so big and sports-oriented but I think she'd find that of any school that offers languages beyond the big 3 (French, Spanish & German). Luckily it's a state school and she will hopefully get a decent amount of financial aid. 

[OnMyOwn]

Well, are there any colleges that are charging less than $25,000/year for tuition, room and board? I haven’t come across any in my state and for that price, I do want decent facilities and food. A lazy river or climbing wall? No. But air conditioned dorms in an area where that is the norm and food options for a kid with allergies other than baked chicken and a vegetable every day are things that will impact our decision, especially when we can get the same quality education at another college for the same price that does have those things.

 

Honestly, though, there is only one college that we have looked at that has gone crazy with the amenities, including an ice skating rink and a ski slope, lol. All the rest offer pretty standard facilities, but only one has no air conditioning in some of the dorms and limited food choices for my food allergy kid.

[almondbutterandjelly]

My dd chose our local university over our local community college when she walked around campus and heard that they have a lot of cats.  Plus, the second we entered the Performing Arts building, she said, "I'm going here."  She is not a performer.  But the building was very beautiful, as is much of the campus quite frankly.  The CC is run-down and in a not-so-nice part of town.

 

Nice buildings and facilities matter.  

[RootAnn]

The local state college campus is beautiful, but the class selections are limited and the town it is in is in the middle of nowhere. (One grocery store, one gas station, no movie theater. Run down houses in the actual town. Big city over an hour away.)

 

The whole package makes a difference.

 

I have a dd who will want an indoor swimming pool and running track (assuming four season weather). She's not a competitive athlete, but she loves her pool time. But an ugly campus will likely also be a turn off. Can you love them both?

[Arch at Home]

We look for the following:

1. Classes with engaged, participating students.

2. Dining halls with a dedicated allergy station, Udi's bread, allergy or ingredient labeling of main line foods, and helpful food service staff.

3. Urban or easy access to urban center.

4. Collegiate aesthetic with preferably trees.

5. Clean, maintained dormitories.

 

Gymnasiums, swimming pools, climbing walls, and fast food on campus do nothing for us.