Ask HN: With college, should I go big or cheap? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: With college, should I go big or cheap?

5 pointswhackedspinach9 comments

I'm a high school senior who wants to major in CS. I want to know what you guys think on the "best" college vs. the "cheap" college approach (when I say cheap, I just mean cheaper than the alternatives). As a general rule, should kids try and get out with the least amount of debt, or just go get the good education at the school you want and deal with the debt? It's just money after all.

For example: I've been admitted to U of Illinois UC, which is an amazing school for CS, and I can get out with no debt since I'm in state. On the other hand, I'm waiting for decisions from Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT. If I got in to one of those, I would like to go there over U of I (who wouldn't choose CA over IL), but I'd rack up quite a bit of debt.

I've heard conflicting answers from relatives and friends, so I thought I'd ask those of you who are actually in an industry I plan to enter.

Thanks for any advice, whackedspinach.

Go big if "big" is really big (top-10, or ideally top-3, in their category). Go cheap otherwise.

Most of the advantage to an elite college accrues to the very top - Harvard, Stanford, MIT. If your choice is between, say, NYU or Hampshire or BU and a state school with in-state tuition, the state school is probably a better value. If your choice is between, say, Stanford or Amherst or MIT and a state school, going to the big name school can result in earnings that pay off the cost of it within 5 years.

Also, many of the top-tier colleges give very generous financial aid to middle-class families, so you may find it's not all that much more expensive than a state school. My actual tuition at Amherst College was less than sticker price at UMass Amherst, though of course I would've gotten a full-ride on merit scholarships at UMass.

agree with the above. I work at a federally funded research center and where you went is pretty important Carnegie-melon, MIT, etc.

However, if I was going to just get a degree then work at a startup just go somewhere with a good program and then let your git repo be your resume.

I think there are a number of things you need to consider.

Even if you get in, do you have the drive and intellectual chops to enjoy college at one of the most prestigious universities in the county? College is designed to provide you with an education both in the classroom and outside of it. If you have the drive I definitely recommend attending one of the really great schools you mentioned above. However if making the grades is going to take everything you have and leave no time for anything else then I recommend you reconsider even if you do get in. My take on college was that I got a lot more from the experiences you have outside of the classroom than you ever will in it.

I believe if you are smart enough and talented enough to attend a prestigious school like those you mentioned then you shouldn’t worry about the debt you might graduate with. Smart and talented people can overcome their educational debt and the value that comes along with being a graduate from one of those universities in the long run will more than return.

In my own experience I had a chance to attend Duke, however I know that making the grade there was probably more than I was up for at the time. So I want to a less academically challenging school (Arizona) where I could be on the west coast and excel in the classroom but still have the time to really enjoy everything college had to offer. I think at the end of the day you need to make a decision that feels most right to you. I hope that helps.

Another option is to go to the hard college and then blow off the classes. It's pretty hard to fail out of an elite college (except for MIT), because that adversely affects their U.S. News rankings and makes them less of an elite college.

IMHO, you learn more by taking harder classes and floundering in them than you do by taking easy classes and acing them. Set the amount of time you're willing to spend on academics, and if you can't do everything that's expected of you, just don't do it.

Wait until you see what the need-based financial aid is like.

I went to UC San Diego, in state, and paid significantly more than my buddy who went to MIT. YMMV

I second this -- although my experience/knowledge is a couple of decades out of date. If they want you enough, you may receive an offer approaching or even exceeding parity with the one from your "fall back".

Is U of I local for you? I can't say enough how much pushing yourself by going somewhere new can propel your personal growth. I grew up in New England (a big college town no less) yet went to school in the South and I like to think I'm a better person for it.

U of I is a great CS school so I don't think reputation is a differentiator here for you.

I would agree with this. Leaving town is a big part of the college experience. I moved to Chicago (from Kansas) to go to school and when I finished a lot of my friends where, yep, still in Kansas.

I live in the Chicago suburbs, so it is in the same state, but not "local".

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