Local colleges

[El-Moldo]

I think one of them may have been a foreign exchange student.

[abpk2903]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/after-decades-of-growth-colleges-find-its-survival-of-the-fittest-1519209001 .  You may need to sign up for a free trial or use one of your free articles to read for those that don't subscribe to the WSJ.  This is a great article that truly (IMO) depicts the current college landscape.  For any prospective college students on here, PLEASE READ.  College ends and you have to pay this debt back.  It is a lot easier to do if you are going into a field that allows the ability to earn $80-$100k within a few years of graduation.  Also, small local state schools may seem like a great option because the tuition will save you $30,000 to $50,000 over the 4 years that you are there but the reality is they have little alumni base, aren't well known outside of central PA, and most of their programs offered are not nationally recognized.  A place like Penn State or Pitt (ouch that hurts) or Temple or Villanova allows you to tap into a network of opportunities that small State schools typically can't offer.  I can say this, I am 28 years old and my wife and I both have Penn State degrees.  We are living comfortably and have nearly all of our debt paid off.  We both were hired by Penn State grads and now live out of the area but our degree still holds the same value it did in central PA.  Both my wife and I's roommates are all in good positions with great companies.  My friends that went to other major universities and took full advantage of the programs that went along with it are doing great.  I am not saying my philosophy is right, I am just giving my opinion.

[konjo78]

College is an interesting debate atm. I too went to a major university, and also a different one for grad school, and I am doing well for myself at 26. But I do think the majors people choose has a lot bigger issue than the college you go to.

So many scientific fields now a days are too broad and employers want/expect students to have atleast a masters in a scientific field. I personally got my masters just to speed up my process of promotions and flexibility of jobs.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Duquesne has always been popular for McCort students through the years from what I can tell.  I knew a lot of people that went there.  Seemed to get more kids than the Mount, SFU, and Seton Hill.  And I think the main thing is living in Pittsburgh versus living in Loretto ect. 

I think every high school around always has a ton of kids going to UPJ, just the staying home aspect wins out I think. 

Pitt and Penn State are two very good schools, but they are also the two most expensive public schools in America.  They aren't super easy to get into either.  But they always seem to be popular choices.  I graduated with a class of 100 kids in 2009 at McCort, I think maybe 6-7 ended up going to Pitt main.

[TheAnalyst]

My degree from lowly Frostburg State has never seemed to hold me back. I’ve worked for several major American companies and it has never been an issue or even brought up. A degree proves you had a goal, worked for it, and achieved it. Unless you are going to study weather (Penn State) or medicine (Pitt), I think paying to attend a major university is overrated. Employers just want that piece of paper. Sure there are specialized areas, like I noted above, or a degree from an Ivy League school, that will go a long way, but for the most part doesn’t matter. Especially in a rural area like we live in here.
If my kids go to a community college for two years to save some money and complete their degree at a 4 year college, it’s a smart move in my book. If they go to school at all. The cost of attending college is completely out of control.

[knowitall]

My last year of college cost $6000.  That included room and board.  Getting a full time job at minimum wage paid $6968 per year back then.  That same college today costs $27,500.  Getting a full time job at minimum wage today pays $15,080.  The starting teaching salary in a few local high schools today is $25,000.

[abpk2903]

I don't want to be misunderstood here.  My post was NOT designed to take a shot at any local college.  I know people of great success from small local community colleges and I know of people that have a degree from a top 50 colleges that have struggled professionally throughout their life.  I am speaking more in terms of the investment and making the most of opportunity. It is much more than medicine and weather with schools like Pitt and Penn State.  They both have great engineering programs, Penn State medicine is very solid, and they both have great business schools.  My point is with college, your first house will probably cost you 2-3 times the cost of your college education.  Don't let a few thousand a year of tuition cause you to not enter an University that will provide you with greater opportunity. Just like anything else in life, you get what you pay for and you will get out of it what you put into it.

[konjo78]

Idk if everything you are saying is true at this point. There are just some majors that are not going to give you results post bachelors degree no matter how much you put in. Jobs in the country have heavily shifted and some colleges are not interested im letting attendees know

[abpk2903]

Oh, I completely agree with that. If you have a job that specifically needs a specific degree but from where has little impact (school teacher, state trooper, nurse, etc.) then save your money and get it the cheapest way possible.  

[Manfred]

I have a nephew who just graduated from Wooster Polytechnic Institute in Mass. with some kind of degree in robotics software. It cost his parents $ 64K / yr. to attend. They aren't rich either. Less than $100 K / yr. between both of them. Now the son did really well, earned a 3 month internship in Switzerland before graduating last month, and was immediately hired by the Co. that granted his internship, making $83 K to start. As mentioned before, you should get out of an education what you put into it, and a lot more, at least we would hope.