[75j]

> Apparently back in the old days you could work a part time job

Even if that was true, it's not the old days anymore. The college I went to is now at 50,000$+ a year with compulsory room and board. Try paying that off with a part-time job and still competing well with your rich peers.

No matter what, it's an enormous advantage to not have to work while in college. I know I wouldn't have done as well if I was working simultaneously, since I was still stressed out as is.

[Keverw]

Wow, that's about $200,000 over 4 years.

Yeah, I agree it's high. I just think if loans aren't easily given out like they are then colleges would be forced to lower their prices.

Yeah, I feel if you really want to master something you need to do it full time. Just seems like the whole system is screwed up as it is right now. Plus if you got a job at McDonalds and went for a PHD in physics they still count you getting a job even if not in their field as part of their success rate. I feel it's totally misleading.

I don't know if these young people even know what they are getting into. My mom says to just file bankruptcy if it doesn't work out, which isn't true. Many people falsely believe that.

[umanwizard]

Tuition at the college I went to was about $8000 a year. I graduated in 2013. What did the extra several of tens of thousands buy you?

[75j]

It was one of the the few smaller colleges with a linguistics department, so there's that. I had small class sizes and good, well-known professors, but the main reason is because I was 18 and I was just expected to go to a college like that. I personally didn't want to go to college at all, but it wasn't an option, and my parents fortunately had the money to cover everything. I got a national merit scholarship which knocked about 20,000$ off the price tag (and I contributed ~3000$ a year), but still, way too pricey. Many of my friends took out huge loans to go there. If I had the choice I would've lived abroad for a few years and then went to a state college.

[leakybit]

Where I live, State owned universities subsidize in-state students tuition so it ends up being $12,000 without room & board. If it's not State owned, it's usually in the 30,000's not including room & board.