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by toast0 71 days ago
What's the ev for going to college once you factor in graduation rates?

People that get two or three years of college debt and no diploma have a big hole to fill and a small shovel.

Anyway, I think ev isn't the right tool to model gambling behavior; dollar utility isn't linear. It's more about a small spending for a large potential. But then you get into repeated small wagers and such.

4 comments

College graduates make over $1 million in their lifetime compared to high school graduates.

> Anyway, I think ev isn't the right tool to model gambling behavior; dollar utility isn't linear.

You're right. The more money you have, the less utility it gives you, which makes gambling for a windfall an even worse decision. Worse still if you include taxes.

I always thought those numbers were dubious because you are mostly comparing people who are capable of getting a degree with those who aren’t.
What about college dropouts?
> What's the ev for going to college once you factor in graduation rates?

Very positive (IRR ~9%). It's been studied extensively: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstrea...

If I borrow a lot of money to start a business and then don't start the business I would also be in the hole. So, don't do that?
you can always go back and finish later...that's what I'm doing.
My school expires credits after 7 years.