Interesting article to see how people have been adjusting to the high costs of college.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/families-...1406779205

What I find most interesting is this:

Quote:For one thing, more students attended a two-year public college, and many such students live at home. The 34% of students using two-year public schools was the highest in the seven years the study has been conducted.

"You can save an enormous amount of money" at a two-year school, said Christopher Russo, 22, of Bridgewater, N.J., who received an associate degree in May from nearby Raritan Valley Community College.

Quote:Mr. Russo will incur a limited amount of debt when he continues his education this fall at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. While some of his friends attending private colleges will end up with huge debt burdens, he said, "I'll be out of debt incredibly fast," probably a few years after graduation, thanks to his in-state tuition at Rutgers and spending the first two years at a community college.

Michael J. McDonough, president of Raritan Valley Community College, said that as families have become more cost-conscious, "community colleges have become more aggressive in marketing [their] affordability."

Meantime, among the 22% of families with students at four-year private colleges, some appear to have sought lower-priced schools, Ms. Ducich said. While the average costs for two-year and four-year public schools in 2013-14 rose 3.2% and 6.4%, respectively, from the previous school year, the average expense for four-year private schools fell 11.6% from $39,434 the prior year. All figures are before reductions for aid.

Looks like the future model - if full scale universities don't react - will be for students to spend 2 years at community colleges and then finish their degrees at university.

That will be our track if mine doesn't either get a scholarship or is an exceptional student with a clearly defined plan and purpose and the drive to back it up.

Going the two year community college route makes so much sense. Basically the same courses as first two years of university at half the costs. Just have to make sure stuff transfers though.

Most likely my kids will be going this route too, unless a scholarship comes down the pike. I don't see the need to overpay for the first 2 years of undergrad level courses - especially if the end game is a degree from the college of arts and sciences at the big school.

I've been paying for my daughter's college with my retirement.

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(07-31-2014 10:35 AM)miko33 Wrote:  Looks like the future model - if full scale universities don't react - will be for students to spend 2 years at community colleges and then finish their degrees at university.

This has actually been the model for many 4 year universities.

ZSU has branch campuses throughout the state, and gets a number of upper classmen coming from them.

Virginia state universities are all part of a system where if you go to the local community colleges, and get appropriate grades, you are guaranteed admission for upper division work.

ASU has had a long time (decades) agreement w/ Maricopa County Comm colleges to do this.

I'm not quite sure how the numbers work, but I'd guess that the main campuses are accepting fewer freshmen, and leaving more slots open for these transfers. And they have a good handle on the attrition rate.

This is good news but the bubble is still going to burst.

(07-31-2014 11:06 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I've been paying for my daughter's college with my retirement.

Fortunately for you places like UWisc are making it so you don't have to worry about her grades either.

The bubble needs to burst. Even people who don't manage to finish college are leaving with a decade worth of debt. That's a high price to pay for realizing you don't belong in college.


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(07-31-2014 11:10 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 10:35 AM)miko33 Wrote:  Looks like the future model - if full scale universities don't react - will be for students to spend 2 years at community colleges and then finish their degrees at university.

This has actually been the model for many 4 year universities.

ZSU has branch campuses throughout the state, and gets a number of upper classmen coming from them.

Virginia state universities are all part of a system where if you go to the local community colleges, and get appropriate grades, you are guaranteed admission for upper division work.

ASU has had a long time (decades) agreement w/ Maricopa County Comm colleges to do this.

I'm not quite sure how the numbers work, but I'd guess that the main campuses are accepting fewer freshmen, and leaving more slots open for these transfers. And they have a good handle on the attrition rate.

I understand that large universities will send a lot of freshmen/sophomores to satellite campuses first before they come to main campus. In those cases, I doubt the costs are all that different. However, the state universities in Virginia that work with community colleges is a different matter that seems to be a great partnership.

(07-31-2014 12:25 PM)dmacfour Wrote:  The bubble needs to burst. Even people who don't manage to finish college are leaving with a decade worth of debt. That's a high price to pay for realizing you don't belong in college.

Especially since they went based on lies from teachers, guidance counselors, and public officials.

The whole bubble is just a response to a terrible K-12 system. Companies want a college degree to sell toilet paper and do interior design because a high school diploma doesn't even guarantee the person is literate.