It’s an exciting time of the year for many students around the country. As they consider (or look back at) the cost of their degree, many will wonder if it's worth it. The costs are often much more easily observable than the benefit.
As someone sending kids to college in the fall for the first time, this is an incredibly relevant topic. Two things I'd like to add. First, if you are going to a private college be prepared to pay way, way more than the dollar figure you quoted. I wonder if the rate of return on the private liberal arts education is anywhere close to that of the state run education. Second, Bryan Caplan has a fantastic book about the educational machine called "The Case Against Education". Being as Bryan makes a living as an academic economist, it may seem odd that he is shooting at the golden goose, but that may make his arguments that much more credible.
As someone sending kids to college in the fall for the first time, this is an incredibly relevant topic. Two things I'd like to add. First, if you are going to a private college be prepared to pay way, way more than the dollar figure you quoted. I wonder if the rate of return on the private liberal arts education is anywhere close to that of the state run education. Second, Bryan Caplan has a fantastic book about the educational machine called "The Case Against Education". Being as Bryan makes a living as an academic economist, it may seem odd that he is shooting at the golden goose, but that may make his arguments that much more credible.