Paying for College: Public or Private?

When discussing college costs, someone always brings up the notion that there is no need to pay for a private school when a local commuter school gives you the same education for less money.

I sort of agree, and I sort of don’t, and let me explain my reasoning. It may help your family figure out what is best for them.

The first thing I want to note is that my family just went through the comically competitive Chicago high school admissions process this year. We toured lots of schools, public and private alike, and talked to lots of families about their children’s experiences. Ultimately, we came down to two top choices, one public and one Catholic, that had similar characteristics: large; friendly, outgoing culture; lots of clubs and sports; strong but not obsessive academics. Both were competitive, so admission was not guaranteed, and my husband and I would have been happy with either. My kid got into both, so then we had to make a decision. We went with the Catholic school for three reasons. First, we could afford it. Second, my family all went to Catholic high school and had a great time – at least as great as high school can be. Finally, my husband and I are very concerned about budget cuts and labor problems in the Chicago Public Schools.

Schools are different. They have different cultures and different priorities. Some – the Jesuit schools, the University of Chicago – have unique pedagogy. I did not feel the high schools we looked at offered the same experiences, nor do I think all colleges give students the same education.

Some of the differences do affect academics, too. Are the other students in the classes serious? Are the teachers engaged? What opportunities are there outside of class? What are the expectations for graduates?

On the other hand, the overall quality of education at America’s universities is significantly better than the overall quality at its high schools. Gary Becker at the University of Chicago has explained that this is because most colleges don’t hire their own graduates to teach. The academic job market is screwy, so people with different backgrounds end up at universities all over the country. There are Ivy League PhD.s teaching at state universities and state university graduates teaching in the Ivy League. That cross-fertilization allows people with different perspectives and expertise to work together, so they all share ideas.

And, in fact, a motivated college student can get a good education almost anywhere. (I would not say this about high schools.) However, some colleges are a better fit for the student, which increases the chances for success. Some people are better off in a small, nurturing environment. Some would rather be in the mix of a large, urban campus. And everything in between. Some colleges have higher standards and demand more of students than others, so the unmotivated may be better off with that discipline. Others may resent it.

Of course, it’s easier to pursue a major in a low-paying field at a lower-cost school. Many students would rather study what they want than have to go into a lucrative field in order to be able to pay off student loans. That’s a smart, mature choice.

Some unmotivated people will wash out wherever they go, and they may be better off going to college when they are older. (That’s another thing the American university system does well. It’s wide open to students working on non-traditional timelines or who need non-traditional hours. In many countries, if you can’t go or aren’t ready for college at 18, you have lost your chance.) Other people will fall in love with the culture of a campus and work hard to stay there and get as much as possible out of the experience.

Although schools are different, different is not necessarily better, especially not for any specific person, and better is not necessarily more expensive or more competitive.

The bottom line is that college choice (and school choice at any level) is very much one of fit between the student and the institution, and almost every family has to face tradeoffs. I realized this years ago, when I was looking at preschools. I could tell that some programs would have been perfect for me, but they would have been frustrating for my active little boy. That’s true at every level.

Part of the fit is the ability to afford it. My husband and I talked about how high school tuition would affect our budget before we let our kid apply to private school, and we didn’t even look at the most expensive private schools in the area.

If the best fit culturally, educationally, financially, or whatever is a public commuter college, that does not mean that a student will be short-changed academically. Hardly! It may make it easier for a student to keep up with the workload if her or she is living at home and not working crazy hours or taking on crazy debt.

I can’t come out and say that private schools aren’t worth the money, because in many cases, they are. But I can’t come out and say that public schools are inferior, because they aren’t. Hey, I’m a Chicago Public School parent! Even in this massive system where most students are on free or reduced lunch, there are great schools. In a state university system, with access to faculty from all over the world and students who are there to learn, the likelihood of getting a great education is high.

One final note: I have never gone to a public school at any level. My husband has never attended a private school, nursery school excepted. Our son has been to a private preschool, a public elementary school, and will be attending private high school. We feel that each of these been the best fit at the time. I have no idea where he will go next, but it will be easier to find a good college than it was to find a good high school in Chicago.

Do what’s right for your family, but don’t feel that your kid is being shortchanged if what’s best is a local commuter college. That’s the bottom line.