With a four-year education at a college or university costing a family an average of $68,000 for a public school, and $142,000 for a private college or university, it is important that students and their families to take the time to find the right school.
In twenty years, the cost of a college education has risen annually 6% to 7%. The normal workers' salary increases 2% - 5% each year. That said, colleges and universities are increasing at two to three times the rate of inflation, and students along with their parents need to figure out how to get the most bang for their buck out of these schools.
In today’s market, it is now “normal” for the cost of college to hit $200,000. In calculating the costs, The Princeton Review defines "average cost" to include tuition, fees, and room & board for one year. On top of that figure you need add for books, flights to and from school, spending money, clothing, car expenses if you take a car to school, fraternity/sorority costs, and then multiple it by four years.
However, if a student chooses to live at home, it is possible that the cost of a college education may be less. By living at home it will cut costs, but at the same time it deprives a student of having the whole experience of a college or university when 85% of the experience is outside of the classroom.
While colleges continuing to rise, and to be more expensive, it’s important for students and their families to do the research necessary, perhaps seeking out the aid of a college admissions consultant, and making sure that the right school for your student is made, and avoid costly mistakes.
When families start to look at colleges and universities, a good source to start with is FISKE. FISKE is a large book which list each college in the U.S. and gives the reader an overview of what each school is about. By periodically browsing a FISKE book, it will give students an idea of what they want and what they don't want, and prepare them for college fairs..
Public School and Independent College Admissions Counselors can also help families sort out the schools zeroing in on which schools offer the most and best of what you're looking for - and that goes for much more than just the quality of their education.
When readers review the Princeton Review, remember this side note.....the schools that are listed today, may not be the schools that are listed next year. Students need to focus on what their needs are and what they are looking for. If the school a student is looking at is not listed, it does not mean it that families should not continue to look at their choice schools.
The Princeton Review of 2011 is a compilation and writing based on a review on some 122,000 students about their schools. Here is an excerpt from "The Best 373 Colleges, 2011 Edition" by Robert Franek and others. Copyright © 2010 by The Princeton Review, Inc. Published by Random House, Inc.
Great Financial Aid
Based on students' ratings of their financial aid awards
1. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham MA)
2. Univ. of Virginia - Charlottesville
3. Princeton Univ. (Princeton NJ)
4. Harvard College (Cambridge MA)
5. Stanford Univ. (Palo Alto CA)
6. Yale Univ. (New Haven CT)
7. New College of Florida
8. Washington Univ. (St. Louis MO)
9. Pomona College (Claremont CA)
10. Rice Univ. (Houston TX)
Best Career Services
Based on students' ratings of their career/job services center
1. Northeastern Univ. (Boston)
2. Pennsylvania State Univ. (State College PA)
3. Yale Univ (New Haven CT)
4. Univ. of Florida (Gainesville)
5. Barnard College (New York NY)
6. Bentley Univ. (Waltham MA)
7. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont CA)
8. Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar, VA)
9. Rose-Hulman Inst. of Technology (Terre Haute IN)
10. Univ. of Texas at Austin
Most Beautiful Campus
Based on students' ratings of the beauty of their campus
1. Sewanee-The Univ. of the South (Sewanee TN)
2. Lewis & Clark College (Portland OR)
3. Colgate Univ. (Hamilton NY)
4. Univ. of San Diego (CA)
5. College of the Holy Cross (Worcester MA)
6. Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar VA)
7. Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley MA)
8. Princeton Univ. (Princeton NJ)
9. Florida Southern College (Lakeland FL)
10. Vassar College (Poughkeepsie NY)
Top Party Schools
Based on students answers to survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and popularity of frats/sororities on campus.
1. Univ. of Georgia (Athens)
2. Ohio University (Athens)
3. Pennsylvania State Univ. (State College PA)
4. West Virginia Univ. (Morgantown)
5. Univ. of Mississippi
6. Univ. of Texas (Austin)
7. Univ. of Florida (Gainesville)
8. Univ. of California at Santa Barbara
9. Univ. of Iowa
10. DePauw Univ. (Greencastle IN)
Top Stone-cold Sober Schools
Based on students answers to survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and popularity of frats/sororities on campus.
1. Brigham Young University (Provo UT)
2. Wheaton College (IL)
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London CT)
4. U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs CO)
5. Wesleyan College (Macon GA)
6. College of the Ozarks (Point Lookout MO)
7. U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis MO)
8. U.S. Military Academy (West Point NY)
9. Calvin College (Grand Rapids MI)
10. Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula CA)
Best Campus Food:
Based on students' ratings of campus food
1 Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
2 Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
3 James Madison Univ. (Harrisonburg VA)
4 Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)
5 Cornell University ( Ithaca, NY )
6 St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN)
7 Univ. of Georgia (Athens, GA)
8 Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
9 Univ. of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)
10 Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
There is no doubt why these universities gathered a highest ratings. They are really reliable when it comes to college admission. Most of fresh graduates chose to be part of this consultation team. And the students really deserve to be in the certain colleges they applied to. Good luck and wishes for upcoming events.
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