http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_on_...DYEUl9sdHADMQ--

Funny how smart people are getting during the recession.

I'm sure this isn't the case for most people, but after the pell and other grants, it is cheaper for me to go to my four year school than the community college i went to.

I wish I had gone to community college first. I was so poor in college and should have saved the money.

My son's college fund is in the toilet so I really, really hope he considers community college. It really is the smart thing to do.

If you can afford a 4 year, that's cool.

It's just crazy how some people would spend $100,000 on college through student loans before, now, they think it's too much. It ALWAYS was too much. lol

Bingo!!! There is no difference between going to Tarrant County Community College for 2 years, then going to University of Texas and graduating, and just going straight to UT. None whatsoever.

Also, people should consider where they go period. Does the potential income for going to Vanderbilt as opposed to Tennessee justify spending 10 times as much?

Much of it depends on the financial aid package a student receives.

In my case, it cost the same for me to go to a private university as it did to go to a state school...after the various scholarships/grants/loans and work-study, expected family contribution was the same. So I chose to go to the smaller and more personal private university.

Now that student loans have become a much larger part of the picture, though, I suppose my decision might have been different.

I think it's more of a personal preference thing. You want that particular experience and you can sucker your parents into throwing the money at it, more power to you. I'll agree though, in my experience, the typical hiring manager and the typical HR resume-screener don't recognize good colleges from average colleges from diploma mills anyway, outside of Harvard and Yale, which have a cultural cache'. I've never been asked to produce proof of having my degrees anyway, so I'm pretty sure I could have just put Starfleet Academy on my resume and no one would have been the wiser.

One thing I do know: as long as society keeps finding creative ways to fund college no matter how high the cost, college will keep getting more expensive.

Im at a CC. $20/unit... full time is $240 for 4 classes + cost of books. Local state college is literally 10x's that.

getting an education has nothing to do with intelligence.

I have several friends who have a HS diploma only but are among the smartest people.

I have some colleagues with multiple degrees who seem to be the people most blond jokes are based on.

my students who have transferred from community collage often complain that I make them read too much...and too much lab time...and too much "math"

I could not have my career of choice without student loans. my parents were not rich and student loans allowed me the opportunity to go to college. My spouse's family is not rich and she needed student loans to get degree required for her field of work and I don't see how you can generalize that 100K in student loans is too much for someone who end up making well more than double that annually.

Now I do agree that many people borrow too much, espeically those that go to private schools. But to suggest 100K in students loans is "always too much" is overly simplistic.

California community colleges are the best deal EVER. The fees are dirt cheap and the professors are well paid, so they attract good people. I keep wishing they raise the fees since the state is in a massive deficit situation.

My son would have been attending Community college.. with or without a recession.. but mostly due to the fact that we are paying for his education up front (no college funds), refuse to take out loans, and his dad & I make too much money for him to get grants. So we will be paying for whatever the scholarships don't cover.
I also live 3 miles from the Community college .. so it will be an easy commute (city bus) and he can live with me (free).. '

good deal all the way around.

"Always" is never a term that should be used.. but it's not necessary to get a $100k education to get a good job, nor is it any guarantee of one....

of course it's hard to convince college graduates of that...

I work with plenty of people that are pushing 40 , still have 50k of student loan debt and make LESS than I do.
All I have is a HS diploma and a few classes at the community college, no degree.

And there are some people that spend $100k on an education and make $200k a year...

it's not a 1 size fits all.

I don't diagree that there are no guarentees, but the fact remains for my job and my spouse's very specific degrees are required.

additionally, I'd add that PRIVATE students loans are a whole other creature and should be avoided if possible.