Often families mistake college affordability as “lowest price”, yet few consider the potential opportunity costs of an (un)realized genius. Thus, as high school seniors, transfer students, and their families weigh the awesome choice of one college acceptance over another (often while grieving an admissions denial), exercising patience and careful consideration is most prudent.
While every person seeks the highest quality within their perceived budget, the key word is “quality”. To define quality, students can inventory their interests and articulate their motivation for seeking college education, contemplating as many “Why?” questions as possible, typically more effective with objective counsel.
Students and their families can rely on the vision and hard-won self-awareness gained after hours of drafting and revising autobiographical college essays as a guide for the intricate decision making process.
Otherwise, families can buy the hype and reputation of one college over another, based on marketing efforts and cultural lore. (In the last five years, one UCLA student shared his paid job was to post pictures from residence hall events on official university social media to promote student life).
As Warren Buffet matter of factly states, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” Without a thorough “valuation” process, families may buy a “cheaper” college, but find, as the old adage states, “you get what you pay for.” Thus, why 37% of all four year college students transfer campuses at least once in six years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
For over twenty years, Creative Marbles experts have moderated family conversations regarding complex educational decisions, lending our expertise to reduce the risk of malinvestment. For more information, contact us.
