Ask HN: With college, should I go big or cheap?

Re:Ask HN: With college, should I go big or cheap? by nostrademons on Wednesday February 09, 2011 @05:40PM (#2199684)

Go big if "big" is really big (top-10, or ideally top-3, in their category). Go cheap otherwise.

Most of the advantage to an elite college accrues to the very top - Harvard, Stanford, MIT. If your choice is between, say, NYU or Hampshire or BU and a state school with in-state tuition, the state school is probably a better value. If your choice is between, say, Stanford or Amherst or MIT and a state school, going to the big name school can result in earnings that pay off the cost of it within 5 years.

Also, many of the top-tier colleges give very generous financial aid to middle-class families, so you may find it's not all that much more expensive than a state school. My actual tuition at Amherst College was less than sticker price at UMass Amherst, though of course I would've gotten a full-ride on merit scholarships at UMass.

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Re:Ask HN: With college, should I go big or cheap? by moge on Wednesday February 09, 2011 @06:12PM (#2199796)

agree with the above. I work at a federally funded research center and where you went is pretty important Carnegie-melon, MIT, etc.

However, if I was going to just get a degree then work at a startup just go somewhere with a good program and then let your git repo be your resume.

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