Often, private schools are looked at as the gold standard for education. People seem to believe that the higher price, smaller class sizes and code of etiquette ensures that the educational experience is better. However, there are countless flaws with this line of thinking.
First of all, the vast majority of people are not rich, so high prices would definitely make people think twice before they enroll at a private school. This is not to say that high prices are inherently a bad thing, but they should face a little scrutiny from most people, especially when someone can get the same quality of education for less money.
According to the World University Report from Times Higher Education, UCLA is inside the top 20. If you are from California, the cost of attending is about $42,059, according to admission.ucla.edu. At Yale, it’s $90,975, according to their website. If a student decides to go with a public university, they’ll get roughly the same education for a whole lot less.
It also tends to be true that public schools give a much higher amount of financial aid to their students. This means that not only will students and their families have to pay less money to attend the school, but they will also have to pay a much lower percentage of the tuition, room and boarding, and material costs than they would at private schools. According to US News and World Report, 87% of the students who attend California State University, Northridge receive some form of financial aid. At the University of Southern California less than 66% receive financial aid. This not only means that public schools will be less of a drain on someone’s wallet, but it also shows that they put their mission of educating people and being a stepping stone to the success of its community above profits.
Also according to uofthepeople.edu, public schools have larger alumni networks. This gives people more opportunity to find employment after college. Private schools, unless they are internationally renowned, have very small alumni networks outside of academia.
