Every year I deal with vain parents, vain students, and vain colleges. Somehow, people believe that a higher profile, more expensive college offers some kind of career, opportunity, and life advantages. Families are willing to lend themselves to oblivion to attend and I don’t think it’s worth it. I’m waiting for someone to give me proof.
It is not there – the proof. But vanity colleges want you to believe it and they succeed in getting a lot of students who really can’t afford to go there into oblivion thinking there’s some advantage to it.
Am I against vanity colleges? Nope! I am against going up to your neck in debt and having a mortgage payment and not having a house to show it. There is no university in the United States with a debt of $70,000-$80,000-$100,000. I challenge anyone to show me the numbers.
Am I against vanity colleges? Nope! I went to an expensive private university, on a scholarship! My wife is enrolled at Harvard… on a scholarship. Once again, I’m up against a lot of debt to go to a school you can’t afford and have to spend the rest of your life paying off the debt. There are other options, such as work hard, work smart, and work well in high school with good grades and high SAT/ACT scores. Get advice from people who offer academic opportunities, not financial obligations. It sure beats leaving college with 10 years of mortgage payments and no house to show for it.
When I talk about this with parents, I give them a reality check:
I ask: “Do you have a family doctor?” I usually get a “Yes”. I then ask, “Did you choose your doctor based on the college you attended?” Do you know the answer.
I ask again: “Do you have a family lawyer?” Not that often, but I do get the occasional “Yes.” I ask again, “Did you choose your attorney based on the college he attended?” Same answer.
Therefore, when choosing the top two professions where your education is paramount, where you went to college is irrelevant. Think about it.
Johnnie Cochrane, a famous cape who defended OJ Simpson, went to Loyola Law School, a small Jesuit college in Los Angeles. However, he earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA. Trivia: Robert Shapiro, also on OJ’s defense team, is also a Loyola graduate.
Dennis Rodman – famous NBA player, went to Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Ronald Reagan – President of the United States, went to Eureka College.
Dr. David Satcher – US Surgeon General under Clinton and Bush went to medical school at Case Western Reserve College and earned his BS from Morehouse College.
Now I ask, are any of these universities on your radar? Maybe UCLA. Do you think going to these universities had any impact on these people’s careers?
There are other ways, other options and other opportunities. Most good students who are well prepared, well packaged, and well positioned can go to vanity college without carrying a lot of debt!
In the end, college is what you make of it and the college you attended doesn’t really have much of an impact once you get into your major and have a work history. The impact that remains is left to the alumni association where donations are solicited.
Maybe this will help when you are drawn to a vanity college and the chance to borrow yourself into oblivion to go.
