Wake Forest Tuition Trends

[wakephan09]

A lot of us here, myself included, are bummed because rising prices mean we won't be able to give our kids the same wake experience we had. But what it really means is you won't be able to send them to a top private school anywhere. I'd be astonished to learn that the $1500 difference between wake and Stanford -- or between any of wake's peer schools, for that matter -- is making anybody's decision for them.

Just reposting this from above because I think this is what it comes down to for most of us. We've been priced out of our own alma mater.

If you can't afford Wake, you're not sending your kid to Furman. Maybe you'll go into debt for Stanford bc you think it's "life changing".

 

[thatguy2016]

I read on a different thread that Wake Forest is equivalent to Furman, academically.

did you, though?

 

[thatguy2016]

Just reposting this from above because I think this is what it comes down to for most of us. We've been priced out of our own alma mater.

If you can't afford Wake, you're not sending your kid to Furman. Maybe you'll go into debt for Stanford bc you think it's "life changing".

Furman offers a shit-ton of merit aid, or at least they did. Much more than WF when I looked into it several years ago.

And yeah, I'd have deferred retirement to send a kid to Stanford. Pay (marginally) more to send a kid to WF? not in the cards.

 

[wakephan09]

did you, though?

You implied that without ACC sports wake is the same as Furman. And then sarcastically wrote "furman is a fine school but...", suggesting that Furman is not a great school and without sports we'd be the same.

Did you mean something different by that?

 

[wakephan09]

Furman offers a shit-ton of merit aid, or at least they did. Much more than WF when I looked into it several years ago.

And yeah, I'd have deferred retirement to send a kid to Stanford. Pay (marginally) more to send a kid to WF? not in the cards.

Ok more data, good. This goes better when you respond to the substance of my posts, as I try to do with yours.

I don't know much, if anything about merit- or needs-based aid, so I'll defer to you as a parent of recent college searchers.

I don't think a place like wake needs to give merit-based aid to attract top performing students. So this doesn't surprise me.

If indeed people are right that the move from needs-blind admissions has hurt how much needs-based aid wake gives then that's a problem.

(Ok, your Stanford comment tracks with your earlier arguments about "life-changing schools", which is subjective and contingent but consistent)

 

[awaken]

Does Wake offer a major in tedious, hair-splitting argumentation?

 

[thatguy2016]

You implied that without ACC sports wake is the same as Furman. And then sarcastically wrote "furman is a fine school but...", suggesting that Furman is not a great school and without sports we'd be the same.

Did you mean something different by that?

No sarcasm. Furman is a fine school. My sister graduated from there. Earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Had a very successful career.

We're on a WF Sports message board. I doubt I'd be on a FU sports message board if I had attended Furman.

 

[wakephan09]

If you're not enjoying this, don't read! I find it interesting.

Also frustrating when I try to write out thoughtful responses and then purple respond to one tiny thing. I guess that's the message board way though

 

[wakephan09]

No sarcasm. Furman is a fine school. My sister graduated from there. Earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Had a very successful career.

We're on a WF Sports message board. I doubt I'd be on a FU sports message board if I had attended Furman.

Ok fair and apologies for misreading. Though I should note it reads as sarcasm, especially as written.

 

[thatguy2016]

If you're not enjoying this, don't read! I find it interesting.

Also frustrating when I try to write out thoughtful responses and then purple respond to one tiny thing. I guess that's the message board way though

nice typo, since the Paladins have been invoked

 

[scooter84]

It appears you took that as a slight, but my point was in job searches Wake is not an important credential especially compared to the schools the OP and others were discussing.

I don't think this is true - or, at a minimum it is stated much too broadly because it is going to depend on what kind of job you are looking for, what area of the country you are in, etc. In many circles a Wake degree does indeed "pop" - especially as compared to your run of the mill public school or small, regional private. I graduated from Wake many moons ago but universally when I tell people where I went to school I get a "whew... good school!" response - or a "wow, you must have been smart! (inevitably followed up by 'what happened?').
I don't know anything about the circles you move in so maybe Wake is not as well known there, but that has not been my experience.

 

[Toogs]

For me it comes down to the fact that there probably is not a single student each year choosing between wake and Harvard that would make their decision based on a $2k difference in costs.

Put in another way, if students are not, in fact, choosing between your "consensus top schools" and Wake why should the difference in cost matter?

Would you also think it's fair to say 99+ of people who have their choice between the two would take the cheaper one, Harvard, even though cost isn't an issue? I am sure there are rare birds that would prefer to go to Wake than Harvard, but if they got into Harvard, they can go anywhere, and so there are even fewer that would choose Wake.

 

[tigerswood]

I don't think this is true - or, at a minimum it is stated much too broadly because it is going to depend on what kind of job you are looking for, what area of the country you are in, etc. In many circles a Wake degree does indeed "pop" - especially as compared to your run of the mill public school or small, regional private. I graduated from Wake many moons ago but universally when I tell people where I went to school I get a "whew... good school!" response - or a "wow, you must have been smart! (inevitably followed up by 'what happened?').
I don't know anything about the circles you move in so maybe Wake is not as well known there, but that has not been my experience.

Agree with this. I've been surprised how many times business associates from places like Utah, Florida, or Wisconsin have immediately had similar reactions to where I went to school. I'd assume that carries over to resume review as well, though after your first 1-2 years out of college I don't really think undergrad education really matters, other than for networking purposes.

 

[tigerswood]

Would you also think it's fair to say 99+ of people who have their choice between the two would take the cheaper one, Harvard, even though cost isn't an issue? I am sure there are rare birds that would prefer to go to Wake than Harvard, but if they got into Harvard, they can go anywhere, and so there are even fewer that would choose Wake.

You're saying if Wake cost $5-10K less than Harvard maybe 10% instead of 1% would choose Wake? I don't think that's the case at all.

 

[Toogs]

I don't think this is true - or, at a minimum it is stated much too broadly because it is going to depend on what kind of job you are looking for, what area of the country you are in, etc. In many circles a Wake degree does indeed "pop" - especially as compared to your run of the mill public school or small, regional private. I graduated from Wake many moons ago but universally when I tell people where I went to school I get a "whew... good school!" response - or a "wow, you must have been smart! (inevitably followed up by 'what happened?').
I don't know anything about the circles you move in so maybe Wake is not as well known there, but that has not been my experience.

This is actually very interesting to me, and I meant what I said about my above posts not being the insult that some took them to be. Wake is obviously a good school. The tall blonde with huge tits from Wake when I was 18 is one of my faves. That's not really the point, she was insane.

I don't really have a point here, other than curious about what industry Wake pops in. I admit Wake undergrad probably pops a lot at grad schools etc.

Also I mean if we are comparing Wake to Catholic or Wesleyan or one of the dozens of libarts in PA sure it obviously crushes.

 

[Toogs]

You're saying if Wake cost $5-10K less than Harvard maybe 10% instead of 1% would choose Wake? I don't think that's the case at all.

I wasn't, but I might be convinced to argue that. I'm saying basically none choose Wake with costs being about the same.

 

[TimmyClutch]

Does Wake offer a major in tedious, hair-splitting argumentation?

No, its a masters program.

 

[tigerswood]

I wasn't, but I might be convinced to argue that. I'm saying basically none choose Wake with costs being about the same.

No one's going to argue the second sentence. I feel confident that the correlation between $ cheaper than Harvard and additional attendees over Harvard would be near zero.

 

[wakephan09]

Would you also think it's fair to say 99+ of people who have their choice between the two would take the cheaper one, Harvard, even though cost isn't an issue? I am sure there are rare birds that would prefer to go to Wake than Harvard, but if they got into Harvard, they can go anywhere, and so there are even fewer that would choose Wake.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question, but if the choice is between these two I think 100% go to Harvard bc it's Harvard. Not because it is cheaper.

That it is cheaper is just a coincidence in your example. (And Harvard is cheaper because it is much, much, much richer than anybody else)

 

[Toogs]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question, but if the choice is between these two I think 100% go to Harvard bc it's Harvard. Not because it is cheaper.

That it is cheaper is just a coincidence in your example. (And Harvard is cheaper because it is much, much, much richer than anybody else)

I didn't think anyone would disagree, although I set it at 99 because there are surely some who would prefer the Wake experience. I was just trying to make sure I understood.