[Leica] Harvard tuition

[red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)]

Different perspective...

The reason you send your kid to Harvard, Princeton, etc. has nothing to do 
with education.  It has to do with the perceived value
the prestigious name that excites companies into hiring those names.  There 
are some people that will only hire Harvard, MIT,
Stanford, USC, and for that matter, UCLA, Berkeley, etc.  There is a major 
company that sends out recruiters only to certain
schools.  All of which are fancy name and high tuition.   It is a perceived 
quality reference and, to be honest, a snob appeal
thing.  It has nothing to do with the kid.

Wear the "Ring", and you can get the job.  Be the brightest guy in your 
class at Podunk U, and your resume may never make it past
the HR filing cabinet.

The message?  The perceived value of "The Ring" is what you are buying.  
Your kid gets better jobs, more pay, more promotions, and
generally is more respected ONLY because he wears the ring.  The additional 
cost of education is offset within a few years.  Yes, it
is expensive; Yes, it is controversial; Yes, it works.

YMMV.

Second different perspective......  I live in California.  Actually, we have 
few private schools.  Not like Mass, where private
colleges are a dime a dozen ( in quantity).  The cost of going to the State 
Schools, when you take into account tuition, room and
board, is around $5k to 15K less per year than private schools.  The kid 
gets out in 4 years rather than 5, 6 or more at State
schools due to over enrollment ( sometimes referred to as "impacted").  Do 
the math and you may find that paying Harvard's 4 x $40K
is not that much more than 6x $20K... and you get to " wear the Ring".

Trade in your R-Whatever and your M-whatever system and get your kid "The 
Ring".  After all, you are a parent first.

Lastly... Harvard has ( or had, it makes no difference) the worlds' largest 
endowment.  The income from that endowment is great
enough that it would pay for the education of every Harvard graduate for 4 
years.  They do not need the money.  They charge for "the
Ring".

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net