Many private colleges offer scholarships that can make it for some people less expensive than state schools. Do that. Maybe you won't get anything, but you certainly won't if you just assume you aren't going to.
As a teacher who's worked with high school seniors for years, I can assure you this is an urban legend. It used to happen occasionally, but it was never a truism. Typically a private school offers the tip-top students enough money that the cost is
close enough to the state school's price that it's reasonable to consider it. It's been YEARS since I knew of a student getting a private school price lower than a state school price.
If you're hoping to find this situation for yourself, TRY. Maybe it'll work somewhere for someone, but at the same time, apply for an affordable state school too.
Typical situation: My older child had truly exceptional grades in high school -- plus loads of extras. She was the prime scholarship candidate. One particular private school tried hard to recruit her; they offered her 16K. Sounds nice, huh? Except that their pricetag was 35K, and the state school that she really wanted was just under 14K. So, yeah, the private school offered her a nice scholarship ... but since their pricetag was so high to start with, the state school was still the better price point. And the state school has a MUCH stronger academic record. She's had a great experience at the state school and will be graduating in a few months.
2 years community college, transfer to preferably public university, but if she really wants the private one, then you still save $50K. The diploma wont even mention the community college and no one will ever know, other than you two. Your bank account and future self will thank you for not running up mountains of debt.
My youngest chose to begin at community college, and while it was the right choice for her -- she wasn't ready to leave home --
it has been a second-rate choice. It's "lesser" in many ways: Fewer classes from which to choose, Calculus not offered this semester, trouble registering, no advisor, and many of her classmates are simply not college material ... the list could go on. My older child, who went straight to a university, had more opportunities as a freshman. I can't say I regret the community college choice for my youngest because, as I said, it was the right choice for her emotionally, but I do wish the circumstances had been different.
Having said that, I don't anticipate any problem with transferring her credits. I know it was a problem in the past, but today you can check online BEFORE you take the class and know exactly which classes will transfer /which ones will transfer in only as elective credits /which ones are a total waste. You do need to know to which school you plan to transfer because all schools don't treat things equally, but the tools are easily available online to allow you to "do your homework".
If I had gone to state school, that would have been partying hard, hanging with the high school crew and likely getting involved with drugs. The private school I went to was very strict during the week. Most of my peers were very academically ambitious and wanted to study during the week and party on the weekends only.
As a lawyer, you should surely recognize the fallacy here! You experienced the private school, but you're making assumptions about what the state schools were like. You can't possibly know what your experience would've been like or how your life would've been like if you'd chosen a different path.
Having attended a state school, I can tell you that my experience was much like your description: Most of my peers were serious about their education and studied hard during the week. The dorms were quiet as a mouse Sunday night - Thursday night. And on weekends it was a wild place. Yes, we had some students who didn't fit into this mold, but they were the "one semester wonders", the students who ended up leaving because they weren't cutting it academically.
Incidentally, my husband always lived off-campus, and he had a similar impression of on-campus living: He visited the dorms only on weekends, so he had the idea that the dorms were always rather loud, filled with people just hanging out and talking, and lots of drinking. He never saw a typical Monday night in a dorm: Lots of people reading, a group in one study room quizzing each other for an upcoming Chemistry test, someone typing a paper in another study room.
Many employers now require your transcripts which then show the difference, at least in my experience.
Eh, I've never heard of this. I know that my college senior hasn't been asked to share her transcript. We talked about it: Her transcript is very strong, and she's sorry she can't wave it around like a flag.
I don't understand the hate for private schools ... Buying functionally identical for less money is smart.
It's not hate for private schools -- it's that they cost so much more and, for most people, offers nothing extra in the long run.
In fact, in my state -- and I know this isn't a typical situation -- our state universities are very strong, while our private college are lackluster. The students who end up attending private schools (with two big exceptions) are the weaker students. When my oldest was choosing colleges, we toured loads of places, and I remember one really bad experience at a private school: Our tour guide spouted flat-out incorrect information about the state schools in an attempt to make her school look better; since I never really know when to keep my mouth shut, I called her on it (yes, in front of other parents and potential students). And her speech was horrible; I mean, she had poor subject-verb agreement. I hope she was the exception rather than the rule, but I did write a letter to the admissions office the next week in which I described her presentation to us /how it was an absolute negative for their school. The really bad thing: This girl was an education major; she's going to talk to students with her horrible English. Well, I don't actually know that she was an education major progressing towards graduation.