What College did you Attend?....

[viper155]

I know this has probably been thrown around before but since my kids starting looking at colleges a few years ago I am fascinated by colleges and universities. I never attended myself but have visited dozens while searching with my 2 kids and attending lacrosse events with my son. My daughter is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and my son will be studying business and playing lacrosse at the University of Tampa in a few weeks.
Even though I have almost no college experience myself I have figured out how to save enough to retire at 51 and fully fund 2 private college educations through hard work that is meaningful and living within my means. I'm becoming more badass everyday although I'm not nearly as hardcore as a lot of you guys....

Where'd you go to college?.........

[surfhb]

I attended Cal State Fullerton in Orange County, Ca.

Although I never required a degree in my career it still was a valuable lesson in how to organize my time.   All said, it was a challenge and prepared me well.   

Sadly, I never experience College Life.    I lived at home and commuted everyday like a job.   Being able to give your kids this experience is a great gift.  Congrats!

[SDREMNGR]

An Ivy League one.  I'd say if you can get in and you don't have to pay for it, it's worth it.  If you have to pay for it, not sure that it's worth it.  Depends on what you want to study.  If you want/need the pedigree and the nameplate, (i.e. you want to eventually go into politics or big corporate, or med/business/law school) then it's helpful. 

I enjoyed my time but I'd say, it helps but it doesn't change your life magically or anything like that.  But as I said, if you are poor, most Ivys and other top 20 schools nowadays give FREE or near free full rides to poor students.  It's not merit based, only need based.  If you can get in and you are poor, then you have a free ride. 

Look into it.  It's called Need Blind Admissions.  Some schools have it.

[Kriegsspiel]

I went to Ohio University. It was pretty awesome.

[senecando]

St. John's College in Annapolis. There's also a campus in Santa Fe. I'd be interested to know if there are any other Johnnies on the forumz.

[Greystache]

I went to the University of Northern Iowa. At the time we joked that UNI stood for the University of No Importance. Later, when I was working on my masters degree at USC, I found myself competing with students who graduated from big name schools like Purdue, Notre Dame, Air Force Academy, etc. and I found that my UNI education served me well.

[johnintaiwan]

Oregon State University

Had a great time experiencing "college life." Joined a fraternity (much more mustachian in some ways than the dorms or renting an apartment).

Go Beavs!

[CommonCents]

Dartmouth (ETA: Loans 50K)

Took loans out for a chunk of it, but don't regret it at all. (Unlike many on this board, I see great value in a good education, and worth the expense.  I feel I obtained a better education here than I would have at a less rigorous one.) 

ETA: UPenn JD (Loans ~180k)

I could have saved money by going to a different school with scholarship money, but it's not clear to me I would have been able to get the high paying job I did after law school, which let me pay off a huge chunk of my loans in 2.5 years.  So although this is an insane amount of loans, I only have some minor qualms.  (I wish I had looked harder for outside scholarships.)

[Russ]

"The" Ohio State University (it's okay though, you don't have to call me The Russ)

It was worth far more than what I paid for it

[somepissedoffman]

My daughter is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

That's where I went!

[Nords]

St. John's College in Annapolis. There's also a campus in Santa Fe. I'd be interested to know if there are any other Johnnies on the forumz.

U.S. Naval Academy, 1982.  We used to endlessly debate walking out of Bilger's Gate and never looking back, knowing that we could always get a good liberal arts education at St. Johns...

[stuckinmn]

University of Texas at Austin. My tuition for my last semester in the early 90s was around $500 and that included all the BS fees for athletic tickets and gym fees.  Heck of a deal, though I think like all colleges it has increased way faster than inflation since then.

[parsimonious]

Florida State University

Got a full ride (thanks Bright Futures) and after room and board I still had money left over that I spent dicking around over the summer and having a double major.

State schools are awesome - there were so many people, I realized that I was not a special snowflake and being book smart is a tiny percent of being successful in life.

[alsoknownasDean]

I actually attended three. I dropped out of my first course after a year or so (University of Ballarat), went to TAFE a few years later (Gordon Institute of TAFE, now The Gordon), and then went to uni to finish my degree a few years after that.

I got my degree at Swinburne University of Technology. Can't complain, was a decent uni and quite flexible with my work schedule. Not quite as prestigious as the Group of 8 unis, but I didn't really care, it was still perfectly fine.

[soccerluvof4]

Went in the Navy in 1982 and the SOHN University! wouldn't change a thing!

[Davids]

"The" Ohio State University (it's okay though, you don't have to call me The Russ)

It was worth far more than what I paid for it

I went to Penn State University. But since you are mustachian I can learn to like you.

[lisahi]

Baylor University. I wanted the "full" college experience.  My first year at Baylor was the last year Baylor was decent at Football until Coach Briles and RGIII showed up. When I went, Baylor had a huge endowment and kept the tuition very low, even though it was a private school. Now I hear the tuition is "ok" for a private school, but nearly as affordable as it once was. All my student loans are from law school, not my time at Baylor. I did a lot of work study and earned a scholarship.

I don't use my degree though (B.S. in Comp. Sci) but it looks good on my resume. lol. I also got an MBA at Baylor, which I also don't use but it helped me land my first law firm job.

[viper155]

My daughter is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

That's where I went!

what did you study and are you using your degree today? Was WPI worth the investment? Brianna is earning a degree in management engineering, whatever that is! She swears it will all be worth it come graduation. Sometimes I wonder....

[southernhippie]

Western Carolina University

Had a full scholarship through the dept of veterans affairs due to my dad's military service

[pka222]

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo- undergrad
Oregon State -Grad
In both cases the instructors and university assets  (off site forest research properties) made it worth it.  I think the tuition at Cal Poly was 4K a year.. maybe 5k and at OSU they footed the bill and paid me a SMALL stipend to teach (TA).  Any studies past a BS in hard sciences can be had for "free" i.e. the Uni will pay you to do it.  All of my grad school cohort bar 2 were funded by the school (RAs or TAs)

[jwilliams0215]

University of South Florida. Had a full ride, and lived at home. Basically went four years for basically no cost. Then added an MBA from USF paid for by my employer! Not bad :)

Also a plus to Drexel University for my wife, only 50% coverage though!

[senecando]

St. John's College in Annapolis. There's also a campus in Santa Fe. I'd be interested to know if there are any other Johnnies on the forumz.

U.S. Naval Academy, 1982.  We used to endlessly debate walking out of Bilger's Gate and never looking back, knowing that we could always get a good liberal arts education at St. Johns...

Hello neighbor! For about three of my years there I could see USNA out of my window. There has been more lately, but I always wished there was more cross-pollination between the two schools.

[sol]

BS Caltech, PhD Penn State. Should I post the rest of CV too?

[Nords]

St. John's College in Annapolis. There's also a campus in Santa Fe. I'd be interested to know if there are any other Johnnies on the forumz.

U.S. Naval Academy, 1982.  We used to endlessly debate walking out of Bilger's Gate and never looking back, knowing that we could always get a good liberal arts education at St. Johns...

Hello neighbor! For about three of my years there I could see USNA out of my window. There has been more lately, but I always wished there was more cross-pollination between the two schools.

"Cross-pollination"?  Heh.  Ahem.  Yeah, that's one way to describe what was going on there.

It was always a healthy cross-town rivalry... but I don't miss that area's weather one little bit.

[senecando]

I meant something more intellectual, Nordsy.

I also remember the terrible month or so when I returned in August. So hot and so gross.

[horsepoor]

Oregon State University

Had a great time experiencing "college life." Joined a fraternity (much more mustachian in some ways than the dorms or renting an apartment).

Go Beavs!

Hey, me too!

M.S from New Mexico State University - wanted to get out of the rain and they gave me a pretty sweet fellowship.

[Joggernot]

Colorado School of Mines for BS and New Mexico State University for two-year Computer Science degree 30 years after getting my BS.

[Calvawt]

Kansas State University for undergrad (finance and economics).  Was there when KSU was preseason #1 in football.  Tailgating in the Big 12 is a big deal and made traveling to other schools for games a blast.


Rockhurst University for MBA (fairly highly regarded MBA program)

[johnintaiwan]

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo- undergrad
Oregon State -Grad
In both cases the instructors and university assets  (off site forest research properties) made it worth it.  I think the tuition at Cal Poly was 4K a year.. maybe 5k and at OSU they footed the bill and paid me a SMALL stipend to teach (TA).  Any studies past a BS in hard sciences can be had for "free" i.e. the Uni will pay you to do it.  All of my grad school cohort bar 2 were funded by the school (RAs or TAs)

Go Beavs!

[ampersand]

University Missouri Rolla. I actually got paid the last 2 years of my undergrad because of scholarships... Great engineering school with a cheap sticker price; one of the best decisions of my life


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vern]

I'm a road scholar!

[Baylor3217]

Baylor University. I wanted the "full" college experience.  My first year at Baylor was the last year Baylor was decent at Football until Coach Briles and RGIII showed up. When I went, Baylor had a huge endowment and kept the tuition very low, even though it was a private school. Now I hear the tuition is "ok" for a private school, but nearly as affordable as it once was. All my student loans are from law school, not my time at Baylor. I did a lot of work study and earned a scholarship.

I don't use my degree though (B.S. in Comp. Sci) but it looks good on my resume. lol. I also got an MBA at Baylor, which I also don't use but it helped me land my first law firm job.

SIC EM BEARS!  I graduated from there as well.  I would say that working in the metroplex, there's a disproportionate number of Baylor grads that I work with given that it only has 15,000 students including grad school. 

Most beautiful campus in the state of Texas, has had one of the top athletics programs in the nation for the past half decade and a great academic school as well. 

Not sure how much it had to do with my achieving Financial Independence, but was a great college experience nonetheless.

[Travis]

University of California, Davis class of 2003. Cross my fingers graduating grad school next month from Troy University.  Uncle Sam covered half my tuition for both schools.  I grew up in Sacramento so going to UCD was easy.  I lived in the dorms my freshman year, lived with my parents the next two and commuted, then got an apartment in Davis with my wife.  Davis kept their vacancy rate at virtually 0% so rent was always high. One of my friends paid rent to sleep on the sofa.  The campus is busy, but very open and green in a pedestrian/bike friendly town.

[basd]

I went to Ohio University. It was pretty awesome.

I've spent three weeks on a business course there in my previous job (we stayed in Bromley Hall). I can imagine you had a great time there, it seemed like a great place.

I myself have an MSc in Computer Science from a Dutch university. Totally worth it, in all aspects.

[EarlyRetirementGuy]

University of Sheffield

I was in the final year of students in the UK to attend with the lower set fees, costing just £1250 ($2100) a year.

[iris lily]

M.S from New Mexico State University - wanted to get out of the rain and they gave me a pretty sweet fellowship.

Las Cruces! I lived there for 3 years decades ago.

Degrees: Drake University, then University of Iowa for Masters.

[atlbrew]

Auburn University - B.S. in Accounting, Masters of Accountancy

[MickeyMickey1975]

I went to the University of Northern Iowa. At the time we joked that UNI stood for the University of No Importance. Later, when I was working on my masters degree at USC, I found myself competing with students who graduated from big name schools like Purdue, Notre Dame, Air Force Academy, etc. and I found that my UNI education served me well.

I graduated from UNI as well, 1997!

[El Limon]

Went to four local SoCal schools--Saddleback College (AA), UCLA (BA history), Cal State LA (Teachers Credential), and Cal State Long Beach (MA education) Financed through various Joe jobs, a few grants, and a small loan that was forgiven by California for teaching in the ghetto for 5 years.

Most of these are commuter schools where college life means fighting for parking, being stuck on the freeway before a night class, trying to write papers on your breaks at work. It's a grind, but the students who make go through it usually come out weathered and determined.

[trailrated]

Santa Clara University, it was everything I hoped for and more :)

[Rika Non]

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Socorro Techie  

[Cwadda]

I go to the University of Connecticut (UConn). I'll never forget the night we won both basketball champs.

[rujancified]

Boston College which is neither:

• In Boston
• A College
• Particularly Mustachian

[rebel100]

I have an AS in Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic) from the local Community College.

A BS from Charter Oak State College in Connecticut, one of three very unique regionally accredited schools that allows up to 114 transfer credits and only two courses in residence.  Charter Oak will accept FEMA courses for credit and credit by exam....this means it can be an incredibly cheap place for the self starter to earn a legitimate degree.  You could complete a liberal arts degree and be able to check the box for "bachelors degree" for $6K-$10K complete and they accept all the regular aid of more traditional schools.  I was able to use credits from my CC program, credits earned years ago at other state schools and courses taken online at CSU-Pueblo.

I also recently finished an online MBA program at Western Governors University that was almost fully funded by my employer.  WGU is a self paced competency based program that lets you work through your studies at a fixed price.  $3250/6 months and you can go as fast as you like (can).  Many complete this regionally accredited program in only one year for $6500 total.  Books and resources are included for the fixed price. 

My eldest daughter has the best deal going though,  She completed her AA at the local CC while still in High School, in Florida that meant her education to that level was free except for books.  She used roughly half credit by exam (CLEP...we did have to pay for these, but they are cheap), and the other half online and in person courses, graduating with a 4.0 she was Phi Beta Kappa and eligible for numerous scholarships.  She then discovered what I have come to believe is the best kept secret in higher education...the Harvard Extension School.  The Extension School is one of the 13 individual schools that make up Harvard University, it is more than 100 years old.  My daughter basically gets to take the bulk of her courses live via the internet and has several short residencies up in Cambridge Mass.  between her merit scholarship/aid and a small Pell Grant she tends to pocket a few hundred bucks per semester.  While it's among the lesser known of the Harvard schools she has, none the less, found great utility in the Harvard brand.  I wish I had known about this option sooner, they offer Bachelor degrees and Masters programs.

[aclarridge]

BSc, MSc: Queen's University in Kingston Ontario
2nd MSc: McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario

[rugorak]

Clarkson University.

All in all worth it. Ended up being cheaper there than state schools due to their financial aid. Learned a lot I wouldn't have otherwise from both the class work and the college experience.

[ace1224]

University of North Carolina at Wilmington- BSc
East Carolina University- MBA

[Trirod]

University of Sheffield

I was in the final year of students in the UK to attend with the lower set fees, costing just £1250 ($2100) a year.

I guess I must be older than you because I attended University of Cambridge from 1987 to 1990 before there were any fees (other than room and board).  My understanding is that it's getting pretty pricey these days to go to University in England (but not Scotland).

[BPA]

BSc, MSc: Queen's University in Kingston Ontario
2nd MSc: McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario

I went to McMaster too!  B.A. class of '93.

BEd University of Toronto '94.

[ingrownstudentloans]

B.A. - Siena College
J.D. - William and Mary Law School

Debt out of law school $120k...