Economy persuades 4-year-school students to look closer to home
Bonnie Miller Rubin, Chicago Tribune
Issue date: 10/7/09 Section: News
Finances certainly figured heavily into Bhatia's decision not to return to Indiana, with its picturesque limestone buildings, Big 10 sports teams and vibrant campus life.
The business major finished freshman year with a solid B average-good, but not good enough to qualify for scholarships.
Then, both his parents lost jobs-his mom was at Allstate Insurance, his dad, a self-employed consultant, hadn't snagged a new project in months.
Ultimately, they left the choice up to him. But weighing the annual costs ($40,000 for out-of-state tuition and room and board vs. $3,100) pushed him to Harper, where enrollment among 19- to 24-year-olds jumped 5.2 percent this semester.
Back in high school, the kids who stayed close to home weren't really in his crowd, Bhatia said. "But now I'd call it one of the best decisions I've ever made."
Community colleges have long been seen as the last resort for those with limited resources-whether academic or financial.
The downturn, though, has chipped away at the stigma. Last year, some 70 percent of high schools reported an increase in the number of students who jettisoned their "dream schools" for more budget-conscious choices, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Still, those negative perceptions played heavily in Tom Crivellone's choice of McKendree College, just east of St. Louis.
His teachers at Richards High School-where he ranked 14th out of 470-told him he would be wasting his time at Moraine Valley Community College, where he's currently a sophomore. "Maybe that would be true if I knew what I wanted to do," said the 20-year-old, "but I didn't."
Crivellone was drawn to McKendree by the history (it's the oldest college in the state), a place on the track team and a $7,000 scholarship. But when he arrived in the fall of 2008, not everything was "the paradise" he envisioned.
When a part-time job didn't materialize, the Oak Lawn, Ill., resident pulled the plug after winter break, abruptly jumping to Moraine Valley. The $29,000 annual tab at McKendree-which he was primarily footing himself-seemed extravagant compared with $1,700 a semester (books included) in his own backyard.
The business major finished freshman year with a solid B average-good, but not good enough to qualify for scholarships.
Then, both his parents lost jobs-his mom was at Allstate Insurance, his dad, a self-employed consultant, hadn't snagged a new project in months.
Ultimately, they left the choice up to him. But weighing the annual costs ($40,000 for out-of-state tuition and room and board vs. $3,100) pushed him to Harper, where enrollment among 19- to 24-year-olds jumped 5.2 percent this semester.
Back in high school, the kids who stayed close to home weren't really in his crowd, Bhatia said. "But now I'd call it one of the best decisions I've ever made."
Community colleges have long been seen as the last resort for those with limited resources-whether academic or financial.
The downturn, though, has chipped away at the stigma. Last year, some 70 percent of high schools reported an increase in the number of students who jettisoned their "dream schools" for more budget-conscious choices, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Still, those negative perceptions played heavily in Tom Crivellone's choice of McKendree College, just east of St. Louis.
His teachers at Richards High School-where he ranked 14th out of 470-told him he would be wasting his time at Moraine Valley Community College, where he's currently a sophomore. "Maybe that would be true if I knew what I wanted to do," said the 20-year-old, "but I didn't."
Crivellone was drawn to McKendree by the history (it's the oldest college in the state), a place on the track team and a $7,000 scholarship. But when he arrived in the fall of 2008, not everything was "the paradise" he envisioned.
When a part-time job didn't materialize, the Oak Lawn, Ill., resident pulled the plug after winter break, abruptly jumping to Moraine Valley. The $29,000 annual tab at McKendree-which he was primarily footing himself-seemed extravagant compared with $1,700 a semester (books included) in his own backyard.
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