[washingtonismoney]

My sense is that the amenities arms race is even more of a problem at less highly ranked schools where there's less to differentiate the experience. How many people are going to to turn down Stanford because you live in an ugly Stern cinderblock dorm room your freshman year? I sure didn't! But I suspect for students choosing between comparable mid-tier schools, amenities is one way for those schools to differentiate themselves. I remember marveling at how much better the cafeterias were at my home state's state schools when I visited friends there. If one in-state school has way better facilities than the other, and they are otherwise relatively similar, wouldn't that be a reason to pick the nicer one?

Right, that was exactly my point -- though I didn't make it clear. Because your next-tier-down schools are competing on the basis of being most like Ivy League schools, they're driving up costs. Ultimately people are chasing the indicia of prestige rather than what will, in the long run, make them happy and fulfilled. (I've seen way too many people adapt their life to shoulder college debt. I'll be spreading the gospel of low debt for ages.)

[washingtonismoney]

My sense is that the amenities arms race is even more of a problem at less highly ranked schools where there's less to differentiate the experience. How many people are going to to turn down Stanford because you live in an ugly Stern cinderblock dorm room your freshman year? I sure didn't! But I suspect for students choosing between comparable mid-tier schools, amenities is one way for those schools to differentiate themselves. I remember marveling at how much better the cafeterias were at my home state's state schools when I visited friends there. If one in-state school has way better facilities than the other, and they are otherwise relatively similar, wouldn't that be a reason to pick the nicer one?

Right, that was exactly my point -- though I didn't make it clear. Because your next-tier-down schools are competing on the basis of being most like Ivy League schools, they're driving up costs. Ultimately people are chasing the indicia of prestige rather than what will, in the long run, make them happy and fulfilled. (I've seen way too many people adapt their life to shoulder college debt. I'll be spreading the gospel of low debt for ages.)