Is Basing Choice of College on Regional Gun Laws Foolish?

[CmdrSlander]

My nephew is in the process of choosing where to go to college. He loves shooting and has been flatly ignoring offers from schools in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, California, etc. because he would be severely hindered by their laws and does not want to contribute to these anti-freedom states. However, he is getting offers from very prestigious north eastern universities (Yale and Columbia among others) and we are both wondering if it wouldn't be better for him to tough out the anti-freedom atmosphere to get a degree from a school with great name recognition?

He is also looking at colleges in free states, to wit: University of Kansas, TCU, SMU, Baylor, Rice, and George Mason.

Edit to add: The "lesser" universities are offering scholarships etc. the big name northeastern schools are not, so other factors are at play.

 

[oneounceload]

SERIOUSLY?
Let's see, an inconvenience for a few years and get the education that will allow you to live the life you dreamed and have the career you want. Or worry about plinking for a few years?
REALLY?

Yale/Columbia versus Kansas or George Mason?

No offense to those schools as they are good ones, BUT in our society collegiate prestige DOES mean the difference between having a great post collegiate job and having a great degree while you bag groceries

 

[ACP]

I'd say yes.

Choose a college based on the quality of its faculty and reputation in your particular area of study.

That will pay huge dividends when you graduate and start looking for a job in a tough job market.

 

[ACP]

one ounce load, you and I are in complete agreement here!

take your degree and then move to wherever you want after four years

 

[Sam1911]

We've kicked that one around before. Most folks tend to say you should ALWAYS make the very best decision about your education that you can because a) it will be the key that unlocks your entire future ... or fails to, depending on what choices you make, and b) it's a brief period of time and you should be wise enough to be capable of setting some things aside for a short time to greatly improve yourself and your station in the longer term.

Of course, only the kid doing the deciding can make that decision, and the very best school in his field may turn out to be in a gun-friendly place, who knows?

For full disclosure, I've done that both ways. Higher education in VERY pro-gun places and VERY anti-gun places. At times in my life I did set the guns aside (almost) completely, to pursue a long-term goal. But I've also made painful decisions, with consequences, NOT to do so at other times.

 

[Arp32]

He needs to look at what a chosen degree from a given university will do for his lifetime earning potential, above all else.

If he makes enough money, toys and hobbies may follow.

To me, choosing a school based on how easy it is to go plinking on weekends makes about as much sense a taking out $150,000 in private variable rate student loans to study art history at a third tier state school because you wanted to "follow your dream." Make a good living, save money, and spend wisely and then you can afford your dreams.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. I did not get this advice and didn't take finance until graduate school. Having learned my lesson, I'd do it differently if I could.

 

[doc2rn]

I would stick to KU in Leavenworth. I have been to all of those towns and KU is just better. Think of it this way, if he gets a full ride, then go with the one that suites him best. However if you only get a partial and wind up $500,000 in debt after 4yrs of Ivy League what did you gain? The name of a college on your diploma, doesnt guarantee you a job to pay off that debt at the end of 4 yrs.
I wish him the best of luck with his choices!

 

[Arp32]

Also, just for fun help him create a spreadsheet that shows how much the payments are for $10k, $50k, $100k in student loans. Show him the take home pay from a job paying $30k, $40k, $50k per year. Provide some assumptions for rent, food, gas, car payments, etc. Then let him see what these decisions mean.

When I started taking out student loans at 18, I had no clue what kind of payments I was signing up for for the next 10-30 years.

 

[CmdrSlander]

Also, just for fun help him create a spreadsheet that shows how much the payments are for $10k, $50k, $100k in student loans. Show him the take home pay from a job paying $30k, $40k, $50k per year. Provide some assumptions for rent, food, gas, car payments, etc. Then let him see what these decisions mean.

When I started taking out student loans at 18, I had no clue what kind of payments I was signing up for for the next 10-30 years.

I'm looking at some pay charts here for various schools. If you pick the right school in the south (Rice and Washington & Lee are the top) you can pull down as much as a Yale or Harvard grad.

As for student loans, they are not an issue. His parents will be paying for his entire education, they promised to do so the day he was born. Student loans are being avoided like the plague.

 

[AFDavis11]

The value of a prestigious college is measured somewhat on what the chosen profession is. I would think that grants would be a big factor too. I wouldn't be too quick to force your kid to go to a school he doesn't want to go to.

As with most of these decisions there is almost always a very good compromise. Good school with a good reputation in a good location.

 

[Arp32]

As for student loans, they are not an issue. His parents will be paying for his entire education, they promised to do so the day he was born. Student loans are being avoided like the plague.

Well remind him how lucky he is to have such responsible and generous parents! And not to blow it

Rice has an excellent reputation in my field. Three friends from undergrad went there for grad school.

 

[CmdrSlander]

Well remind him how lucky he is to have such responsible and generous parents! And not to blow it

Rice has an excellent reputation in my field. Three friends from undergrad went there for grad school.

I'll tell him to take a hard look at Rice.

Yes, his parents are very generous. His father's mother was a college counselor and made sure his dad got through college without student loans, because she was well acquainted with their dangers. He promised to do the same thing for his kids.

 

[22LRFan]

Go for the Scholarships!

As a fairly recent graduate I would put more of my focus on the schools that are offering scholarships. Graduating debt free (or as close as possible) is almost as good as getting a better paying job when you get out. Not being bogged down with a student loan payment every month is like a getting a raise amongst your peers.

Perhaps I was just spoiled to be able to go to a nearby college in PA where I could head home on the weekends and go to the range or conceal carry off campus. I think that there will be plenty of extracurricular activities to keep your nephew busy when his time is not being consumed by schoolwork.

Your nephew seems awfully bright and could probably pick the school he wants, and you mentioned almost all the surrounding border states, has he considered any universities in Pennsylvania? It's a gun friendly state that has Penn State, Penn, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and Villanova just to name a few.

Edit: Forgot to mention that those expensive private schools generally have more generous student aid. Also the parents paying for tuition was posted during the creation of my post.

 

[Mark13]

Yes

 

[rcmodel]

Lesser collages?
University of Kansas?

One KU grad runs Ford Motor Company.
Another 3 were Astronauts. (Joe Engle, Steve Hawley, and Ron Evens)
Still another was CEO of Phillips 66 Petroleum Co.
Another 5 or 10 were Governers of Kansas.
Another 15-20 were U.S. Senators & Representatives.
Another was CEO and chairman of AMC Entertainment Inc.
Another was Bill Kurtis of TV journalism fame.

Actually too many to mention.

Heres a partial list.
http://www.ku.edu/about/alumni/

rc

 

[beatledog7]

Go to the best college you can afford and that will take you for the study you wish to pursue. While there, study. Time for hobbies later.

 

[19-3Ben]

SERIOUSLY?
Let's see, an inconvenience for a few years and get the education that will allow you to live the life you dreamed and have the career you want. Or worry about plinking for a few years?
REALLY?

Yale/Columbia versus Kansas or George Mason?

This. And if he goes to Yale, I'll be friends with him and take him as a guest at my range here in CT whenever i am free and he wants. How's that for a deal?

 

[Sheepdog1968]

A school such as Yale, MIT, Harvard, etc will help get your foot in the door. I wouldn't pass up that kind of opportunity. By the way, I live in CA and while the gun laws are not great, there is plenty you can shoot. Yes, ARs are fairly neutered but M1a, Garands, bolt and lever actions are fair game as well as pump action shotguns. He will be a poor college student so he will likely be shooting lots of 22LR anyway.

 

[Arbo]

Screw the 'name' of the school... pay more money to live where you rights are even more restricted? Where you are more likely to be a victim? Screw that, support places that support our freedoms.

College is so overrated... Even more the 'name brand' schools...

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

It was a factor for me. While I am at school I want to be sure my wife can carry while she is with our children at a park or other urban venues. There are plenty of good accredited schools in areas that allow carry (just not on campus). The professional work you do and the connections you make in the field will be more meaningful than a degree from a top school. There is a compromise somewhere in between. Just avoid California, New York, Illinois, DC, and Hawaii. You will still have plenty of great choices for schools.

 

[HOOfan_1]

A losing philosophy. Columbia or Yale. Go for it!
Colorado is over rated! A once name brand state.

There are some pretty good schools in more gun friendly states.

Duke (although it is full of kids from Jersey)
Dartmouth
Rice (mentioned on his list)
University of Virginia
University of Pennsylvania (although it is in gun unfriendly Philly)
UNC Chapel Hill
Emory in Georgia
Georgia Tech
William and Mary

It also depends on your degree how much the name of the school trumps you up. Stuff like English and History don't seem to be pulling in many job offers in this economy. Even the people with law degrees are hurting now.

 

[Arbo]

A losing philosophy. Columbia or Yale. Go for it!
Colorado is over rated! A once name brand state.

Yeah, overpay for an education so you can get a McJob and pay back student loans for the rest of your life... that's smart (not).

 

[cfullgraf]

Ivy League schools are grossly overrated these days.

The engineering college graduates that I hired from non-Ivy League and non-north east schools were better employees and better producers than those that came from the "named" schools.

After a few years in the work force, for the most part, performance matters more than the school graduated from.

Cost of living and social environment is an important factor in the choice of a school as well as the academic environment.

 

[Tommygunn]

Keep in mind that those colleges with a ... "name" are not necessarily better than other colleges that may have more pedestrian reputations.
There are good colleges up in the N.E. My maternal grandfather was an M.I.T. graduate and my mother went to the University of Connecticut. Yale & Harvard come to mind as well. Most of these are very liberal places now so if your nephew is conservative not possessing his guns up there will not be his only challenge.
Your nephew should decide based on what his future interests are and which college provides the best stepping-stone/ ejumacashun to help him succeed. Yes, that does mean "toughing out" 2A restrictions if that means he wants to go someplace where they fear guns. He's youngand after he graduates he'll be better prepared to move to a place that supports second amendment rights.
I have many fond memories of my time at college and none have anything to do with guns.

 

[Prince Yamato]

No one mentioned Notre Dame? Indiana has good gun laws.

Seriously though. It's 4 years. Go to Yale, move wherever you want after.