BUSPH vs UIC

[Truelotus]

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So I have a question. I am a MPH student and I have found my ideal school. It has awesome faculty who seem really passionate about their work and are focused on helping students succeed. The career services department is also very strong. I want to attend this school because I feel like the professors care, and that they will help me get a really great job after graduation and that career services will also help me leverage my new skill set into a good paying job. I cannot express how great everyone at the school has been to me thus far. I have felt not only welcomed, but that they really want me to attend the school and program. The problem is that this is a private school and VERY expensive.

There is a scholarship that I have applied for which would make the school doable for me. However, I will not find out if I am a recipient of the scholarship (1 of 4 spots) until 8/15. Initially, I thought, if I did not receive the scholarship that I would just attend UIC, it is much cheaper and I live in Chicago already. My dilemma is, should I go to a school that I am not excited about because it is cheaper? The moneywise part of me is saying “Do what is least expensive, you are just getting a degree”. But my experiences with UIC have been horrible, to say the least. The profs seem to not really care about students, and it is more about getting you through. I have asked repeatedly for stats on graduates getting jobs and have received nothing. In addition, UIC has 1 career services staff member whereas BU has 3 and BU has a whole program on career development. In addition, BU has a Leadership concentration. Also, UIC states, albeit not in writing, that on average new grads make 40K, whereas BU has $54K in writing. I am afraid that if I go to UIC that I will regret my decision. However, is it wise to take on so much debt just to go to the school that I want to go to? If I was straight out of undergrad (I’m 29) and had no real debt (I have cc debt) than I would not be so concerned, but unfortunately that is not my situation. I am currently working and living paycheck to paycheck- which I hate. So, I am going to grad school to not only work in the field that I am passionate about, but to better my financial situation.

So I guess my question is, am I right? Am I just getting a degree, should I try not to make this too big of a deal, in terms of the UIC red flags. Or, should I not be short sighted and look at the larger picture? Are there other intangibles that I need to consider? Such as networking with professors, leadership experience and strong career development that in the long run will set me up for a great return on investment on my student loans?

Also, are there any nifty financial planning calculators out there that you might recommend? I know that there is an income based repayment plan- so that is good. And, that there is a loan forgiveness program as well. Therefore, I pay loans for 10 years (if I work in gov't or nonprofit) and after 10 years the remainder of the debt is forgiven. As I understand it, with the income based repayment plan they take out 15% of your income. So, if I am lucky enough to make 54k that is $8,100 a year, and that would make the total loan amount $81k for 10 years? I am looking at the math correctly? This is the advice I found online in the extend section: Thanks! No one in my family has gone to grad school and they are drowning in debt, so I am trying not be too fear based and don't really know who to turn to for such advice.
Also:
Two of the coordinators at UIC are UIC-MPH grads, and I ask myself, so they are working for the school because they graduated from the program and could not find a job in the field...hmmm, not a good sign. And, if the profs don't have time for me now, when they are suppose to be wooing you to go to the school, are they going to be a good contact to help me with job leads.

Rough rule of thumb, don’t take on more in total education debt than you think you are going to earn on average annually during your first 10 years after graduating (from college or grad school). In plain English, if you think you’ll make $50,000 a year, don’t take out more than $50,000 in loans. The logic behind this is that if it takes you more than 10 years of paying 10% of your income a year in student loan repayments, it’s going to be tough to meet your other financial obligations

 

[EpiBird]

Also, UIC states, albeit not in writing, that on average new grads make 40K, whereas BU has $54K in writing. I am afraid that if I go to UIC that I will regret my decision. However, is it wise to take on so much debt just to go to the school that I want to go to?

$54K is a little high, and suspicious, for a MPH straight out of school.

A lot of the folks who get an MPH are doctors, and nurses, who have higher salaries than public health workers, and they go into administration. So, it seems that BU might be cooking books, especially since they seem to get a lot of doctors/nurses who want to just add on an MPH for the cache (I'm guessing working healthcare professionals can afford the high tuition), or they think they need it for career advancement.

The future economic reality for MPH grads is kinda unclear, I think BU's education is overpriced for what you get (in my concentration they promise a lot, but seem to deliver very little). I got wonder why all of the love from BU to get you to go there? Isn't that a red flag in and of itself?

Don't know much about UIC.

If you're going to a school with a high tuition, that's a major bummer as you've got a gigantic weight hanging over your head the whole time, and afterwards. Personally I'd go to UIC, there have been past accounts of BU being flagrantly rude to applicants, these perceptions change based on the applicant and the attitude of schools probably fluctuate as well, though it seems to me that BU is putting on a way too rosy picture to get you to sign on the dotted line.

If you have a passion for your studies, and are willing to work hard, you will fit in anywhere and be successful as you continue your career.

 

[EpiBird]

And, if the profs don't have time for me now, when they are suppose to be wooing you to go to the school, are they going to be a good contact to help me with job leads.

Hmmmph . . . I don't think professors are ever in "wooing" mode for applicants, especially if the school is solid. UIC is like #16, BU is tied for #11 with some other school, so not a lot of difference based on rankings. As UIC has lower tuition, applicants might choose to go there, hence no wooing needed. BU is not supposed to be very student friendly, kinda mediocre in this regard based on what I've heard. It is a big private public health school. BU asked me to send in another essay extolling the virtues of their school, kind of a demeaning way to ask if I really was interested in going to their school.

I don't think profs at JHU would be gushing over applicants, the school does pretty good on its own ;-).

If it looks like somebody is trying to sell you something, then probably somebody is trying to sell you something.👍

There was some real-life horror story about somebody applying to BU from the Peace Corps (AmeriCorps?) and being constantly insulted by BU staff and gave up applying,( I tend to remember the crazy stuff like that!)

 

[Stories]

Hmmmph . . . I don't think professors are ever in "wooing" mode for applicants, especially if the school is solid. UIC is like #16, BU is tied for #11 with some other school, so not a lot of difference based on rankings. As UIC has lower tuition, applicants might choose to go there, hence no wooing needed. BU is not supposed to be very student friendly, kinda mediocre in this regard based on what I've heard. It is a big private public health school. BU asked me to send in another essay extolling the virtues of their school, kind of a demeaning way to ask if I really was interested in going to their school.

I don't think profs at JHU would be gushing over applicants, the school does pretty good on its own ;-).

If it looks like somebody is trying to sell you something, then probably somebody is trying to sell you something.👍

There was some real-life horror story about somebody applying to BU from the Peace Corps (AmeriCorps?) and being constantly insulted by BU staff and gave up applying,( I tend to remember the crazy stuff like that!)

As a BU graduate, I can attest that I had a very positive experience. Obviously, treating another applicant or student poorly is one thing, but I think you'll find that, in general, most BU students are pretty happy. I noticed this at Yale, too. You have a group of students at both schools who weren't 100% happy, but everyone has different expectations and having some unhappy students is probably inevitable, especially for schools with large established programs.

If there are any specific BU questions, I'm happy to answer them. There's also a BU thread floating around here, so check that out, too.

BU isn't as big as most people think. It's smaller than the mega programs like Hopkins, Harvard, and Emory, although it's bigger than tiny programs like Yale and UIC. So it's that in between size. The big schools give you a lot of options, which is something I think people appreciate, but the one negative about being at a large school is that each faculty member is assigned a larger number of advisees. If that is a deterrent, a smaller school might be worth considering. Also, at a school like Harvard or Hopkins, the number of doctoral students are very high--these students are a higher priority than master's students, so be sure to keep that in mind no matter what school you go to. See the ratio of doctoral/master's students to gauge how the school's resources are split.

I think $54k right out of school is actually fairly reasonable once you take into account the kinds of jobs people take. There's the management folks who take jobs that easily make over $70k and you also have folks who take jobs at health departments making $40k. In cities like Boston or New York or DC, you'll see entry-level salaries that are well into the $50k range because of living costs. A colleague of mind worked at a global health consulting company right out of MPH and made $54k first year out (in DC). Since Chicago is cheaper (and the midwest in general), it's not surprising that $40k is an average salary in that region. So raw salary numbers, I believe. Purchasing power for that money is going to be different, however. So keep that in mind.

 

[ms newyear]

So I guess my question is, am I right? Am I just getting a degree, should I try not to make this too big of a deal, in terms of the UIC red flags. Or, should I not be short sighted and look at the larger picture? Are there other intangibles that I need to consider? Such as networking with professors, leadership experience and strong career development that in the long run will set me up for a great return on investment on my student loans?

If you haven't done so already, you really have to sit down and do the math and see if you can afford these loans. I made my decision of when to go to grad school based off my financial situation. I sorta went crazy on my Excel spreadsheet and threw stuff in like future car, future house down payment, savings, etc. etc. It's really going to be up to you.

I had a really great experience at BUSPH, but I think it's because I stayed engaged. I took full advantage of the career center, formed relationships with my professors, and just worked hard. I knew from the start that the MPH degree alone isn't enough to find a good job- that's why I made the effort to take on meaningful internships, and there are many opportunities in the Boston area.

As for BUSPH alum starting salaries, I know that several of my colleagues are making $60-80K working as consultants and policy analysts. Full disclosure... I graduated this year with my MPH being my highest degree and my annual salary is more than $54k (for-profit industry). We definitely aren't filthy rich, but I am personally on track to paying off my loans in under 10 years. Salary is going to depend on your career path and possibly your negotiation skills.

If you have a passion for your studies, and are willing to work hard, you will fit in anywhere and be successful as you continue your career.

The only sentence I agree with from that entire post.

 

[Truelotus]

Just in case anyone else ever reads this post for advice:
The folks at UIC were definitely trying to sell me something- BU, not so much. I agree with Stories, not every single student is going to be happy at a school, for a variety of reasons. Yep, I recall that "horror story " too and was put off by it .I thought the same thing "I don't want to go to a school where the profs and staff are not student friendly". But, my experience was the exact opposite. Also, what do you call all the swag from Emory and UMich, etc? I think all the schools are "wooing". But, that's just me. Thanks so much everyone. It is great to get advice from people in the field and who have been there. I hope to pay the advice back some day to another student 🙂

 

[EpiBird]

BU isn't as big as most people think. It's smaller than the mega programs like Hopkins, Harvard, and Emory, although it's bigger than tiny programs like Yale and UIC. So it's that in between size. The big schools give you a lot of options, which is something I think people appreciate, but the one negative about being at a large school is that each faculty member is assigned a larger number of advisees. If that is a deterrent, a smaller school might be worth considering. Also, at a school like Harvard or Hopkins, the number of doctoral students are very high--these students are a higher priority than master's students, so be sure to keep that in mind no matter what school you go to.

I don't know about BU being smaller than Harvard in terms of MPH/MS students:

Harvard has a total of 950 students, of which 484 are PhD students, and the rest, 466, are MPH/MS students.

BU has a total of 800 students, couldn't find out how many are PhDs, but it is surely much less than Harvard.

Harvard has 300 "administrative" staff, and BU has 150 "academic" staff.

So, it seems that BU may have as many, if not more, MPH/MS students as Harvard, yet there is less academic staff available. From what I've heard, BU is one of those schools that has quickly ramped up their student population as MPH/MS students bring in money for the school.

I'd think there would be distinct advantages of going to a school with a large population of PhDs (if not I've made a big mistake!), PhD advisors/faculty are usually pretty generous with their time, given they are accustomed to being in an academic environment.

I guess everybody has their different take.

 

[Stories]

I don't know about BU being smaller than Harvard in terms of MPH/MS students:

Harvard has a total of 950 students, of which 484 are PhD students, and the rest, 466, are MPH/MS students.

BU has a total of 800 students, couldn't find out how many are PhDs, but it is surely much less than Harvard.

Harvard has 300 "administrative" staff, and BU has 150 "academic" staff.

So, it seems that BU may have as many, if not more, MPH/MS students as Harvard, yet there is less academic staff available. From what I've heard, BU is one of those schools that has quickly ramped up their student population as MPH/MS students bring in money for the school.

I'd think there would be distinct advantages of going to a school with a large population of PhDs (if not I've made a big mistake!), PhD advisors/faculty are usually pretty generous with their time, given they are accustomed to being in an academic environment.

I guess everybody has their different take.

BU's unique in that many of those 800 (I think something like 30-40%?) are part-time students. So most of those students are working during the day time. These students take fewer classes and have fewer school-related commitments than many of the big schools will.

I think objectives from a program are also very important. A school like Harvard has a wonderful research programme because that's what they're focused on. And they have lot of faculty, but the percentage of faculty that are strictly research-only is fairly high, so the ratio of teaching faculty:students will be dramatically different.

I've got a few friends at Harvard (and two more friends who just graduated from the doctoral program who are now post-docs where I am), who have spoken well about the program, but accessibility and time given to students was not one of those pros they've ever talked about. World renowned faculty are brilliant researchers, but they're also very busy people with packed schedules. They're famous for their research work, not their teaching or accessibility. The biggest research groups have several researchers who are all bidding for a PI's time and since a PI pays for each of his/her postdocs/doctoral students, they get far more time and attention than a master's student could hope to get. Harvard, just like most places which can easily recruit postdocs, churn out publications. Publish or perish, as is well known in the academic circles. That's the #1 focus of all (tenure-track) PI's.

I'm not saying every professor at every school is negligent of students, and Harvard certainly won't be unique like this, but talk to the number of postdocs and doctoral students that work full-time with a PI and I can guarantee you every single one will tell you they wish they had a little (or a lot!) more time with the PI to get training they want. This is every single training program in the world, and not unique just to schools of public health, but all biomedical sciences.

A little bit of a tangent, but I think school choice should really depend upon a number of factors. Geographic location and alumni networks. Both are probably more important to future employment opportunities than the education itself or any other ratios.

 

[EpiBird]

I've got a few friends at Harvard (and two more friends who just graduated from the doctoral program who are now post-docs where I am), who have spoken well about the program, but accessibility and time given to students was not one of those pros they've ever talked about.

That's interesting, but of course, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", just because you haven't heard your friends specifically talking about the mentorship availability at Harvard, doesn't mean that Harvard faculty are not very helpful for students.

I'm not saying every professor at every school is negligent of students

A little bit of a tangent, but I think school choice should really depend upon a number of factors. Geographic location and alumni networks. Both are probably more important to future employment opportunities than the education itself or any other ratios.

I get that alumni networks are important for learning about new job opportunities. But at the end of the day, if the hiring person didn't go to your school (and feel some loyalty to said school's graduates), going to a school with a good reputation, which I would think includes education, seems to be most important.

If a BU grad is hiring for a position, I'd think that he/she would give as much (if not more) weight to an applicant from Harvard, JHU, Emory, and other schools with great reputations.

BU grads might have slightly higher salaries, but that might be due to the fact that grads have a much higher debt burden, and seek out jobs that are higher paying in order to service said debt. Going to a school with lower tuition, or going to an expensive one with a scholarship/merit award, is also an important part of the equation.

 

[Stories]

That's interesting, but of course, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", just because you haven't heard your friends specifically talking about the mentorship availability at Harvard, doesn't mean that Harvard faculty are not very helpful for students.

You're right. I don't have first hand experience at Harvard, but I've been at 3 different research institutions over the past 10 years and I'm extrapolating my experiences and observations as well as those of my friends.

I get that alumni networks are important for learning about new job opportunities. But at the end of the day, if the hiring person didn't go to your school (and feel some loyalty to said school's graduates), going to a school with a good reputation, which I would think includes education, seems to be most important.

If a BU grad is hiring for a position, I'd think that he/she would give as much (if not more) weight to an applicant from Harvard, JHU, Emory, and other schools with great reputations.

BU grads might have slightly higher salaries, but that might be due to the fact that grads have a much higher debt burden, and seek out jobs that are higher paying in order to service said debt. Going to a school with lower tuition, or going to an expensive one with a scholarship/merit award, is also an important part of the equation.

You're right, a good reputation certainly is a slight help in some situations, but from my personal experience, several employers I've talked to have a good experience with a graduate of a program, they will continue to think highly of other graduates of that program until proven otherwise. I think we all tend to do this in life, actually!

Tuition costs tends to follow to lines: geography and then private/public. Expensive schools are located in expensive cities. Most (private) schools in Boston tend to all cost right around the same amount. Land and property is expensive in Boston, so it tends to follow that being a student in this part of the country would also be expensive. Also, jobs in Boston tend to pay more than jobs elsewhere in the country because they have to compensate for the higher living cost.

 

[EpiBird]

from my personal experience, several employers I've talked to have a good experience with a graduate of a program, they will continue to think highly of other graduates of that program until proven otherwise. I think we all tend to do this in life, actually!

There is sort of a cycle with regards to the reputation of schools. The most motivation/top students often seek out the top schools, Harvard, JHU, and these schools benefit by having a crop of intelligent motivated students, which become graduates at said school. This helps maintain the reputation of these schools. As a thought experiment, if there was some sort of horrible scandal at Harvard (or a crazy high tuition increase), and the school got applicants of a much lower caliber, then employers might scratch their head and wonder "what's up with john or judy from Harvard? I'd expect more from a Harvard grad."

So, some schools self-select for students that maintain their reputation, I would also guess that if a school did a poor job educating their students, the graduates would be motivated but would display noticeable inexperience with certain types of problems, or a lack of general knowledge regarding some issue.

Tuition costs tends to follow to lines: geography and then private/public. Expensive schools are located in expensive cities. Most (private) schools in Boston tend to all cost right around the same amount. Land and property is expensive in Boston, so it tends to follow that being a student in this part of the country would also be expensive. Also, jobs in Boston tend to pay more than jobs elsewhere in the country because they have to compensate for the higher living cost.

It is interesting to speculate why a given public health school has a high tuition. But why would land and property value be part of the equation? I'm guessing that BU is a private non-profit, and interestingly, a cursory Google search revealed that non-profit universities and hospitals in Boston already get a tax break being non-profits:


Negotiations between the city of Boston and nearly three dozen nonprofits were more extensive, culminating at the end of last year in a sweeping agreement for hospitals and universities alike to ante up 25 percent of what any nonexempt landholder would owe the city

PILOT is "payments in lieu of taxes", and is based on an institution's "tax-exempt property value". PILOT got Boston about $23 million from dozens of institutions, and the program is "voluntary", so, doesn't seem like a whole lot per institution.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/assessing/pilotprogram.asp

http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/pilots-taking

Tuition has gone up much faster than inflation, even faster than medical costs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_States

So . . . I don't think that it is fair to blame geography on high tuition, certainly doesn't explain the massive rise in tuition which is much faster than inflation.

 

[kutmasta]

Seems like most of the replies here are on Harvard or Boston. Anyone have any experiences or thoughts on UIC?

 

[Stories]

There is sort of a cycle with regards to the reputation of schools. The most motivation/top students often seek out the top schools, Harvard, JHU, and these schools benefit by having a crop of intelligent motivated students, which become graduates at said school. This helps maintain the reputation of these schools. As a thought experiment, if there was some sort of horrible scandal at Harvard (or a crazy high tuition increase), and the school got applicants of a much lower caliber, then employers might scratch their head and wonder "what's up with john or judy from Harvard? I'd expect more from a Harvard grad."

So, some schools self-select for students that maintain their reputation, I would also guess that if a school did a poor job educating their students, the graduates would be motivated but would display noticeable inexperience with certain types of problems, or a lack of general knowledge regarding some issue.

Certainly interesting to think about. It's probably a combination of both at most schools. Reputation often lags reality in many areas. This goes for both good and bad reputations.

It is interesting to speculate why a given public health school has a high tuition. But why would land and property value be part of the equation? I'm guessing that BU is a private non-profit, and interestingly, a cursory Google search revealed that non-profit universities and hospitals in Boston already get a tax break being non-profits:

So . . . I don't think that it is fair to blame geography on high tuition, certainly doesn't explain the massive rise in tuition which is much faster than inflation.

It's not just public health tuition, but tuition of the university as a whole where tuition has gone up substantially for everyone. The university's board sets the ballpark for tuition and then the slight differences per program adjust the smaller fees. But overall, tuition at a university as a whole will be similar between programs. Harvard actually seems to be an outlier here with the lowest tuition in these very expensive cities.

New York
Columbia: $46,846 (https://www.college.columbia.edu/bulletin/feesandexpenses.php)
NYU: $42,472 (http://www.nyu.edu/bursar/tuition.fees/rate13/ugcas.html)

Boston
BU: $43,970 (http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/costs-aid-scholarships/tuition-and-fees/)
BC: $44,870 (http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/financial/tuitionandfees.html)
Harvard: $38,891 (http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/cost.html)
MIT: $42,050 (http://web.mit.edu/facts/tuition.html)

DC
GWU: $47,290.00 (http://colonialcentral.gwu.edu/tuition/Undergraduate/)
Georgetown: $44,280 (http://finaid.georgetown.edu/cost-of-attendance/undergraduate/)

 

[EpiBird]

Harvard actually seems to be an outlier here with the lowest tuition in these very expensive cities.

I still don't get why "expensive" cities would necessarily have schools that charge exorbitant tuition. If a student has to already pay sky high rent in an expensive city, why pile on additional tuition costs? Remember that schools in Boston (apparently an expensive place to live), get non-profit status and pay a pittance in property taxes.

The rise in tuition is attributed, by some, as basically gouging students, or turning education into a purely for-profit business. When you have private universities, they run the risk of viewing students just as customers who bring in revenue, and I think it kinda depersonalizes the education. When a student is just a customer, it doesn't matter if they can find a job after graduation, or even the absolute quality of education—just that they bought the product (MPH degree).

The whole horror story of that BU applicant kinda made me feel that BU really doesn't care about a student's personal tastes (apparently she really wanted to love BU), or difficulty getting paper work to the school when stuck in an isolated area, because there will always be somebody to fill the seat she gave up. $60K from one student is the same $60K from another student, so what does it matter how applicants are treated?

BU was recently in the news regarding some obscure research somebody did at the school decades ago, and they now want Apple to pay them money because it is similar to what is used in the iPad or something. This sort of "patent trolling" costs the economy billions . . . all so BU can make $75 million! The lawsuit actually doesn't even mention what inside of Apple's products is infringing on the BU patent. Apple doesn't even make the screens for their products, but because they have deep pockets, BU is filing the lawsuit against them, and Google and others. The BU prof. in question didn't actually even invent the product in question, just slightly altered the recipe, hence the "patent trolling" designation:

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/03/boston...ver-1997-patent-asks-for-ban-on-iphone-sales/

http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/03/congratulations-boston-university-youre-now-a-patent-troll/

Just saying you really have to gauge whether a private public health school is education first, or are primarily focused on keeping tuition high, and buffing the school's reputation.

 

[Stories]

I still don't get why "expensive" cities would necessarily have schools that charge exorbitant tuition. If a student has to already pay sky high rent in an expensive city, why pile on additional tuition costs? Remember that schools in Boston (apparently an expensive place to live), get non-profit status and pay a pittance in property taxes.

The rise in tuition is attributed, by some, as basically gouging students, or turning education into a purely for-profit business. When you have private universities, they run the risk of viewing students just as customers who bring in revenue, and I think it kinda depersonalizes the education. When a student is just a customer, it doesn't matter if they can find a job after graduation, or even the absolute quality of education—just that they bought the product (MPH degree).

The whole horror story of that BU applicant kinda made me feel that BU really doesn't care about a student's personal tastes (apparently she really wanted to love BU), or difficulty getting paper work to the school when stuck in an isolated area, because there will always be somebody to fill the seat she gave up. $60K from one student is the same $60K from another student, so what does it matter how applicants are treated?

BU was recently in the news regarding some obscure research somebody did at the school decades ago, and they now want Apple to pay them money because it is similar to what is used in the iPad or something. This sort of "patent trolling" costs the economy billions . . . all so BU can make $75 million! The lawsuit actually doesn't even mention what inside of Apple's products is infringing on the BU patent. Apple doesn't even make the screens for their products, but because they have deep pockets, BU is filing the lawsuit against them, and Google and others. The BU prof. in question didn't actually even invent the product in question, just slightly altered the recipe, hence the "patent trolling" designation:

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/03/boston...ver-1997-patent-asks-for-ban-on-iphone-sales/

http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/03/congratulations-boston-university-youre-now-a-patent-troll/

Just saying you really have to gauge whether a private public health school is education first, or are primarily focused on keeping tuition high, and buffing the school's reputation.

Here's my guess: expensive city = expensive operating costs (Boston is expensive, let me assure you) = higher cost of product = higher tuition?

A school has to care about their student body because they report employment numbers and also leads to future opportunities for future students to connect with alumni if the graduates feel connected to it. It's where the value of a school generally tends to lie. There are several for-profit schools out there, which are often considered diploma mills, such as Strayer, Phoenix, Walden just to name a few of the more famous ones, which are indeed using tuition as a means of getting profit for the corporation. However, as we know, none of these institutions are known for elite education.

Non-profit universities invest the money back into the university itself. All schools have a vision/goal for where their university is headed, and that is to expand its reach into certain areas and develop strengths in the academic community. Private universities have more power to dictate what direction they want their universities to head for research and philanthropy than state schools since their funding comes primarily from their own revenue streams (students + endowment + IP). Engineering departments, in particular, have the highest amount of IP filed every year. BU is no different than other schools with large engineering departments that file IP every year. Apple tends to be in the spotlight, particularly with their high profile case against Samsung, and lesser profile cases against HTC, Motorola, Nokia, etc. So seeing a university go after Apple will be some media attention.

There are a varying number of answers as to why tuition is increasing, but there are two very common themes we hear these days: increased financial aid (http://www.theatlantic.com/business...es-when-private-colleges-hike-tuition/274726/, seems to be a Catch 22 eh?) and administration/tenure (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/your-money/paying-for-college/05money.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). Professors and staff/services in more expensive cities will cost more, which is at least part of one reason why tuition in these cities will be more expensive.

Anyway, I think our thread is pretty far off topic at this point. This topic is probably better for a forum such as GradCafe maybe? Where everyone is probably reading (or will be reading) the Chronicle for Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5) which tracks various things about higher-ed and the future of education.