A related ROI — gauging value@branded degree: a top-5 ROI@UChicago

One of the top 3 advantages of an insider — reduction in hazardous pressure to save up and push my kids for a branded college.

As Kyle pointed out, if we had not gone to UChicago or Columbia, I would have accepted the brainwash/propaganda and believed that branded colleges enrich a graduate’s life. Even with this first-hand experience as an insider, I still find it hard to resist the peer pressure from fellow Chinese parents. If I had not gained this insider insight, how much harder would it be? I would say impossible to avoid the brainwash and accept that these prestigious research powerhouses is actually poor value for money in terms of undergrad education.

Statistically, both Kyle’s career and mine count as two data points to support a high correlation between college prestige and career. However, if the survey asks me a binary question “Has your prestigious college education enhanced your career significantly?” we would say NO, but this crucial data is lost in the official statistics.

— saving 百万.. In 2021, I told Sophia that one tangible gain from UChicago is the insider insight. This insight would help me save a huge amount (USD 500k+) on college.

The reality — U.S. top colleges are affordable only to the rich[1]. I know I’m not that well-off, so this saving will affect the quality of our family life [影响生活质量].

[1] For a modest family to get any scholarship from a Tier 1 college, you  have to compete with thousands of applicants and be really special. Selectivity is one in thousands. )

–I wrote to Kyle–
I feel both you and me have an insider’s assessment of the intrinsic value of a branded college — We know it is overvalued and not worth the money.

Similarly, there’s overvaluation of advanced financial math, including stochastic calculus. A few of my professors said as an insider’s advantage, they have a better appreciation of the limitations in the mathematics.