Link to Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9GCCLXF
I posted this survey onto my personal Facebook page. This way, people I know who attend Emory, as well as people I know who attend other elite privates could have easy access to it and could thus help me gather my data.
The survey had 48 respondents in total.
Question 1: 34 people said they attend an elite private, and 14 said they do not.
Question 2: Out of those 34, 23 are taking out loans to attend their school, and 11 are not.
Question 3: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 9 are paying them back on their own, 3 have their parents paying all of the loans back, and 11 are splitting the costs between themselves and their parents.
Question 4: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 21 believe that it is worth it- that the prestige of their school will ultimately lead to greater success in the future, regardless of whether they have to take out loans to go there.
Question 5: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 17 believe that if they attended a state school or community college instead (had no loans), they would actually be less successful in the long run. They either would not get as good of a job or would not get into as prestigious of a graduate program as they would have if they attended the elite private for their undergraduate education. The other 6 disagree.
Overall, although this survey is not perfect (there is a very small sample size), it shows that out of those who attend elite privates, a sizable amount are taking out loans to go there, and out of this number, the majority have some responsibility for paying these loans back themselves, whether completely on their own or with some help from their parents. The wide majority of students taking out loans view them as insignificant compared to the value of their education. They believe that attending an elite private will provide them with greater success in the long run, and not attending an elite private may hurt them. This explains why elite privates can keep charging such high costs of attendance, many students can afford it, and those who cannot feel that a degree from that school is worth any loans they may have to take out to go there.
I posted this survey onto my personal Facebook page. This way, people I know who attend Emory, as well as people I know who attend other elite privates could have easy access to it and could thus help me gather my data.
The survey had 48 respondents in total.
Question 1: 34 people said they attend an elite private, and 14 said they do not.
Question 2: Out of those 34, 23 are taking out loans to attend their school, and 11 are not.
Question 3: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 9 are paying them back on their own, 3 have their parents paying all of the loans back, and 11 are splitting the costs between themselves and their parents.
Question 4: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 21 believe that it is worth it- that the prestige of their school will ultimately lead to greater success in the future, regardless of whether they have to take out loans to go there.
Question 5: Out of those 23 that are taking out loans, 17 believe that if they attended a state school or community college instead (had no loans), they would actually be less successful in the long run. They either would not get as good of a job or would not get into as prestigious of a graduate program as they would have if they attended the elite private for their undergraduate education. The other 6 disagree.
Overall, although this survey is not perfect (there is a very small sample size), it shows that out of those who attend elite privates, a sizable amount are taking out loans to go there, and out of this number, the majority have some responsibility for paying these loans back themselves, whether completely on their own or with some help from their parents. The wide majority of students taking out loans view them as insignificant compared to the value of their education. They believe that attending an elite private will provide them with greater success in the long run, and not attending an elite private may hurt them. This explains why elite privates can keep charging such high costs of attendance, many students can afford it, and those who cannot feel that a degree from that school is worth any loans they may have to take out to go there.