Welcome back to KTalks, in this episode, we dive deep into the complex decision-making process behind choosing a college—specifically, the University of Connecticut—as an out-of-state student. We uncover the hidden costs beyond tuition, explore the debate between public and private institutions, and examine how selectivity, prestige, and long-term value factor into the equation. Join us as we break down what really influences students’ decisions and what it means to invest in your future through higher education.
Transcript: Hi guys, once again, welcome back to KTalks. And this is your host, Kaushik. And today I’m with my friend, Will, right here. What’s up, guys? And today we’re going to be uncovering the topic of college decision making and the cost of higher education, public versus private, and in-state versus out-of-state choices. And…
14 sec.
And Will, can you tell me a little bit about your background and what initially sparked your interest in applying to colleges like UConn, especially as an out-of-state student? Yeah, so I wanted to apply to a college out-of-state because back in high school, not many people really liked me that much, honestly. I don’t know what it was, like fake rumors and stuff. So I wanted to avoid that just by going to a college outside of UConn.
1 min. 6 sec.
Um outside of the state so it’s like less likely from kids from my school who are going to college to see me there obviously um what else and What um, I wanted to do like around the area Which is fine colleges like like outside the state obviously but but no further than new new no further than new england Um, I have applied to I think 10 colleges I could be wrong You know, yeah. Yeah apply to 10 colleges um
1 min. 37 sec.
I got into every single one of them. I applied to UConn, of course, which I’m here right now, URI, Marist, Endicott, New Peltz, Quinnipiac, and I think a few more I’m forgetting, but yeah. What were the main factors that led you to choose UConn?
2 min. 7 sec.
You can’t over some of the in-state options such as UMass or Boston area schools like Boston College Northeastern Boston University or Suffolk Even though you con is expensive Boston University is like very it’s like really up there like way more expensive than you can also It’s a harder school to get into in general It’s like it’s like right below Ivy League in a way
2 min. 26 sec.
And, uh, UConn, I felt it was perfect for me, especially what I wanted to do, because, like, the DMD program here is really good, and that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life, like, since 7th grade, and, like, I’ve been enjoying it ever since then, so, yeah. Mm-hmm.
2 min. 46 sec.
How do you decide, like, which colleges to include in your application list? Were there any specific criteria or circumstances that influenced your choices? Well, I had to first make sure that they had, like, what I wanted, like, digital media and design or film, even if it’s separately from that. I had to make sure they had what I wanted. Next, I would actually schedule a tour to see that college and see how I liked the campus and all that and, like, see the environment and the people. After that, I will, like…
3 min.
Once I have, like, a top three on my list, I will tour those colleges one last time that are on my top three and see, again, which one I like the best. And I picked UConn. I’m happy with my choice. Nice. In terms of, like, cost comparison, what were your thoughts on differences between in-state or out-of-state tuition at UConn compared to schools like UMass, Northeastern, or Boston College? I mean, I didn’t think tuition would be too much of a problem because, like…
3 min. 31 sec.
My my parents especially my dad at least has like a really good paying job Hmm, but like after he got fired back in October of this Like last year like it’s been hard to actually come up with the money Hmm because like after I graduated college my sister my sister is gonna be going to college So it’s me like eight eight years of work tuition having to be having to be paid. Hmm. I
4 min. 4 sec.
I mean, what difference was, like, the in-state tuition for, like, UMass, Northeastern, or Boston College, you being, like, a Massachusetts resident? I didn’t really—I don’t remember what the in-state was for UMass, but I remember, like, Boston University was, like, $70-something thousand. How about Northeastern or Boston College? Like, what difference would they have? I didn’t sort either of those either, so I don’t really remember those. Okay. Yeah. How do you weigh the benefits of UConn’s academic offerings against, like, the higher cost of, like—
4 min. 28 sec.
out-of-state tuition? I mean, it’s honestly worth it. It’s a great school. It’s bigger than… It’s actually the biggest school that I’ve applied to. And also, like, it’s really worth applying to anyways. Obviously, it’s amazing. A lot of people here you can, like, meet. A lot of things to do. A lot of clubs. A lot of, like, different, like, backgrounds and, like, meeting new people. And, like, everything about the school is amazing. So how are, like, the benefits with the… How did, like…
4 min. 58 sec.
you got academics offering in terms of like DMD did you like did the benefits weigh for you with you being like with the cost of out of state tuition since you’re an out of state student uh
5 min. 34 sec.
It was good. I mean, the DMD really benefits for me, at least because like the DMD for like majoring in DMD, it requires less money for tuition to be paid compared to a lot of the other majors because like it doesn’t make as much money as some of the other majors do. So it’s less than what the average out-of-state person is paying here. Yeah. Nice.
5 min. 51 sec.
In terms of hidden costs, were there any fees or expenses like room, board, or travel costs that significantly influenced your decision since you’re from being out of state? Were there like, did like out of state fees like add expenses for like housing, meal plan, tuition? Yeah.
6 min. 14 sec.
For meal plan, I took the custom meal plan. My mom kind of helps me with that, so I don’t really know how the payment works for that. Housing, it is—we do pay attention with housing. We want to make sure it’s a good, like, living place, but, like, we also have to care, like, keep our eyes out on the payments for the housing because, like, it’s, like, thousands of dollars or, like, every year and stuff.
6 min. 39 sec.
What kind of research did you do to gather facts about tuition and fees at UConn and other colleges, either in-state or out-of-state? Again, doing, like, financial aid, just applying for that. I got, luckily, $4,000 off from that. I also, again, in the last interview I mentioned about scholarships, I didn’t get any, sadly, but, you know, things happen. Can you share me some of the…
7 min. 5 sec.
key facts or statistics you found that compared the Yukon with other institutions primarily regarding cost and academic rigor? Wait, what do you mean? I mean, were you able to do research on…
7 min. 37 sec.
Other institutions compared to UConn regarding cost and academic rigor, like whether in-state or out-of-state, regarding like the tuition fees and like the rigorous academics in terms of like the academic environment, like putting like, let’s say like puts pressure on like students regarding like the high standing and prestige globally. Yeah, it’s probably like that.
8 min. 2 sec.
I never really did any research in state because I wasn’t like trying to go for in state Although I did although I did apply to any cop which was the only in state college I applied to because it was really nice But like after like seeing all the other ones and after seeing you kind of I was like, yeah You can’t definitely what I want to do. Yeah, I
8 min. 27 sec.
I mean, I was doing some research on my own, and I even examined UConn office of the bursar’s pages and financial ad websites. It did include, like, detailed information about current tuition rates and fee breakdowns, like the 2025 to 2026 direct cost at stores, which was about, like, $39,655 for, like, in-state students and $600.
8 min. 44 sec.
62,325 dollars for like out-of-state students and regional campus rates. Yes. And these official documents do provide like precise up to date data directly from the university. Exactly. I was like these out-of-state tuition being like 62,323 dollars had like an impact on you in terms of like tuition?
9 min. 9 sec.
Um, I mean tuition is always expensive. I don’t know why college has even college has to be remotely this expensive at all I don’t I don’t get it but like if I even knew like no matter where I was gonna go it’s still gonna be um expensive for no matter what like but when your family is like Struggling with like work and like getting fired for like like different business things like not helping us It’s like, you know
9 min. 37 sec.
I also did some research on my own at ctinsider.com, and I also looked at archived news stories from sources, like those sources, including Business Insider. They discussed recent fee increases and legislative proposals that affect the extra fees and record application numbers. They will contextualize UConn’s pricing strategies and its evolving cost of attendance. Yeah. And I looked into…
10 min. 7 sec.
More into like CT Insider that compared UConn to other Connecticut schools in national benchmarks. These sources highlighted that UConn not only maintains strong academic metrics, such as like 93% freshman retention and a 4.2 year average graduation time, but also offers a competitive value proposition among public research universities. What do you think of that? That’s pretty cool. I got on that. Pretty interesting. Yeah.
10 min. 39 sec.
So what’s for like on in your point of view in terms of like cost for like the 25 to 26 academic year the direct cost for in-state students being like $39,655 and out-of-state tuitions pay being like $62,323 and regional campuses offering like lower attendance costs around like $27,452. Like what’s your point of view on these differences
11 min. 8 sec.
reflecting and living and additional expenses. I mean, even though I’m out of state, I’m not paying $62,000. I think that’s the average for, like, the average out-of-state tuition for kids who are coming to that school. But, like, again, I don’t know why. I mean, I personally feel like the out-of-state tuition should not be, like, double the price at the end state. Like, that’s kind of crazy if you think about it. Yeah, and…
11 min. 36 sec.
UConn’s academic strength is underscored by its high freshman retention rate, 93% and effective graduation time, about 4.2 years for students who graduated within six years. And the national rankings consistently place UConn among, like, the top five, top 25 public universities, indicating robust academic standards and research activity. Yeah, it’s one of the best in the whole country, for sure. Yeah. So, what’s next?
12 min. 4 sec.
So did these factors drive you to applying into UConn as an out-of-state student? Yeah, they were, yeah. Out-of-state tuition? Definitely. I mean, out-of-state student. Mm-hmm.
12 min. 32 sec.
It’s more like value proposition. Comparative studies show that while UConn may have a higher sticker price than some regional schools, it’s stronger financial aid offerings and high postgraduate outcomes, with median salaries starting in the mid-70,000 ranges. In your opinion, how do you think this would make a compelling opinion relative to both its cost and academic benefits? If the money is like…
12 min. 42 sec.
If the money is worth it, then go with it. But if not, then there should really be a point of, like, applying to a certain school that has, like, very little but too much money to be paying for. But, like, even if, like, this… I feel like it should be more fair for, like, how the school plays out and rules. Like, how, like, how much cheaper they really should be making college tuition. Because, like, many families… Things happen in many families that, like, go wrong in their workforce. And, like, things happen. Yeah.
13 min. 15 sec.
A lot of I know a lot of people here who are like struggling to pay for a tuition I’ve I’ve friends my hometown who who dropped out of college because they couldn’t pay for their all their tuition Do they have to like resort to like work? Yeah, they’re at the resort to work You mean like working to pay for college or they leave college altogether and resort to work? Um, I think it’s both either way Yeah depends on what’s Tends on their family’s background
13 min. 47 sec.
In terms of like essays, applications, and institutional culture, tailoring applications, how do you approach your essays and application materials differently for UConn versus schools with like higher selectiveness with the likes of University of Virginia, Villanova University, and…
14 min. 15 sec.
as far as, like, Tulane University. Yeah, so, I mean, about the college essay, I mean, for any college you apply to, the essays, they always want you to do, like, whatever they want you to write about. No, not what they want you to write about, whatever you want to write about that, like, that kind of leads up to the point where you want to be in this college for a reason. Like, something about your past and your background and how you’ve, like, overcome certain obstacles in life to help you, like, get to where you want to be. Mm-hmm.
14 min. 35 sec.
And yeah, that’s kind of what I went for when I made my college essay. I mean, in terms of like comparing with those institutions that I talked about, any thoughts on that? No, not right now. Did you approach this, did you include like the same kind of approach when you were applying for other schools as well, like Endicott, Marist, University of Rhode Island? How was it like for them? Yeah.
15 min. 3 sec.
It was pretty good. But UConn was definitely what I needed to be. I feel like I belonged at UConn out of all the other ones. I mean, the other ones I felt great into, but, like, you know. Yeah. What aspects of UConn’s culture and academic environment do you feel aligns best with your personal goals compared to the more elite private and public schools? Let’s say, like, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, and…
15 min. 40 sec.
college of william and mary um this school has like a lot of diversity which like shows like um a lot more it’s easier like to meet people and be aware of their backgrounds and like all that and also this i mean this school has like lots has honestly compared to other schools i’ve talked to my friends about who who are going to college i’ve noticed that this school has a lot more opportunities and like stuff to do like
16 min. 14 sec.
Even like those like little like frat things you see on the side of the road Yeah, just for fundraisers and stuff like doing stuff with other people There’s a lot more. There’s a lot more places to party around this campus a lot more clubs I’m like, I’m one of the biggest clubs on the whole campus too. I mean, you know, Calisthenics. You’re that kind of show. Yeah, I
16 min. 42 sec.
And this school has a strong athletics tradition and culture. Yeah, especially for basketball. Basketball teams, both men and women are so good. And plus football as well, regarding their well-completed season. Yeah. And also hockey as well, regarding their historic reach to the Final Four. Yeah. And UConn Athletics seems to be on the rise, due to each team doing well in the competitions. Yeah, honestly. Yeah.
17 min. 1 sec.
In terms of, like, public versus private universities’ academic and student experience, how do you perceive the differences in academic rigor and selectiveness between public institutions like UConn and private institutions such as those, like, in the Ivy League or top tech schools? Well, the public is, like, tuition. They both contain tuition, but, like, private, like, Ivy League schools are, like, the ones that, like,
17 min. 33 sec.
Think contain fundraisers to along with like tuition. Hmm like to help his like also I mean, yeah, it’s it’s different. It’s different compared to you home we’re I mean this school is like a very like it’s like Right in the middle between easy and hard if you know if like I just like hard These are hard schools like that graduate and get into I mean when you compare to us schools like Georgia Tech Wesleyan and Duke
17 min. 59 sec.
What would you say for that? Yeah, I think those are probably just a little bit harder than UConn. In what ways do you feel the pressure or academic competition differs between these institutions, and how has this shaped your experience at UConn?
18 min. 28 sec.
I don’t really know because I haven’t, like, because, I mean, this is the only college I’ve ever been at. So, like, I could only assume that, like, they’re more tough on the students than, like, the Ivy League schools because, like, not, like, tough on the students, but the assignments will be a lot more harder and confusing. Yeah. Yeah, these public schools, like, Georgia Tech and Wesleyan and Wake Forest, known for, like, the prestige and, like,
18 min. 45 sec.
international reputation. Coming with prestige comes with pressure on students in terms of academics because prestigious schools like them, they put pressures on students to work harder and get good grades. They’re always selective on the
19 min. 14 sec.
on like the applicants like in terms of like students with like the highest scores in which like the Yeah, students would like the top scores always get denied and that was just randomly selecting people. Yeah That’s like one way it mounts pressure on like students versus like the environment itself. Yeah for sure Definitely. What has been your experience with the academic and social support systems at UConn? And how does this how does that compare with what you would expect from a
19 min. 37 sec.
more competitive universities. Yeah. Again, for academic purposes, it’s going to be hard. College is going to be hard no matter where you go to for, like, the academic part. But, like…
20 min. 6 sec.
When it comes to, like, the social aspect, I mean, I… A lot… I feel like the more… Obviously, the more people that are in, like, a specific college, the more likely you’re going to make a lot more friends. I mean, I get, like, everything’s… They’re going to be, like, all, like, separate from campus because of how big the campuses can be in that situation. But, like, it’s still a good advantage, too. So…
20 min. 21 sec.
Looking back, how do you think your decision to attend UConn as an out-of-state tuition will impact your future academic and career opportunities? It could really help a lot, honestly. I mean, it’s a very famous school. Like, people really like—I mean, I know people usually know that UConn is known as the best basketball—as the basketball capital of the world. But, like—
20 min. 46 sec.
I mean, I’m sure whoever I interview for a job interview someday for what I want to do will be familiar with that. But at the same time, when it comes to my work, I’ll have to show him or her the work that I’ve done that’s helped me get this far in life and helped me get what I want to be in life. So what was like the, in terms of like ACT and SAT, how was like the,
21 min. 10 sec.
circumstances regarding that in terms of like that deciding like your call what colleges you you’d go to eventually was it like test optional for you when you were yeah for me it’s always yeah it was always test optional for me yeah
21 min. 42 sec.
I did not apply to any test-required schools. I mean, technically, ACTs and SATs kind of, like, decide, like, what colleges will you land up with, and it will kind of, like, be the deciding factor for that. Yeah, honestly, if UConn was a test-required school, I probably would not have gone into the school. I’m glad it wasn’t. Yeah, it was, like, due to, like, COVID pandemic, like, they made, colleges made, like, SAT optional.
21 min. 58 sec.
Yeah, I’m glad they did that for real. Yeah. In terms of like financial aid and scholarship availability, what types of aid did you look into before making your decision? I guess, yeah, financially. Also, we also look at FAFSA a lot. FAFSA? Yeah. Sorry? Yeah, that’s it. Okay. Are out-of-state tuitions like a disadvantage when it comes to like scholarships? Like were you greeted with any challenges or disadvantages? Yes.
22 min. 26 sec.
I mean, yeah, I mean, a lot of the scholarships I applied to were, like, had, like, very few winners that I could win. And, like, again, I didn’t win any of them. But, like, I still apply for some scholarships on, like, a website. So, yeah. Okay. So how much student debt does, like, the average UConn, does the average graduate from UConn have compared to, like, elite private colleges? Yes.
22 min. 58 sec.
I don’t know. I mean, I would say it depends on, like, the families and how, like, available they are for work and how much they get paid. Yeah. Do you think student loan debt is a necessary burden, or how do you think it could be, like, averted? Student loans are very… I think are very useful, because, like, you always have time, like, to pay it off once you get a job and stuff. But, again, it’s still a lot of money to pay off, but…
23 min. 29 sec.
Did you receive any financial aid, scholarships, or tuition discounts as per your DMD program? Not for DMD. I did get financial aid at least. I know people take jobs to pay off college tuition. Were you considering the same too? Yeah, I’ve been doing that same thing too. I actually worked three jobs this summer.
23 min. 58 sec.
to help me, like, pay for some of that tuition, some of my investing in my music. What were your biggest financial concerns about attending an out-of-state college? Not being able to pay it off, not being able to continue, like, the next following year, like, wasting all that money for nothing. I mean, also, like, even if I, like, do enough years, I wouldn’t… I would be concerned if it would be enough for me to even get a job of what I want to do, because, like, yeah. What schools in Massachusetts did you consider…
24 min. 24 sec.
At some point before UConn. And Econ. That was the only school I applied to in Massachusetts. But again, it’s so expensive. Fair enough. And did you feel any pressure to apply to high-ranked colleges as far as, like, University of Florida, Northeastern? No, I didn’t apply to any, like… UConn was the hardest school I applied to. I didn’t feel like I would belong in any Ivy League schools because, like…
24 min. 55 sec.
How does the idea of prestige affect students’ college decisions when they’re greeted with picking between schools that are more moderate to prestige to a global reputation? What’s your point of view on that? I guess just whatever fits. I don’t know, honestly. Yeah.
25 min. 30 sec.
And one more question. All right. What…
26 min. 7 sec.
Advice would you give to prospective students trying to decide between more affordable public options and high-end private schools, especially when considering out-of-state tuition costs? I would check in with their parents and see how much they can afford per year, what their job is. Make sure no problems are coming up with their parents’ jobs while applying. Along with if you’re working a job during the summer too, make sure no problem is coming up.
26 min. 14 sec.
Because, like, sometimes things can happen and, like, people get fired last minute and things get, like, can, like, be lost, like, within, like, a day or two. And, yeah, just make sure you know you want this college and, like, make sure you, if you want to actually complete college, you have to make sure you can afford it. And, yeah, that’s all I have to say. Yeah. All right. Thanks. Well, thank you guys for tuning in.
26 min. 39 sec.
This is your host, Kaushik, signing out after another episode. Stay tuned for more from KTalks. See you guys.
27 min. 8 sec.
(William Hodges)
