PS&L Blog

Making College Tuition Worth Every Euro

What does Italian food, college admissions and development have in common? When the marketing is matched by the end result, cost in not an obstacle.

I have just returned from traveling in Italy with my wife, where we celebrated our 25th anniversary. Before we left we were determined to find that ultimate Italian meal, where the food, ambience and service all come together for a memorable experience. It was a process much like those who look for that perfect college, where the education, campus and culture all come together for a magical four years.

During my research I discovered La Torre del Saracino on one of those ads on the right side of the page, and something about it made me click. Immediately I was sucked into the site by the sumptuous photos and elegant copy that said nothing. I looked at the menu shocked by the prices – but I continued. I dug through the site. It worked its magic on me. I came back to it another day. The thought, “To hell with the price; It’s for our anniversary” ran through my head. I was hooked.

To hell with the price, it’s for the future of our daughter is a similar thought that goes through the heads of many a parent who look at the price tag for an exemplary college. And when you go on the website and meet the admissions staff, you are constantly reminded that it’s going to be worth every penny. But still, is it really worth it, you ask.

The day we went to the restaurant was an arduous one. Our first stop was to Herculeneum, the other city that was buried by Vesuvius in 79AD. We had to leave Florence for Naples Friday on the early morning high speed train, the Frecciarossa. At Naples we connected with the Circumvesuviana, the local train that runs around the Bay of Naples. Eleven stops later we departed that train at Ercolano and walked the short distance downhill to Herculeneum. To stay on schedule for our dinner we needed to speed-tour the ruins. Luckily Herculeneum is small and it was rainy so we didn’t feel like we missed too much.

The short walk down was a long walk back. We had to board the Circumvesuviana again for another 13 stops. Along the way my wife said to me, “This dinner better be worth it.”

Now think about the college tour journeys that so many parents take with their children these days. By the time they hit their 5th college in 3 days, you can hear them say “This had better be worth it.” They are filled with anxious hope tinged with despair that those hopes won’t be fulfilled.

But back to Italy.

When we arrived at La Torre del Saracino, the chef introduced himself and showed us his kitchen. The pasta station to the right, the fish-table and the meat-table on the left. Fresh bread and pastry up front. It was a crazy Italian version of kosher. The sommelier even showed us the wine cellar; 3,000 bottles strong. We were off to a good start. Mangiamo.

Our prix fixe menu was 9 plates, plus desert. On the third plate we joked that we would need to stop at the pizza shop on the walk back to our hotel. But believe me when I say we could not have eaten another thing when we were done. Although if Chef Gennaro had put another plate in front of me I would have eaten it, everything was so excellent. The sommelier pared our dishes with wines that made both the wine and food sparkle. The bread waitress unobtrusively gave us another fresh something to nibble on. Our waiter was so proud of the food as he set it on the table while he meticulously described what we were about to eat. The entire staff was charming, and their participating in our enjoyment it only made it better.

In the world of higher education, I equate nine course meal this to the yield period, when prospects have been accepted and are making a decision. They want to know which college to pick – and often times they don’t know what to look for. This is where you must show pride of ownership, where everyone they meet has to be enthusiastic about their coming to your school, where you offer them your nine course special. You need to show them what it will truly be like when they come. If you do a good job and they accept, they will know what they are getting into and you will be able to meet or exceed their expectations for the next four years.

And when it’s over, and they have their student loans to pay, you hope that they will be like my wife and I were when we got out our American Express bill just a few days ago. It was more expensive than what we had calculated, but my wife and I looked at each other and said, “It was worth every euro.” Regardless of what your tuition is, you want all of your graduates to say unequivocally, “It was worth every penny.”