The "Buying Down" Effect

Hayden Warr, public relations sophomore, is about to complete her second year at the University of Oklahoma. With two years out of the way Warr has already made many memorable experiences and has developed a lot of friendships.

If someone two years ago were to ask Warr where she was planning on going to school her answer would not be OU.

During her senior year Warr applied to four schools. Two were out of state. She was accepted to three. Wanting to go outside of Oklahoma’s state borders to experience life in another state, Warr’s first choice out of all the school’s she applied to was Florida State. When it came down to decision time tuition was just too expensive at Florida State, so Warr went with her next best option: The University of Oklahoma.

According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Warr is not the minority when it comes to leaving behind her first choice in schools and going with the next best thing. John T. Lawlor is a trend watcher in higher education and he told the chronicle that in fact that is what more and more students are having to do when it comes to deciding where they will receive their education.

“The big trend I see is buying down,” Lawlor said. “That is, parents and students who are settling for second best or second choice, if the price is more appealing. And this trend is catching on not just among squeezed middle-class families, but also among the rich.”

Warr says she doesn’t regret her decision to come to OU. She feels that for some students high tuition prices can limit students possibilities and experiences, but ultimately it is the students responsibility to make the most of their college years with whatever opportunity they are given, or in her case can financially take on.