西部落：在美国就读哪些大学更值得?

We reached directly out to both school administrators¹ to find statistical² information about the school, how they are aggressively offsetting³ tuition, but then reaching out to students who really consider college experts and asking them about the value for their education and what sort of financial value they are getting for that, for that education...

---So, so some of this is objective and some of it is subjective⁴ (Yes) as well and it'd be for students.

Exactly, exactly. It's both --- that (is) qualitative⁵ as well as quantitative⁶ information. We reached out to a little over 160,000 students this year through our website princetonreview.com. And we asked some questions basically in three different pockets: overall academics, cost and then financial aid. Er, so we pair those, those things with that qualitative and quantitative information. So, overall statistics on what it takes to get into some of those 150 schools in, in the book, but then exactly what they thought the academic experience was in the classroom. Were their professors good teachers? Were they accessible inside and outside of the classroom? So, not only are the sticker prices for lots of these schools low, but students are saying it's a great academic values as well...

---What's this criteria⁷ that you have you call it Tuition GPA?

Yes. Tuition GPA is, is just that we are looking for overall financial aid. So what does that school do again to bring down that sticker price to a manageable number? Er, how much aid are they giving out? What is the average indebtedness for each of those students once they graduate? But then asking that student, do they think that it's a great financial aid value, what they are actually getting when the sticker price comes down.

---Yeah, you suggest that sticker shock is one of the biggest misconceptions when people are searching for colleges.

It's without question one of the biggest misconceptions and really the downfall for lots of kids and parents. What we've found that is, is most people will, will cross a school off of their list because it has high sticker price, which is totally the wrong thing to do when we start thinking about it. Schools that charge a lot of money can be very aggressive about giving out large financial aid packages to their students. And again it's financial aid packages that are not forcing students to take out loans. So again the university giving out grant money, free money, scholarship.

---So always look a little bit deeper into the hole.

It, without question. That, that, that's what you owe it to yourself as a student and certainly to a parent to do.

---Alright, let's get to the list. Top five of the best private colleges across the country, best value colleges. How did they come down?

Yeah, well there's, there's a lot of them and some great stories here. Brigham Young University, wonderful school. It's a Mormon university over 30,000 students but when we start thinking about average sticker price for a kid for the Mormon faith, because it's subsidized by the Mormon religion --- $10, 000 for a non-Mormon student by $12,000. So, a, a great value. About $13,000 overall, their students will graduate with overall indebtedness.

---The other in the top five, Berea College in Kentucky, Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York, Westminster College Fulton Missouri, and Rice University in Houston, Texas. What about public colleges?

Yeah, number one on our public colleges list is New College of Florida, which is a wonderful school, 692 students, certainly a small school but it's part of the Florida system. So, so again it caters⁸ to, to students in that state but invites other students to apply overall.

---And the other ones in the top five: North Carolina State University, California State University and Long Beach Truman State University in Missouri, and the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Any carryovers from last year?

Yeah, we have two. Actually Brigham Young University and New College of Florida are both carryovers. Not in the number one spot , (but they weren't number one though right?). That's right, and certainly these schools as well as the 148 schools that we have in the book, wonderful schools academically and great financial aid value.

1 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

2 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

3 offsetting   

n.偏置法v.抵消( offset的现在分词 )；补偿；（为了比较的目的而）把…并列（或并置）；为（管道等）装支管

参考例句：

• Dealers, having concluded a forward contract, should always hedge with an offsetting contract. 外汇经营商在签订了一项远期合同之后总是应进行套头交易签订一项相抵合同。 来自辞典例句
• Where does Germany think offsetting shifts into greater external deficits might occur? 在德国看来，这么大的外部赤字应该转移到哪里？ 来自互联网

4 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

5 qualitative   

adj.性质上的，质的，定性的

参考例句：

• There are qualitative differences in the way children and adults think.孩子和成年人的思维方式有质的不同。
• Arms races have a quantitative and a qualitative aspects.军备竞赛具有数量和质量两个方面。

6 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

7 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

8 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。