Good Question

When did colleges become country clubs?

Even dorms have gone upscale. Boston University set the bar high when it opened its 960-bed residential tower in 2009, with walk-in closets, private bathrooms, and sweeping views of the Charles. In late February, Berklee College of Music dedicated a 16-story glass-walled residence that, as a college publication put it, “offers Back Bay views that neighbors pay millions for.” It also has a fitness center, a roof terrace, and recording studios that “rival any in the United States, including commercial enterprises like Lucasfilm and the major Hollywood studios.”

It is this idea, that more equals better — that more amenities, more administrators, and a higher price tag in some way indicate quality — that lies at the secret heart of stratospheric tuition and student debt. Not professor pay.