@Publisher I find this response more helpful than some of the absolutes stated in your previous posts. I respectfully point out that you do not know the OP (or other readers) and how they may view your input and take it as gospel. Anecdotes are great for emphasis so long as it is clear that is what it is… a personal opinion based on personal experience.
I only have my own experience as a student and now as a parent with my first and only. With that in mind, I agree with @ucbalumnus that “it depends.”
- What are your academic goals and what colleges/unis offer that curriculum?
- Placement success (career or post-grad)?
- Access to professors
- Campus location, size, etc.?
- Interested in sports, Greek life, social scene, etc.?
- Collaborative vs competitive?
- Conservative vs liberal
- Cost
These are just examples and by no means all inclusive.
For our experience, my D felt most comfortable on our visits to LACs in urban or suburban areas. She is interested in pre-health so access to research facilities, hospitals and service opportunities is important and limited the LACs she would consider. She also looked closely at all the majors offered in case she changed her mind.
ETA: Hopefully this does not stray too far from the question about rankings and LAC vs uni.