<p>Seconding that the library thing is a big deal. My small undergrad college shared a library with another liberal arts college and a small liberal arts university, and I hated that library. It didn’t subscribe to all of the journals I needed as a budding researcher and didn’t have a lot of holdings. My graduate university - the libraries are one of my favorite things about it. First of all, the holdings seem almost infinite - there is rarely an article I need that we don’t have, and if there is, I can nearly always ILL it. I can also borrow books directly from other Ivy Leagues; they come within 2 days. And second of all, they provide great study spaces. Our libraries have lounges and ancient art and coffee shops. I would say that the library is a must-visit on any college trip - even if you are not planning to be a dork like me, you’re eventually going to have to write a paper that might require a last-minute book or article. You want a place that can support that, not require you to plan 2 months ahead so you can order all of your books from other libraries.</p>
<p>I think zapfino’s list of benefits is pretty complete. While I loved my small college and would go there again in a heartbeat, we did have a limited range of majors and courses within those majors, I hated our library, and our alumnae network is strong but quite small. The only one I disagree with is a “more diverse student body and faculty,” though, as that really depends on which college you are comparing to which university. My small college had a MUCH more diverse faculty than most large universities. Larger school just means larger faculty, but not necessarily more diverse.</p>