<p>Yeah, I'm not knocking Rose's attention to students or the value in class sizes. However, paying 40K+ every year is probably the biggest draw back for most students. </p>
<p>Yes larger universities tend to have more TA attention than professor attention during freshman and maybe sophomore years, but if you actually care enough to make an effort your professors will get to know you. Especially during your junior and senior years you will really get to know your professors, and when the time comes to write letters of recommendation, a professor who is conducting cutting edge research at a large university (UWI, UMich, UMN, UIll, Purdue, ect) will have a stronger and more valued/respected letter than a professor at a purely teaching school (Rose).</p>
<p>Once again I am not knocking Rose's education or professors, I am simply saying that if you need that level of attention your entire college career in order to get good grades than rose (or most other small specialty/private schools) is probably your best option. Larger Universities force you to motivate yourself to a point where you decide what you are going to get out of your education; they force you to become more independent. This is very valuable in both graduate school and future jobs.</p>
<p>As far as research goes, once again, it is ridiculous to compare the research opportunities at smaller universities (Rose, tufts) to larger universities (any Big 10 school). There are so many more research opportunities and variety in the research options at larger universities; the possibilities are virtually endless allowing you to ultimately decide your future based on what you are really interested in.</p>
<p>Larger universities => More variety=> More research/internship options
=> More connections => More prospective job opportunities => :)</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that private/specialty schools are almost always much more expensive than larger universities.</p>