<p>I attended a pretty decent school, but remember that all the best resources went to the top students.
I spent a semester at a state school as well, and was less than impressed with the quality of the teaching. nevermind the student body.
I'm interested in working in science, which requires grad school, unfortunately. do I want the grades, or the name?</p>
<p>Neither option really shines as being ‘the best’; that’s up to you, personally.
I want to say continue with your current school; it seems like you enjoy that option far more, and I’d never recommend a college to anybody if I thought they weren’t a good fit. However, unless you’re applying to the top of the heap when it comes to graduate school (or your school has a trend of grade deflation), grades are a huge factor. Is there not a school that works as a compromise? One that is known for being slightly less rigorous (like that state school you mentioned) but still has a good science program and educational environment?</p>
<p>That sounds like the “A in a regular course versus B in an honors/AP course” question.</p>
<p>The answer is to be a good student at a good college.</p>
<p>However, “good college” often has a wider definition than most people around these forums assume. For specific majors, the “good college” list may be a list that is very different from typical general prestige and selectivity based rankings.</p>