<p>hey.. i was just wondering if liberal arts colleges and universities differ not only in terms of size.. but in quality of teaching as well. and if they differ very much on the whole learning experience thing.. and does anybody have any feedback on any of these schools? middlebury, williams, vassar, pomona, claremont mckenna... or any other good liberal arts colleges.. thank you very much!!!
kowtows
the penguin</p>
<p>For the most part, the top LACs and top universities teach the same stuff. The differences all relate to size. At a larger university, there will be more students, more courses to choose from, more activities, but less focus on undergraduates and less individual attention (on average).</p>
<p>At a smaller undergrad-only school, the focus is exclusively on teaching undergrads. Teaching counts for more in the tenure decisions for faculty, etc. There will be few course options but (on average) smaller class sizes, no TAs, and large degree of individual attention.</p>
<p>Both have their pluses and minuses. I recommend visiting an LAC, a mid-size private university, and a large public university. See if a preference jumps out at you.</p>
<p>thank you very much!</p>