<p>I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, so I apologize in advance if it isn't.
I've been slowly searching for colleges for the past year or so, but the more I look, the more confused I've become. I need help narrowing down my choices, deciding exactly what I want in a college, and which schools I can realistically get in to.
First I need to decide whether I want a liberal arts or private college. What are the pros and cons of each? From what I know, liberal arts supplies a general, well-rounded education while private/public universities provide a more specific education in a chosen field. I know it all comes down to what I want, but what are your personal likes and dislikes of each?
I'm also extremely unsure of what I want to major in, so that adds to my problem.</p>
<p>So far all I've really looked at are brand name schools such as the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and some higher level liberal arts colleges, but I'm thinking most of these, esp. the Ivy Leagues and Stanford, are going to be high reach schools.
Here are some of my stats:
I'm in my junior year.
GPA: 4.8 this year, probably about a 4.3 cumulative.
SAT: I haven't taken the actual SAT yet, but the last practice SAT I took I received a 2130.
Extra-curriculars: tennis, California Youth & Government, Key Club, French Club, CSF, NHS, French Honor Society, volunteer of 4 years at an equestrian therapy center</p>
No. Not at all. Many extremely large universities provide excellent liberal arts educations.</p>
<p>The main difference is that LACs tend to be small (1000-2500 students), consist almost entirely of undergraduate students, and usually (but not always) lack pre-professional majors like business and nursing.</p>
<p>So if I were to go in to college with no idea of what I want to major it, it would be more prudent to choose a larger university? What I’m getting is that if I decided I wanted to to get a medical degree or something halfway through college, being stuck in a liberal arts school would not be good.</p>
<p>You can major in anything you like and go to medical school, as long as you take the required science courses, all of which will be available at a LAC. The same holds true for law school - there is no specific ‘pre-law’ or ‘pre-med’ major at most colleges or universities. And while many schools do have business as a major, plenty of people go on to business school with a degree in, say, English. </p>
<p>The difference in an LAC is basically size and personal attention (and the absence of graduate programs). Don’t worry about the curriculum - LACs are great for pre-med and have some of the highest med school acceptance rates in the country. Many universities are focused on the liberal arts and don’t have pre-professional undergraduate majors either; Harvard is one example. You don’t need to have a major in any particular field to apply to medical school.</p>
<p>D looked at liberal arts colleges but decided on a small research university. Has gotten good courses in both math (her intended major) and in English (her intended minor). By choosing a small university (~4000 undergrads) she seems to have the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>I agree that the small/medium # of undergrads university MADad cites is a great compromise. It is also one of the hardest things to find, especially if you are looking for safeties and matches. If you are looking for a really good U in that size range where admissions are less competitive than at Ivies and the like, consider the University of Rochester.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies. I have no interest in med school, just using it as an example.
So other than size, there isn’t a big difference as far as your education goes?</p>
<p>Yes, there’s a substantial difference but one isn’t necessarily better than the other. First, most (all?) LACs are private, so the comparison really should be among small private colleges, medium private universities, large public universities. There are subtleties and refinements in all three categories, but those are the general choices.</p>
<p>At a small LAC you would have smaller classes and hence more individual attention. You would have the opportunity to get to know your professors (and for them to know you personally) without too much effort on your part. Many students at large universities develop close relationships with their professors, but in order to do so the student has to take the initiative. If you are an assertive type, then you’ll do fine. If you’re less outgoing you might do better in a smaller environment.</p>
<p>I graduated from a mega-sized university; my son from a small liberal arts college. Academically we both received excellent educations, in general liberal arts fields. </p>
<p>Because at that time in my life I was not very outgoing (I am now, but that’s with several decades under the bridge) I didn’t get to know my professors. I didn’t take advantage of a fraction of the facilities that my university offered.</p>
<p>My son on the other hand has very close relationships with several professors and has already drawn on them for job, internship and graduate school recommendations.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, you have to choose the teaching style and environment that best fits your personality.</p>