@MWolf: I think that you may not have had much contact with national universities. Are you familiar with Honors Colleges ?
I have first hand knowledge at both types of schools. I found the rural LAC ( about 2,200) to be a suffocating experience. More like a continuation of my prep school experience–which was outstanding for high school, but I wanted & needed something more for college.
Attending a national university was an experience in freedom & opportunity & growth. Kindness & personal attention was pervasive & widespread.
There are many valid reasons for preferring one type of school over the other, but lack of personal attention & experiencing first rate teaching are not among them–especially with the proliferation of honors colleges & honors programs at large state public universities. If those are qualities one is seeking, it is available at large national universities.
I understand the desire of parents wanting their children to receive personal attention & to be known by everyone on campus–it is a protective instinct which is not necessarily conducive to growth. Unfortunately, the negatives of living in a fishbowl environment outweigh the increased responsibilities placed upon those attending large national universities.