<p>Is there a benefit, besides the financial one, of private vs state schools?</p>
<p>Yes! And, believe it or not the least expensive choice is sometimes a private. Privates can offer smaller more intimate class sizes, easier access to professors and therefore better recs for job search and grad school. </p>
<p>However, don't cross either type off the list just because. A lot of the students here at CC apply to both types. Some, like the large public atmosphere others prefer the cozier feel of a smaller private. It all depends on preference.</p>
<p>Depends on what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Cost: For me, the private schools I'm applying to are going to be less expensive than my public. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. If you can get a lot of need-based aid, the schools that meet 100% of need are great.</p>
<p>The amount of people was a big factor for me. Some people love being a part of a huge campus- some people just seem to be... made for it. And others, like me, like smaller groups of people- I wanted small classes where discussion could happen, etc.</p>
<p>I don't know. I didn't answer that very well, but it really really varies from school to school.</p>
<p>Depends on what state you're in.</p>
<p>For me, Berkeley reputation and in-state tuition could not be beat.</p>
<p>Brillar, I attended a state school. </p>
<p>100% of my classes were led by professors.</p>
<p>75% of my lectures had fewer than 30 students and were discussion-based. </p>
<p>The remaning 25% of my lectures were generally broken down into smaller sections, sometimes led by professors and sometimes led by TAs. Those sections were entirely discussion-based. </p>
<p>Come to think of it, that state school was probably the first US university to employ the seminar approach, which advocates the Socratic method of instruction. </p>
<p>So do not be quick to assume that state universities have huge classes. Classes at major research universities are obviously larger than classes at LACs, but they offer a great deal of discussion opportunities and are manageable in size.</p>
<p>That said, some students prefer a more intimate setting where they can get to know most of their peers and where they don't feel overwhelmed by a large campus. But that does not mean their classes will be much smaller or that they will interact more with their professors.</p>
<p>To second what others have said, the financial benefit doesn't always go to the public schools. Publics are usually just as expensive as privates if you're out-of-state.</p>
<p>In-state, they're usually substantially cheaper than privates. </p>
<p>Really, if you're looking at out-of-state schools, it just comes down to what you're looking for (personal preference). The money probably isn't going to be too different either way.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you who responded! My daughter has applied to both and seems to be leaning towards a small private. She really wants a school that is serious, whose students don't primarily party and drink excessively on weekends. Not sure there is a college or university like that!!!</p>
<p>Alexandre-</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree, that's why I was a little wishy-washy at the end. Different state schools have different environments... My flagship has HUGE classes so I wouldn't have had the same experience as you did.</p>
<p>Another public I'm applying to has much much smaller classes, etc...</p>
<p>I added in at the end that it varies from school-to-school more than public to private... I really think one of the only huge differences between public and private are different types of aid. </p>
<p>I don't know, when she said 'state' schools I thought of my flagship (oopsie).</p>
<p>Very few schools have little/no drinking. But what you want is a place where not drinking is accepted and where non- or light drinkers can still socialize, no?</p>
<p>MollyB, drinking and/or partying are not generally related to the size of a school or to whether or not it is private or public. Furthermore, even schools that are known for being very "serious" will still have a drinking and partying scene. That is inevitable. Students at some small private schools drink and party a great deal more, on average, than students at large public universities. I would describe the "drinking and partying scene" in college as "heavy", "balanced" and "light", depending on the school. Here's how I would break it down:</p>
<p>Schools with a "light" drinking and/or partying scene:
Amherst College
Bard College
Brandeis University
Brynn Mawr College
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grinnell College
Haverford College
Johns Hopkins University
Macalester College
Mount Holyoke College
Sarah Lawrence College
Smith College
Swarthmore College
University of California-Berkeley
University of Chicago
Vassar College
Wellesley College</p>
<p>Schools with a "balanced" drinking and/ or partying scene:
Barnard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Carleton College
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
College of William and Mary
Colorado College
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Emory University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Kenyon College
Middlebury College
New York University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Reed College
Stanford University
State University of New York-Binghampton
Tufts University
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-San Diego
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Washington
Wesleyan University
Yale University</p>
<p>Schools with a "heavy" drinking and/or partying scene (at most of those schools, students "work hard and play hard"):
Boston College
Bucknell University
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
University of Colorado-Boulder
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Hamilton College
Indiana University-Bloomington
Lehigh University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (no kidding!)
Michigan State University
Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University-University Park
Rice University (so say may friends who attended, but I don't believe them!)
Tulane University
University of Florida
University of Pennsylvania
University of Southern California
University of Texas-Austin
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Wake Forest University
Washington University-St Louis
Williams College</p>
<p>@ MollyB</p>
<p>Go to the school that has the best fit for YOU. I was admitted to an in-state and private school. I matriculated to a private university out-of-state because it came out cheaper and more feasible overall for me and my parents. It was also a better academic fit for me. I plan to attend my in-state university for graduate school. Visit the campuses, classrooms and surrounding area. Ask yourself if you could see your spending four years at a particular school.</p>