<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>Apart from the obvious financial difference, what are other main difference of studying at a public school and a private school?</p>
<p>I'm at a public one and I found everything is fine. But maybe at private it's another world? Better world??</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Private is usually smaller.</p>
<p>I went to a public high school but am currently at a private college. I never really thought about the differences. It’s hard to compare them without experiencing both. My school’s price worked out to be just a tad higher than what it would cost me to go to a state school so I figured it was a good deal. Otherwise I would have gone with the cheapest option. I will say that my classes are much smaller than they would be at a public university, although this is not the same for all schools. My classes are capped at about 35 instead of like 500…As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters though :).</p>
<p>Thanks I Sky Pilot!</p>
<p>But would you say the teaching quality/facilities are different. I mean I am pretty happy with my school but always wonder what life in Duke or Notre Dame is like…</p>
<p>I go to a state flagship public school and I’m having a hard time imagining private schools to be much better.</p>
<p>I love each and every single one of my professors, and this is at the low level course stage. I have lectures that have 300 students and I have a seminar with only 20-25, but honestly after a certain threshold I don’t think it matters. Allow me to explain what I mean…</p>
<ul>
<li><p>In a class of 20 to 30 students the professor gets to know each student pretty well on a basic level. Those students that actively get to know the professor will obviously be the ones that the professor knows best. At this stage the professor gets a general gauge of the motivation and ability of each student.</p></li>
<li><p>In a class of 10-15 students the professor gets to know each student on a personal level. He knows more than test and assignment scores and gets a good idea of how much each student works for their grade. At this stage the professor gets to know the personality of each student.</p></li>
<li><p>In a class of 60+ students the professor can only make vague distinctions between each student based on sight. Once you get to this level it’s likely TAs that grade the assignments. The difference between a class of 60 students and a class of 300 students isn’t really that significant.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Big lectures and small classes serve different needs. I get to have fun discussions and ask more detailed questions in the small classes, but honestly I would burn out if I had to deal with that much personal attention in every single one of my classes. I find I enjoy both the lectures and the small classes but for different reasons.</p>
<p>As for the quality of the professors, I think mine are amazing. They all seem extremely knowledgeable in their field and are all very enthusiastic about what they teach. I’m sure there are some deadbeats somewhere along the way but the fact that I apparently didn’t get ANY of them in my first semester of classes really boosted my confidence in the quality of instruction I was going to get throughout my college career.</p>
<p>In fact, I think I’d feel much more comfortable in this environment than, say, at Harvard or Amherst or Duke… People consider me to be bright but I excel much more in an environment where the teacher doesn’t assume I’m incredibly smart than I do when the instructor throws advanced concepts at me without any coddling because (s)he’s sure that “I can handle it”.</p>
<p>I also went to public high school, and I don’t feel any different in my 300 person lectures than I did in my 30 person classrooms, with the possible exception that my professors here are much more interesting and knowledgeable than my teachers back home.</p>
<p>EDIT:</p>
<p>The only complaint I have about going to my school is the student body. I hate it when I get flashbacks to high school every time someone asks, “Do we need to know that for the test?” The student body here is, by and large, extremely unmotivated and only here to drink and watch football. Exceptions exist, of course, particularly in the College of Science and in the Honors College, but in a school this large the overwhelming attitude is decidedly against learning for the pleasure of it. I’d much rather be around a bunch of students more motivated than myself than around a bunch of students less motivated than myself.</p>
<p>I’ve gone to both a private college and a public college; there aren’t too many differences.</p>
<p>actually there’s a HUGE difference. and it’s the student body.</p>
<p>Forget what everyone else claims to say, but the a kid going to a $52k private school is and WILL be different from a kid at a $5k a year public school.</p>
<p>Attitudes towards life, connections, hobbies, etc. It’s like day and night.
Not saying that this applies to each and every student, but it’s true generally.</p>
<p>Size. Private schools are often much smaller. Not always though.</p>
<p>I’m at a small private school (about 3400 total with about 2700 of those being undergrads). My biggest classes are between 40 and 45, and those are the big lectures (anatomy&physiology and psychology). My other classes range from about 18 to 30.</p>
<p>There are highly selective and well-funded public universities as well as public universities with funding issues. Some private universities have a highly motivated student body and some don’t. There are small public colleges as well as huge private universities. I don’t think you can make general comparisons between public and private universities except about administrative differences.</p>
<p>Yeah, really, the bottom line is that it depends on the schools.</p>
<p>Cool, I get it - the main debate is the size of the student body.</p>
<p>But, I am keen on learning how the teaching quality differs and the quality of professors between public and private schools. </p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>There are also a lot of highly reputable public schools, like Berkley, so don’t dismiss them. [Best</a> Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public)</p>
<p>I think the best route to get a feel for professors is to visit the school’s “<a href=“http://ratemyprofessor.com”>http://ratemyprofessor.com</a>” page and maybe “students reviews . com” (CC blocks this link which is why I wrote it weird.)
and see what the students are saying.</p>
<p>Too bad I’m not studying at Berkley… miles away actually…</p>
<p>Okay? Either you’ve missed my point or I’ve missed yours.</p>
<p>I meant too bad I am not in Berkley… I hear the girls there are HOT!</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t know Berkeley was considered public (I’m no college connoisseur like my CC peers are 
). I didn’t know most of the schools on that list were public.</p>
<p>Public schools usually have more exciting football programs.</p>
<p>Which schools are you looking at? (Or are you already in a college?)</p>