<p>I can get into a top-20 private school, but I'm not on fin aid, and since I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, I know my parents resent it. Is there any major disadvantage to going to a State U or State LAC, really, if I eventually want to go into academia or non-profit work?</p>
<p>by state U, if ya talking abouy UC berkeley, UVA or Michigan etc...........i dont see ANY disadvantage.</p>
<p>I second what Untitled said. I'm not sure what state you live in ecape, but a lot of states have excellent schools.</p>
<p>Off the top of my head:
California
Washington
Texas
Michigan
Virginia
Florida
Georgia</p>
<p>I'm sure I'm forgetting some. I live in California and I'd be thrilled to attend Cal or UCLA, both are top tier schools.</p>
<p>I live in Illinois. My friends there say their college of arts and sciences is not very hard, so I dunno...</p>
<p>Any idea which state Us are significantly cheaper than 40 grand for out-of-staters?</p>
<p>check University of Kansas.</p>
<p>I believe every single state school is under 30k room+ board + tuition</p>
<p>give some stats, we'll giev you a good match state school</p>
<p>Also, some privates are pretty cheap</p>
<p>Depaul in Chicago is like 20k tuition (relatively cheap)</p>
<p>SAT: 1480</p>
<p>Interested in Biology, Anthropology, and Political Science. I'm a transfer student.</p>
<p>I'm looking at New College of Florida...</p>
<p>U of Illinois - Urbana Champaigne is supposed to be one of the best public schools around.</p>
<p>School can be as hard as you make it. You can take the maximum number of classes and work a job and do many extracurricular activities, or be more laid back and take a more average load. You could also take a very minimum load. In any class, you can do what I call creating work for yourself. One can do an assignment to death, or do the bare minimum. Generally, a middle ground is best, but some people love to do as much as possible. If you're in a class, you can always use your outside time to learn something you find interesting, which may or may not be related to the subject matter. If you love literature, you can read literary criticism or reread your books for class. For any subject, you can go beyond or more in depth into what you're learning if you so want and have the time.</p>
<p>When you get into more advanced classes, it is probable that you won't find them easy. Departments, teachers, and subjects vary in difficulty from person to person.</p>
<p>I guess I'm trying to say don't count out the best public school in your state, but if you won't be happy there for 3 to 5 years, you probably shouldn't go. Where you will be happy while doing well is the place you should look for, and if it happens to be a state university, all the better. If you are interested in going to a certain private school because you love it their, and you can get in, talk to your parents and somehow contribute to paying for it so you can convince them that it really means something to you. Most people don't know what they want to do with their lives, particularly interesting people. Your parents should realize that you're not yet 20 and many 50 year olds don't know what they "want to do with their lives." Anyway, there are many scholarships available for those who seek them. The small ones, of 100s to 1000s of dollars add up, and should be sought out about a year or more ahead of time. If you want to go to a private school and that is the only way, go search for scholarships in your free time, because they exist.</p>
<p>Some of the SUNY schools don't suck, and if you're in-state they're ridiculously cheap.</p>