<p>So if you really compare the quality of education from a public university (UConn, Texas, Maryland, etc.) vs. a private college/university (non ivy-league: Northwestern, BC, Creighton, etc.), is there REALLY a significant difference in the education quality that you recieve?</p>
<p>Nope…</p>
<p>I always though there had to be a reason people paid multiples of the price of a state university for a private. I never found the golden ticket at any of the private school’s websites though…</p>
<p>One thing I almost never hear mentioned is that because the cost of a credit-hour is far lower at a public (obviously), it becomes possible to take a lot of additional courses that would be cost-prohibitive at a private. If your end-goal is to <em>learn</em>…perhaps by taking exploratory classes outside of your major…perhaps by taking graduate-level classes…you may be actually be able to learn far more at a public.</p>
<p>I have two kids both at schools in USNews top fifty national universities. One private and 1 public. I judge the rigor and workloads equal. Both are getting outstanding educations. Where they differ is the attention and support they receive. The public kid is a number, left to his own devices with little interaction with faculty. Any research/internship opportunities have been found by himself. An ok situation for a self-motivated self-starter, but many would fall through the cracks.
The private kid (as a freshman) knows faculty very well. Already has been asked to participate in research and gets far more attention. Will have a (very well) paid internship this summer at the U.
Having seen both, I recommend the private (but only if can be done without any significant debt). Good publics will teach you all you need to know.</p>
<p>MSmom&dad, my experience at two top 20 universities (one private and one public) would suggest that there is no difference in the level of attention. I would say institutional wealth, not public/private status determines level of attention. Some publics offer virtually unlimited opportunities.</p>
<p>This said, the difference between UConn and Northwestern is substantial. But not so between Northwestern and UVa.</p>
<p>Berkeley is probably the country’s most respected public university. It is the public university with the highest average SAT scores. But, approximately 40 private schools have higher average SATs. Virtually all of the 40 also have smaller average class sizes and more geographically diverse student bodies. If we’re comparing Wisconsin (Madison), another very respected state flagship, then about 75-80 private schools have higher average SATs and smaller average class sizes. The vast majority of public universities have lower average scores than Wisconsin. </p>
<p>Do higher scores and smaller classes translate to a significant difference in education quality, enough to justify a significant price premium? That depends on several factors such as your family finances and personal needs. If we’re talking in-state tuition at the best state flagships (Berkeley, Michigan, UVa, UNC, Wisconsin), especially in technical fields such as engineering or CS, then I think very few private alternatives are worth paying the typical full cost premium (which may amount to $25K/year), unless you have unusual needs.</p>
<p>I am going to attend UC Berkeley next year and I am very happy with my decision, and the only schools that I’d want to attend more are Harvard, MIT, Caltech, and Yale. That being said it is free, and it ranks higher in EECS than all of those except Stanford and MIT.</p>
<p>I’d have to say the main difference is that publics have a much larger population and therefore have a greater spectrum of people. So, on average the students aren’t as competitive or as high-scoring as privates, but if you compare the top 5% of UC Berkeley Engineering (and the sciences) they’re definitely right up there with students at Top 20 private schools.</p>
<p>That is what is great about a public university. It can serve the extremely strong candidates, people who are doing work and research that is similar to those in typically “better” privates, as well as students who aren’t high achievers or who don’t want the most rigorous courses available.</p>
<p>Before I decided to go to Berkeley, I assumed that since it was a public it was a tier-3 school. I had relatives go there (as well as relatives at HYM) and I assumed that since it was easy to get into it couldn’t have been any good. When I was accepted I did research and found that it is better than most of the schools I wanted to go to, which surprised me quite a bit.</p>
<p>So in general private schools will be better in terms of overall students, but publics cater to such a variety of people that you can succeed just as well or even more so if you put forth the effort.</p>