I’m facing difficulty choosing what location I prefer in a school. On one hand, I love school spirit, major sporting events, a strong campus and community feel. On the other hand, I prefer discussion-based learning and relationships with my professors. I want somewhere that’s a home, a place of refugee to escape to no matter what’s going on in my life, but also a place where I can keep exploring and discovering the environment. I love city life, but I don’t want to the city to completely swallow the campus and eliminate any sense of school spirit/community. I don’t know how to decide between a LAC or university. I don’t know how to narrow my college list based on location. Do you have any advice or insight to offer?
You might want to look into honors colleges within larger research universities. They generally offer the smaller, discussion-based seminar classes taught by faculty within the context of a larger research university. Another possibility (but it might not cut it with respect to school spirit/major sporting events) might be smaller LACs that are part of a consortium, allowing you to take classes on another campus.
What are your stats? What part of the country are you interested in? What do you want to study? How much can you afford to pay? What are your in-state public options? You need to answer some of these questions before we can help you narrow your college list.
Act: 35
GPA: 3.9/4.0
Most rigorous transcript. (My rural school doesn’t offer APs, so I loaded up on dual enrollment classes)
Fairly high level of extracurricular involvement/leadership in my school. Music/theatre hook.
Northeast and west coast are my top choices. I prefer somewhere far away from my Kansas home. In fact, I’m not considering anywhere in state.
In need of financial aid.
Hopefully these elaborations help 
@LoveTheBard
Here’s Comparing Urban vs Rural vs Suburban Campuses
Urban Pros
-Can be spread throughout a city or self-contained within a city.
-Many urban colleges offer off-campus learning experiences. These may include opportunities to explore the work world through cooperative classes and internships.
-Generally more diverse student body
-Students can find entertainment options — such as museums, parks, restaurants, concerts and plays — on and off urban campuses.
-Strong public-transportation options
-Interaction with other nearby universities
-Close to other cities & towns
Urban Cons
-Parts of the city will be much more dangerous than others
-Students need to be more street smart
-Generally higher % of commuters
-Generally smaller campus(in area)
Rural Pros
-Self-contained
-Generally higher % of dormers
-Rural campuses can provide access to outdoor learning opportunities, particularly in fields like agriculture or environmental science.
-Generally bigger campus(in area)
-Many rural colleges bring entertainment to their students and provide free events. Comedians and bands may perform on campus during college tours.
-On-campus transportation options, such as buses, for students.
Rural Cons
-Isolated
-Generally less diverse student body
-Not as much stuff to do off campus
Suburban Pros
-Combines some of the features of both urban & rural campuses
-Has less negative aspects than urban & rural campuses
-Suburban campuses usually offer access to nearby cities and to outdoor activities.
-Suburban colleges are frequently self-contained
-Suburban colleges often have connections to the towns where they are located. This can provide opportunities such as jobs and entertainment.
-Public transportation may be available in addition to a college’s transportation options.
Suburban Cons
-Can be isolated
-Has less positive aspects than urban & rural campuses
-Can have both negative aspects of urban & rural campuses
Examples of these types of Campuses(Urban,Rural,Suburban)
Large- UCLA, Texas A&M, Penn State University Park
Ivy- Yale, Cornell, Princeton
Small-MCPHS,Colgate,Arcadia
Cities- Pittsburgh,PA/Bozeman,MT/Charlottesville,VA
Camden,NJ/Potsdam,NY/Ewing,NJ
Rice/Houston; Trinity U/San Antonio; UT/Austin–Honors Program; GATech/Atlanta; Vandy/Nashville; Northwestern/Chicago; UChicago/Chi; WashU/St.Louis; Columbia/BigApple; Harvard and MIT/Boston.
You have plenty of options with your stats. Suggest you arrange some visits to find out what part of the country your prefer to spend 4 years in. Avoid any big U’s unless you can get in an Honor’s Program, because otherwise it will be TA’s and you will not have the close relationships with Prof’s you prefer.
Good luck!
To complicate the matter, what’s considered “urban” is relative. Nashville may be “urban” but it’s actually less urban than say, Evanston and Berkeley, which are suburbs of Chicago and San Francisco. They are more walkable and densely populated.
It would really help you to get some college visits going. Even if it is schools you know you don’t want to attend. Walking around an urban campus during rush hour will be different than walking through open green space at a rural campus.
Note how you feel on different types of campuses . Are you energized walking through a crowded student center at large University, or do you prefer the smaller settings at an LAC?
Can you tell us possible majors? Will you need specialties like dance or theater, or a more specialized major like neuroscience or engineering ?
When you imagine your college life, what details come to mind?
How much money per year can your family afford to spend on your college education? How many siblings do you have, and are you the first child to go to college?
I think a large or medium-sized suburban university best suits you.
I agree that state universities with honors colleges/programs may be your best bet. However, OOS tuition can be expensive. Have you discussed with your parents what they are willing/able to pay?
I’m going to assume that you’re in one of the Dakotas, based on your CC name.
You might look into WUE schools (Western Undergraduate Exchange).
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
Your stats also might get you automatic admission/scholarships to some of these:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
If you are likely to qualify for National Merit, then maybe look at these:
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
There are also mid-large sized urban universities that offer good aid, both merit-based and need-based. You might want to run the financial aid calculator on the college board site to get a rough idea of your EFC (expected family contribution). That number will vary across different colleges but it would be a good starting point.
Aside from location, what other criteria do you have? Any idea about a possible major? Are you interested in Greek life? Any extracurricular interests or sports that particularly interest you?