Still trying to decide with one day left–realized I’m having a hard time deciding which school to attend because the schools are so different. It’s what kind of school I want, not which one is better! So without analyzing the schools themselves… what are the pros/cons/comparisons of going to a small research university versus a liberal arts college for undergraduate? Both are around the same undergrad size, so that is not a problem. However, the research university is about 2000 more with grad students.
Can you share the name of the colleges you are deciding?
there are no pros and cons to generic schools. there are no composite small universities, but LAC may be more similar. there is no point to this post. Anything someone says may not be applicable to the colleges at hand. Although we can all see your posting history. I truly thing the difference is in the specificity of the colleges and what they have to offer and not about whether one is designated as a research uni or not. Likely that should not be the factor to decide, imo.
I will say that my dd did interact, working alongside grad students in research and a;so socializing with them as a Jr/Sr.
Other posts from the OP mention Rice and Vassar as a prospective economics major, and UCB and UCSB as a prospective physics major.
@DrGoogle Rice University and Vassar College for econ
@ucbalumnus UCB and UCSB was a friend 
Your friend should make his/her own account.
Strongly agree with BrownParent that ‘SRU’ or ‘LAC’ should not be the key deciding factor - esp as there are enough other differences between the two colleges in question that will matter much more to your overall college experience. Both will give you the opportunity to get a great education, both have great alumni networks, both have people who are really happy there.
But what about you? You say econ- what about econ is interesting to you? are you anticipating being a researcher? if not, being in a "SRU’ is notably less relevant as a factor.
The overwhelming consensus - on all your threads on this topic, and in the academic community at large- is that Rice and Vassar are both top-notch schools, there are no financial issues, no other red warning lights: there is no “wrong” choice.
So here is the real question: In another post you say that you want to follow your heart. What’s stopping you from doing so?
The fact that Rice is categorized as an SRU probably won’t be really important to you as an economics undergrad, in this case. It would certainly be different if you were comparing Vassar to Chicago, for example, which is larger and more renowned in economics, but you will have more or less the same research/scholarship opportunities at Vassar and Rice. If you knew you were bound for a PhD and saw yourself working in academia, maybe that’s an argument for Rice, but you’d have to do more research into course offerings and grad school placement.
You should probably focus on other differences between these schools. Rice has more of a STEM “vibe” and offers much more humidity, for starters!