<p>Hey everyone, I know on this part of the board there have been many discussions about state universities versus private universities. My question is somewhat general but redundant; what are the pros and cons of both institutions. Also, is paying more money at a private university worth it ( quality of education)? I've read posts about this topic and I just want to hear more freedback or different opinions. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>the only neg of a private is cost in my book</p>
<p>i mean...there are some times when it isn't worth payin private prices</p>
<p>if u live in CA, and ur stuck w. UC Berk, UCLA, and USC</p>
<p>and if usc tuition presents a hardship, to take out loans when u can go to ucla is really ridiculous</p>
<p>I agree</p>
<p>Im still debating for IUB ( Honors) and Spelman College ( Honors)
but for IUB tuition is approx. $10,000 while at Spelman it is $14,500 and this doesnt event include BOOKS :</p>
<p>If you have a public Ivy in your state, that would be hard to beat. Otherwise, after the top 50 private universities and the top 50 private LACs, the cost-benefit of a good public U is pretty tempting. I think a top 50 private university or LAC is better than the best publics, with the possible exception of Berkeley, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Wm and Mary, UVA.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>It really depends on what you want to do after college. If you want to be a teacher or a nurse, it doesn't matter. If you want to go into business, I'd say Spelman is worth the extra money. HBCs get a lot of attention from corporate America seeking diversity. They will rcruit at Spelman as heavily as Harvard.</p>
<p>Suze makes a very good point. For almost all majors and professions, I'd say that a top prestige school is likely not worth the extra expense. However, the investment firms are a good example of one of the few professions that recruit almost exclusively from the top 25 schools. I really don't know of any others though that are quite that notable. </p>
<p>The only other reason a top 25 school might be necessary is if you are really planning to end up in NYC, or LA or Boston, and you need the name recognition. If you are just planning to stay in the same region of the country after undergrad, or return to near your hometown, you are probably not going to see dividends from going to an LAC or a top 50 private school because the name recognition isn't that great in certain areas of the country(eg, if you were from Kansas City and wanted to end up back there, you are probably better off going to KU rather than Swarthmore).</p>
<p>For me, my parents will be paying the extra because at a private school I get more individual attention then I would at a state school. Not to mention it's in Boston which is where i want to be :)</p>
<p>Also for public Ivies: cant forget UNCCH</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I want to attend medical school hopefully... I know people who attended Spelman that are going to schools such as Vanderbilt, UCHICAGO, WASHU ( St. Louis) for their masters/ medical school.</p>
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For me, my parents will be paying the extra because at a private school I get more individual attention then I would at a state school. Not to mention it's in Boston which is where i want to be
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<p>I'd say it's relative. some of the top private schools have student faculty ratios that are very low, Caltech at 3:1 and others at 4-6:1, but some are around 10:1 such as Cornell, and that is about what William and Mary has at 11:1, or New College of Florida which has a 10:1 student to faculty ratio.. I think that one can easily get personal attention at those "big state universities" such as Berkeley with some simple steps, such as talking to your professor. I think there are some other public schools out there, but I admit that at some elite private schools you will have fewer large classes than at the large elite publics, and that there will often be fewer people in them, but if you listen to people describe their experiences with regard to classes, many times when I hear about Princeton, Harvard, or Cornell it reminds me of what I think about Berkeley.</p>
<p>Well the regular school is 14:1. I'll have about 9:1 or so. It was pretty much about me being in a larger university, with a LAC type setting.</p>
<p>State schools love their sports though :D. I need 17,950 people at my basketball games at comcast center and 51,000 every other Saturday in the fall cheering on my football terps. I need 4 championships ranging in sports from mens soccer to competitive cheerleading, from the fields of field hockey to the stadium of women's basketball. That is what I am talking about.</p>
<p>As for getting personalized attention... the schools I got into offered it. I got into Wisconsin, PSU, and UMD. Wisconsin offered no personalized attention and that is why it was thrown out of the running for me. Both PSU and UMD put me into the business programs which are colleges within colleges so that makes it more personalized. Furthermore, PSU put me in a business program that would have 70 students and UMD put me in a scholars program that would have the same. THere are ways to get personalized attention but you have to look for it. Overall if you need personalized attention you look at privates, and you pay for it too. When you pay 45,000 you deserve to have smaller classrooms. Its a balance thing. After grants and scholarships from UMD I will be paying under 8,000 a year. That is great. Its my state school and is good at business so I don't know why I would go anywhere else.</p>
<p>I prefer state schools because I don't like personal attention, I'd much rather do things on my own and be a statistic.</p>
<p>Remember that its not just about jobs and where you'll find yourself in the future, geography-wise. My nephew came from Latin America and went to Williams (his mother had gone to Smith) and he ended up in the South Pacific as a geologist. If you asked him if going to Williams was worth it he say, 'definitely, yes" for the experience of Williams. He could've gotten a Science degree anywhere alot more cheaply, but that wasnt' the point. Williams offered an experience that couldn't be duplicated at State U.</p>
<p>going to a public school from 1st-12th grade, I can honestly the real big difference with attending a private school for college. I'm not sure if it's relateable because of the fact that i'm comparing public high school and middle school experiences to that of a college.</p>
<p>But the one big differences is the attention you get. At a private school it's so rediculous how much attention you get. The school, well at least the one I attend, is dedicated to its students. Every semester they go through the process of selecting classes. If you're not doing welli n a class or if they see your grades dropping they go out of their way to see whats wrong and if you need counseling. They offer super small classes from the start compared to public schools(whose small classes are usually upper division). You don't have to deal with registration issues and getting your classes on time. Private schools I think also care about you graduating and where you end up after you graduate, whereas at a big state university it just seems very impersonal. Too many students to concentrate on a group or even on one student.</p>
<p>I agree that it's too simplistic to boil it down to public vs private. A student at William and Mary is likely to get more attention than a student at Cornell. It might be more realistic to compare large vs small. But even that comparison has issues. With the increasing popularity of honors programs, some very large schools over a higher level of attention (smaller classes, priority registration, better advising) to those students who qualify or are accepted. My son is attending an honors program at a VERY large state school - his first year classes include 4 that are under 25 and one lecture hall style class. Not bad. Check out each individual school and its offerings very carefully (visit if possible) - don't make assumptions. No you can't replicate a Williams environment at a large school - but not everyone wants a Williams environment.</p>
<p>You certainly cannot replicate the Wisconsin or Michigan environment at Williams.</p>
<p>Well said, Toneranger.</p>
<p>Look for differences/similarities at specific schools. Otherwise, the private/public comparison is not illuminating. For example, some popular classes at Columbia have well over 100 students, just like a popular (or required) course at a mega-campus state university.</p>
<p>Yes, I think the public/private comparison is often meaningless. What can be said is that generally, large public schools (compared to private schools, most similarly medium to the larger private schools) will have more large classes, and that these classes tend to have more people in them. Other than that vague statement, it's hard to get much meaningful stuff out of it. Specificficity, specificity, specificity.</p>
<p>It's obviously true that larger schools will have larger classes. At Kansas, there is one section of intro chem that is usually ~ 800 students. My alma mater, Nebraska, there were 4 sections with 200 students each. I'm sure that at most schools - even those only a 1/3 of that size, intro chem has similar section sizes (just fewer sections). </p>
<p>And once you are above that 60-70 person range, is it really going to matter that you are with 75 people rather than 200?</p>