<p>I don’t think that, in general, one is better than the other. However, for any particular student, one may be better.</p>
<p>Some students thrive in large research universities, and not just in STEM courses. Some of the flagship state universities have great programs in English and history for example, and some of these have some of the most outstanding professors in the country. Students who go in with lots of AP credit may be able to bypass most of the large lecture courses and/or classes taught by TAs and go right into small classes with professors. Students who are in large lecture classes can get to know professors. They just have to try harder – stay after class to ask questions, go to office hours, etc. Most professors with large classes want to get to know their students and they welcome having students come by. I had several TAs when I was a student years ago, and some of them were very good. One was excellent – a future star professor.</p>
<p>Other students thrive in small LACs. They do better in a more nurturing environment, where the classes are small and everyone knows the professors. Some students say that those college communities are “like family”. This can be particularly good for students who are less self-confident and/or less comfortable with dealing with the bureaucracy of a larger university (although warblersrule has pointed out that LACs can also have course scheduling problems).</p>