Education >
College Courses & Majors
RSS FeedAre private colleges better than public colleges?
Results so far:
| Yes | 39% | 176 votes | Total: 455 votes | |
| No | 61% | 279 votes |
Yes
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesYes and no. To properly answer the question, the term "better" needs to be more defined. Better what exactly? Better afforded? Better academically? Better staffed?
In several areas, private colleges provide much needed advantages over public colleges, easily making them better than their other. Private colleges tend to offer a more one-on-one experience between faculty and the student body. This, inevitably, makes for a higher quality education, leading to better retention of the material, and, one could assume, more applicable knowledge after graduation and a better career field to enter into. Conversely, public colleges are susceptible to a larger classroom size with fewer staffed professors leading to more self-taught' courses.
And then there's tuition. Arguably a more important difference between private and public college, the cost of education has become an extraordinarily important issue. Private colleges are notorious for their high tuition compared to public schools. It's this reason that many students, who would thrive in the private school environment, ultimately choose public colleges. Loans begin to add up quickly in the private market, and a year of private school (living in the dorms as an in-state student) can average about $20,000. A year of community college (non-dorm living) can average $2,000. The kicker is that despite paying more at the private university, a student may simply graduate with $80,000 in debt and not much to show except for strong relationships with a few of the faculty.
The most important difference between private and public colleges seems to be the attitudes of the students in attendance. This is what truly makes private colleges better than public. Private schools are more expensive and, in certain circumstances, more exclusive; many students want to be there. Numerous public schools seemingly provide a cheap and temporary excursion for the students. This idea of freedom is often perpetuated with their attitudes and can make public college a terrible experience.
Having attended both a private university and a public community college, I have experienced a myriad of differences between the two settings. Overall, private colleges are better than public colleges due to their staffing and student attitudes. If, however, it is tuition pricing that influences which is the better institute, public college wins that title.
Learn more about this author, Dr. Chase.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.
No
The suggestion that private colleges are better than public colleges is an outrageous claim. Public colleges provide as good, if not a better education and social environment than private colleges. Public colleges often have much more available funds to draw from and tend to be much larger school so opportunity to expand your horizons are much better than at a small, private liberal arts college. For a fraction of the price a student can attend an in-state public college and receive an exceptional education. Some private colleges offer name recognition and an outstanding education, such as Notre Dame. But, the price of that education isn't worth it. An Indiana state resident can get the same education, if not a better one, at Purdue University for a fraction of the cost. Many private colleges do not have the funds to support the same broad expansive programs that many large public universities do.
Many people argue that private schools offer a more intimate educational experience that will benefit the student in later life. I can attest from my own experience at a large public school that I had many intimate dealings with my professors, especially in higher level classes with. Professors are generally very available to students whenever they need them.
Suggesting that a public university is not as good as a private university is an insult to the great public institutions of this country that continue to provide large amounts of research and development for our nation and its future leaders. Schools like the University of Michigan, Berkley are all exceptional schools that offer students a broad education in many different areas that could not be offered by a small liberal arts college. Many of our nation's leaders continue to come out of fine public colleges, and will for years to come.
Learn more about this author, Mark Spendel.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.
