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Yes 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.

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