When it comes to searching for colleges, there’s a huge difference between private and public schools. The biggest difference between the two is obviously cost. Most private schools can cost up to twice the amount of some public schools. Yet the benefit some private schools can offer students is well worth the price. Find out if a private or public school is the right fit for you.
Private Colleges
Class sizes at private colleges tend to be much smaller than those at public colleges. This is probably one of the biggest arguments that private colleges can offer in favor of their system. Most private colleges offer class sizes under 20 students. Public colleges could offer class sizes that reach over 100 students per class. The private college can reduce the teacher-per-student ratio exponentially. This means that students and teachers are no longer nameless face to each other. Students can easily ask questions and make personal relationships with teachers in private colleges.
Private colleges cost much more than public colleges. As long as the college can put its money where its mouth is, they can prove that they can offer services that supersede the services of public colleges. Most private colleges offer services that all but guarantee graduates will be able to find jobs or at least find the resources they need to procure a job after graduation. Since private colleges’ tuition rates depend solely on the ability for graduates to benefit from high tuition costs, many private schools can offer services that public schools just can’t offer.
Kids travel from all over the world to attend private colleges. Depending on the school, the college could attract kids from several demographics, many different states and several different countries. Kids could end up going to school with many high-profile students, including students from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. Students could conceivably learn about different cultures simply from their encounters with other students. Many students who end up at private schools through scholarship are often considered a benefit in their own right; many students who end up at a private school are so brilliant, you’d want your kids to associate with them.
State Colleges
The most lucrative benefit of a state school is the cost. Most state schools offer amazing in-state rates to students. Many state schools also offer much better rates for students than private schools. Yet students will pay the price for state schools in other ways. The class size of a state school is much larger than the class size of a private school. Many students end up getting lost in a sea of other students in the process. There is also a lot of funding options and grants for students attending state colleges, so many public schools attract students from middle-income brackets.
Most state schools offer a larger range of degrees than private schools. Private schools often specialize in certain types of degrees. Most private schools specialize in liberal arts degrees or degrees in science or marketing. Students generally need to decide on a degree of study before making a commitment to a private school. Yet students entering a public school don’t usually need to think about a major for the first two years of the program.
One last consideration has to do with the income gap faced at many private schools. Many public schools accept students from a variety of financial circumstances. Most private schools cater to wealthy students. Many students from lower income backgrounds don’t feel like they fit in private schools because of the income gap and end up leaving to find classmates at public schools.
