PUBLIC VS PRIVATE

The basic difference is in how the college is supported. If it's "public" it answers to the state and to the state's budget process. If it's private, it depends more on its tuition income and endowment (money given by donors). Hence, state colleges for in-state residents (whose parents pay the in-state taxes) are less expensive than the private college either in state or out of state, because they are not as heavily funded from public funds. But the difference, as far as a student's experience is concerned, will vary widely from college to college, public or private. The public system in a state services the residents of that state as far as access to educational programs. Campus enrollments tend to be larger than at most private colleges. Most public universities have a larger graduate enrollment and possibly a larger portion of the faculty doing research, so the use of graduate students or teaching interns to assist or teach the undergraduates may be higher. Private colleges tend to have more scholarship dollars that they award to students to help offset the higher tuition costs. But the basic experience really depends on which colleges you're looking at and what programs you're interested in. Visit a few of both and talk with students who are enrolled to see how their basic experience shapes up (average class size, ease of talking with an advisor, "red tape," what graduates are engaged in, etc). If you look at a public college that is not in your state, you'll be asked to pay a higher out-of-state tuition since you're not part of their tax base.