That's the path I took, can't complain.

While, yes, it's true going to a private college is more expensive than going to a public college, the benefits of a private college are extrodinary. If you were an employer, would you hire a person who graduated from Yale University, or Montana College? The education you learn in most private colleges is often of higher quality than that found in public colleges.

Private colleges offer the same quality education as most public colleges with the exception of cost. Would you rather pay 10k/year at a public university, or 30k/year at a private one? In addition, many of those private univesities follow the harvard model: hard to get in, easy as hell to get through. In essence, they are elitist schools so that the rich can brag about how great they are to the peons at the public schools. I have a friend who is at a big name private university who is currently on his sixth year pursuing his B.S. in biology. I started the same time as him, and already I've nearly completed my master's. So basically, if you want to be in debt till your retired, go to a private school.

If you can afford it, and its a good one, and you're not just going there to avoid work, it's as good an option as any.

One thing that can be said for sure is that private colleges have large endowments, this transfers to a larger amount of money spent per student on that students education. Whether or not that translates into a better eduction I don't really know. Students who attend private colleges are more likely to adavance in their fields and see larger salaries. Many people use the 1+1=2 analogy; in that no matter what school you attend, there is no difference in learning that 1+1=2. This means that what you learn is the same therefore you really are just spending more money for no reason. I believe that kids who attend private colleges succeeding and going farther does not reflect on the college, but on the kids. What I mean is that if private institutions only let in students who have done excellently then they are admitting the kids who will do excellently in the future. There is no proof that if a kid who went to a private school succeeded alot it was a result of the school and not his own drive to succeed; that if he went to a private school he wouldn't have succeeded. But, again the fact that private institutions are more exclusive means that the atmosphere at these schools will be more stimulating and, intellectually, better. In the end however it truly is all up to the person, you can spend a half million dollars on your education and do nothing or you can spend a hundred grand and have the world as your oyster. The individual makes the education, not the school, and certainly not its name.

I agree with President -X-D- 100% on this one. However, I am hoping to get into American University, a private college, due to its specialization in political science and government.

I don't see any substative difference between a state U or a private U when it comes to educational quality. It's true that I oppose state funded schooling of any kind, but the current crop of private schools are discouraging for people who have little money. I also fail to understand why a pharmacy degree (random example) from (and I'm pulling names out of my hat here) Stanford is somehow better than a degree from Kansas State or Joe Blow College. I dislike the elitism.