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what exaclty is the difference between normal universities/colleges and a liberal arts college/university? are the rankings the same? for example, is a #13 ranking on a liberal arts the same as a #13 on the normal ranking ( as in the US news rankings).

By Drusba (Drusba) on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 10:06 am: Edit

The basic differences: a university is usually large although some are fairly small, offering bachelor degrees in several different departments such as Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Business, some others, and has graduate schools offering masters, Ph.D and professional degrees. A Liberal Arts college is generally small (in student population but not necessarily acreage), and most often offers bachelors degrees in Arts & Sciences (which covers a wide range of majors) and has no graduate degree programs. As to the US News rankings, the first thing you should consider is taking them and rolling them on a spool and then set them next to the nearest toilet. At best, they give an idea of what some reporters at US News thinks are top colleges. At their worst, they create a false atmosphere that they have true value with the result many colleges play tricks just to get themselves moved up in the rankings. The true difference in quality between a number 10 (the first tier) and a number 60 (the second tier) is usually nothing. (Someone once joked that there must be a vast difference between no. 50 and thus on the blessed "first tier" and no. 51 which is relegated to a "low" tier school because US News tells us there is.) As to whether the university list is better or the same as the liberal arts list, the answer is neither should be relied on very much but many will argue universities are better than the liberal arts schools and many will argue the exact opposite. Most of the schools listed in US News, even down to the lower tiers, are all good schools and the decision as to which one to attend depends on a lot of personal factors -- including personal choice, distance from home, cost and available financial aid, and ability to get admitted.