Whats the difference between a private college and a public one?

Sometimes it is better, sometimes it is not. For example, CUNY Baruch College (public) is considered better then Hofstra university (private university). It's really 50/50, whether a school will be better because it's private, or public. But the super prestigious are always private (besides the UC's)

Public colleges get state money. Private colleges don't. That's actually why public colleges are so much cheaper. But that's how it's determined whether the college is public or private. I don't think the education quality is any different. You can get a good education at either.

Private colleges do not receive monetary support from the state. Public colleges do. Private colleges are not better than public colleges. Each college should be judged on it's own merit.

I am just in the process of deciding whether to go to a private or public university as well. Although private colleges are more expensive, it actually tends to be cheaper because they give out so much scholarships (among all my friends, this is true for every one). Also, at private colleges they tend to give each student more attention (as it is usually smaller), and more opportunities to get involved. You should also take into account which major you are studying, because the private may be ranked higher in that particular field. Employers would take this into consideration, as well as whether you had experience and got involved (for example, if you wanted to become a chemist, did you get involved in research programs?). You would probably have more opportunity in private colleges. anyway, sorry for the lengthy answer, I hope any of it helped

Private ones are usually a lot better and more prestigious... That's about it though (besides the price)

This really depends on the schools involved. Private schools are not subject to state and federal education standards, which means the quality could be much better than public schools, or could be an absolute nightmare. And it'll really only look better if the school is notable in the field you want to study. If you wanted to study something like law or literature, you would actually get much much more interest had you went to UC Berkeley, than like... Liberty university.

The difference in public and private colleges is that public get funded by the state while private does not. This is why in most cases that public is cheaper than private.

Education wise public schools are a little better because they have more money to spend. Now one difference may be that the private schools are religious in some way like Lutheran or Catholic but that's all I can answer for you hope this helps !

It depends on which private school and which public schools. There are some state schools that have better programs and better reputations because they are bigger and better funded and there are some private schools that are so small no one has ever heard of them. What is the reputation of the school? How do they rank nationally in your academic field? U.S. News and World Report is a good magazine that ranks schools. I don't see how the price difference between the state one you currently attend and the private one you are considering can only be $160/month.