As someone who has attended and taught at both public and private schools, I can tell you that both have their pros and cons.

Public schools can give you an excellent education at a decent price. No one thinks the education at any of the University of California schools is lacking, for example. The Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin also come to mind. Graduating from Berkeley is plenty prestigious. Public universities are also diverse places, with students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. That diversity means that you will find more students like yourself at a public school.

Private schools, at least the elite ones, differ from public schools in that their admissions standards are usually higher. This means that the students around you are better prepared and more competitive. This gives these schools a different feel. They are also more homogeneous. Because tuition is usually much higher than at public schools, their students are typically much more well-off than a typical public school student.

Is the education at the elite private schools "better" than at an excellent public school? That's a difficult question that entire books and Ph.D. dissertations have been written about. The folks at Harvard would certainly like us to think so. Personally, I'm not convinced that its always true. I think it depends a lot on the subject matter and the willingness of the student to take advantage of opportunities presented to them.

The one thing that is true about elite private schools is that they have name recognition. That name will get you job interviews. It will get you respect from others in your field. Perhaps this isn't fair, but its true.

What to do if you are accepted? My advice is to visit all of the potential choices, public and private. Talk with professors in the department in which you intend to major. Find out what sort of research or advanced projects someone with a 4.0 GPA can be involved in. Get a feel for the campus and the students and what your life would be like there. Sit in on a few classes.

Personally, as a professor at a public school that I love, I hope that you get into the private school and that you go. Cary is right, these elite schools need people like you to keep them honest. They should pay you to attend their classes!

But, if you don't get in, or if you decide that the expense is not worth it, you can still make your dreams come true at a good public school. Do something special there, work on some sort of original and indepedent project outside of your classes. Publish. Present at a conference. Do something outstanding. In the end, these things will mean more to you than the name of the school.

Good luck!

Mr. Keillor,

Thanks for acknowledging the scientists. It’s true, we do slave away at building the collective knowledge one small fact at a time. Most of us do not get the opportunity to make the big discovery. (We are hampered by the fact that most of the big discoveries have already been made and that the federal funding agencies have seen their budgets sent to Iraq.) But, it doesn’t matter. We enjoy our work immensely. Most of us are just happy to be allowed to work on science.

Given the massive growth in technology over the last 40 years and all that it has meant for the world, you’d think that we wouldn’t feel unacknowledged. However, we do. A small, but vocal, fraction of the US population today is actively anti-science and the majority of our society is merely apathetic. The “controversy” over global warming is one example of this.

So, thanks for the acknowledgement. It made my day.

Also, thanks for the apology about the gay parenting column. I held my tongue (or typing fingers) because I figured you weren’t really serious.

Ms. Dickerson is right about Rev. Al. White America will never forgive him for the TB incident and his other early mistakes. Actions like his indicate that he thinks black people can do no wrong. To us, that's just as bad as racism. Being a leader means that you need to be able to admit mistakes and guide your followers to higher moral ground. Instead, Rev. Al has dragged his people through the mud.

Obama is just being a smart politician. He knows that most voters don't respect Rev. Al.

Cary is right. He is only willing to take you if you fit into his plan. Furthermore, if you give in now, he'll know that he can ask all sorts of stuff of you and that you'll give in. People who love each other don't do this. They find a way to make it work together.

Cary is wrong to say that you should allow him to see other women. You've been with this man for a long time. You are at the point in the relationship when fidelity is required. However, he's probably seeing other women right now. In my opinion, he just wants a reason to not feel guilty about it any more.

Dump that loser. You can do better. Don't be a doormat.