News/Announcements from the GHS Counseling Department

• Attention sophomores and juniors:  Are you interested in the veterinary profession?UGA’s VetCAMP may be a great opportunity for you to attend over the summer.  52 students will be selected to attend this seven day camp.  The cost is $900.00 and includes lodging, meals, instruction, and social activities.  Student must apply by January 27, 2017.  The application may be found at: http://vet.uga.edu/academic/vetcamp
• The 2017 Gilmer Arts George Link, Jr. Charitable Trust Scholarship is now open. Students do not have to be members of the art association in order to apply.  Three scholarships will be awarded to students pursuing a degree in the arts. Applications can be found on the GHS Scholarship Page.

This Weeks’ Feature: Public vs. Private Colleges: What’s the Difference?

There are several differences between public universities and colleges and private colleges.  Funding is the major difference between the two.  Typically, state governments pay most of the costs at public universities, so tuitions there tend to be lower for in-state students.  For private colleges, a lot of the funding comes from private contributions and tuition, so tuition is sometimes higher at private colleges regardless of whether they are in state or out of state.  Another difference is that in-state students usually have lower tuition than out-of-state students at public universities, so the student population may be mostly in-state students.  However, for private colleges, state residency is not usually a factor in getting admitted, so students from lots of different states may attend.  A third difference is the size of classes.  Although not always the case, class sizes are often kept smaller at private colleges, and there may only be a few thousand students overall.  This can mean easier access to professors.  However, in public universities, there may be 200 students in a class, and it can be harder to see one’s professor.  Sometimes a teaching assistant serves as the instructor instead of a professor.

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a post-secondary school, such as cost, location, class size, and campus culture.  Also, there are exceptions to the above generalities about public and private schools.  That is why it is important to do research and contact a couple of schools to set up a campus visit before making a final decision.