When you™re deciding what colleges to apply to, there are a few big ˜buckets™ when it comes to types of schools. Among those buckets, the three best known are small liberal art schools, private universities, and public universities. For many students, it isn a matter of picking one type of school to apply to, but each type does offer unique attributes and opportunities. Most notably, perhaps, is that attending a public university in the state in which you live can save you tens of thousands of dollars each year on tuition.