Advice on which College to choose with respect to Philosophy

[Cheshire Cat]

I am going to have my AA degree (first two yrs. of college) finished up after this fall quarter. I will probably take more classes for transfer winter quarter, then work spring. So I will start next year in a 4 yr. school. I am looking to major in Philosophy.

The two schools I am looking at are Calvin College and the University of Washington.

Pro's of University of Washington:

-near my family
-only cost 6 grand a year for tuition (around that)
-no more debt required by going here (I could pay it off right away)
-I am not sure how good the program is but it looks pretty good

cons: -liberal
-public school
-liberal

Calvin College:
pro's: -Awesome philosophy program
-Christian college, not public
-reformed (even if liberal)
cons: -away from family
-upwards of 18 grand a year
-After two years that would put me at an additional 36-40 grand in debt (I'm already in 30 because of aviation!, which is depressing since I am generally good with money)

Right now I am leening towards University of Washington because I would be close to my family and I wouldn't get in any more debt, but at the same time I'm not sure how good their undergraduate program is (although it looks alright) and I know for sure that they are liberal. I am not afraid of going to a liberal public school as I have just done two years of it, but it does get annoying after awhile. The stupidity inherent is astounding!

I definitely want to end up teaching, but I'm not sure what I want to do yet for graduate work (I have a couple options in mind). Anyways, advice?

 

[Puritanhead]

Caleb,

You might find these books helpful.

All-American Colleges
Choosing Right College
How to stay Christian in College

 

[WrittenFromUtopia]

Indiana University has a premier philosophy department, although they are extremely analytical, and of course, "liberal" (if by liberal you mean... not Christian). Although, we did have a Lutheran pastor as head of our department for over 20 years.