[Maritime Q-Scout]

that's actually a very personal question as many things come into play

location
money
program
professors (TAs?)

I went to a small east coast university for my undergrad (Cape Breton University... GOOOOOO CAPERS) and did a BA Poli Sci/Communication double major.

I then went to Dalhousie (big university) for my masters degree (in Public Admin). CBU didn't hinder my acceptance into Dal, in fact my experiance at Dal left me very confident and with a strong base to do very well in my MPA program.

I'm a big fan of small univeristy for undergrad, and then moving to big... if you intend to do post-graduate work. Going to classes of 35-50 was a big jump for me, I was used to smaller class sizes. Fellow classmates found it odd that I knew my undergrad profs by name, would run into them in town, and in one case a classmate was at a conference in Toronto ended up sitting at a table with an old prof of mine who said "you're in the MPA at Dal, well you must know Jon Patterson?" My colleague nearly fell out of his chair.

I also never had a TA... unless in a lab, the class was taught by the prof with a PhD, I mean that's normal isn't it :P

It's that experiance that I truly value (that and well it was in my backyard so cost of living was zee to the row).

That's another major factor in determining the "best" university. What's the cost factor? I think it's bloody stupid to go to a university a ways away from home and end up spending a pile more money, than what you could get in your own backyard.

The "best" university is really what's "the best" for you.

That said

GO CAPERS GO