What's the difference between a national university and a liberal arts one?

Okay, so I'm looking at colleges, trying to decide, and I don't really know the difference between a liberal arts school, and just a simple national university. Is one considered lower in education than the other, or what?What's the difference between a national university and a liberal arts one?
One isn't necessarily less prestigious than another. The difference comes in their areas of focus and the degrees they offer.





In general, a ';national university'; offers degrees up through a PhD. Therefore, a significant portion of their resources are devoted to their graduate students.





A ';liberal arts college'; may offer some Master's degrees, but will not usually offer any PhDs. Their focus is more toward their undergraduates.





There are some really excellent schools in both categories. For example, Harvard is a ';national university';, while Williams is a ';liberal arts college';. Williams is almost as prestigious as Harvard. People even call it a ';baby Ivy';.





The top liberal arts colleges (top 23) are about as prestigious as the top 25 national universities. Below that, I find that the national universities have more prestige than comperable liberal arts colleges.





So the choice is yours.