That very much depends on what you are looking to achieve in college and beyond. In an independent art school, you are likely to get a very strong grounding in the visual arts and some exposure to liberal arts courses that will be geared to an artistic perspective. In the art department of a university, you may have exposure to a solid but possibly more limited menu of visual art courses. This will be combined with a stronger exposure to the liberal arts, taking classes with majors from throughout the university.