What are the pros and cons of each option? Which do you think is a better option? Why?
I think it honestly depends on the individual. I was a big fish in a little pond. I wanted to know my professors and did not want huge lecture halls or TA’s. It really helped me stand out in interviews because I had amazing recommendations from a professor of my major and my supervisor at the internship said professor helped me land. I also was able to be very involved in several different organizations. My supervisor who hired me at my first job told me he chose me over people with 1-3 years of experience because I had such great references and an impressive list of leadership positions. My school was a small state u - not on any list of impressive schools, but respected in our area.
My husband was a little fish in a big pond. He liked the anonymous nature of the undergrad experience at his big flagship state U. It gave him time to figure out what he wanted to do. He went on to obtain his MBA at the Flagship and is very successful.
There are many paths to success - you just have to find yours.
Totally a personal choice…
Some other thoughts on this…
Depends- size of school does not dictate caliber of school. Different academic tiers help one choose.
And sometimes, depending on the major, you can get the best of both worlds. Some majors are limited in the number of students accepted so you can have the large, division I experience while still having small classes in a smaller environment.
I think this refers not only to size but to where a student is in relation to peers. Some kids will put in more effort to keep up with a faster pack while others work better when they can be at the front of the pack.
A student who has gotten a lot of affirmation for doing well may become discouraged being one of many.
It’s very much an individual choice. I’ve seen good kids become wow kids when they can be standouts, and amazing kids slump when they are in the bottom half of a class of exceptional kids.
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Academically, my daughter is now a big fish in a little pond, and I think it really suits her. I am very sure that she wouldn’t have stood out in any way at all had she attended the first school she deposited at. She isn’t a “big fish” personality though, and attends a small college. If she had attended the other school, I am sure she would have enjoyed it too. I Persoanlly think its better to be a big fish, simply because it might lead to more opportuntiies.
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Both of my kids went to large universities, and they both chose universities where their qualifications placed them in at least the top half (probably the top quarter) of their classes. They had opportunities that kids at the bottom of the class don’t have – research, undergraduate TA positions, summer internships. They also graduated with good GPAs and good recommendations, which got one of them into a desirable graduate program and the other into a desirable job.
There’s something to be said for being a relatively big fish.
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IMO this question is about academic ability with peers, below or above the mean, not about the size of the school. But maybe @FoxWarrior can clarify the question.
Think about:
How have you managed in the past in situations where you were clearly one of the top students? Did it motivate you to work harder, or sit back on your laurels?
How have you managed when you were at or below average for the group? Did it motivate you to work harder, or make you feel discouraged?
If you’ve always been academically at the top or below average, think about other situations where you were the opposite – sports, music, etc.
As a top student who is motivated and working hard, you might get more professorial attention, better letters of recommendation, certain opportunities.
As a more average student, you might get advantages of the prestige of the overall school or class. A larger group of strong connections after graduation.
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By big/little pond, does that mean the size of the pond or the size of the other fish in the pond?
Big pond, little fish = University of Mississippi
Big pond, big fish = University of Michigan
Little pond, little fish = The Evergreen State College
Little pond, big fish = Caltech
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It’s usually a reference to the relative size of the fish. Someone who turned down Caltech to go to either Evergreen or Mississippi.
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Malcolm Gladwell says to be the Big fish in a little pond
http://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwells-david-and-goliath-2013-10
You could be in the bottom third at Harvard or be in the top third at a lesser college. You get demoralized if you are in the bottom third even if it is Harvard.
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It was suggested that the pressure of a top tier or ivy league was too much for a public school student and generally that these kids do better when they are the "big fish"vs “Competing with the best of the best” . Not sure I agree. Pressure can come from any school regardless of rank depending upon the student.
Bopper, exact example that was given.
I’ve never heard a college student talk about his/her rank, seems gauche. How do they even know they’re in the bottom third?
You need to consider the size of the pond and whether you’re top 35% or top 1% by far. An academic mismatch and an inability to find peers makes things complicated since transfers get less aid than freshmen.
This isn’t the case at your flagship’s honors college, but otherwise look carefully.
There’s also a matter of resources and networks: you won’t have the same access to both even if you’re a top student at a poorly funded directional v.a non stellar student at a top 40 university.
In addition, consider whether your true choice is being top 10 at a lower ranked college or bottom 10 at a higher ranked one.
Being a big fish allows you to pick and choose your intensity. (This is especially good if you’re premed or in an already high intensity field.) Being a little fish forces you to be 100%, 100% of the time. (This is especially good if you were frustrated by lack of intellectual curiosity and rigor at your high school.) What do you prefer?
Really, it’s best you look at value and pick the best pick for you. For that, try to learn to know yourself (granted, it’s hard for any person, even more so for teens).
^^If academic honors are given, either on total GPA, or by department, and the top x% get them, simple math puts you in the next tier down if you don’t get them. Whether it matters to your future depends on what you want to do next/later.
What if you are a median-sized fish?