I’m trying to figure out what size school would be good for me. What kind of a person would best fit a bigger school or a smaller school? Pros and cons? Thank you for your help!
Big schools often have many more resources and many more programs but you will have to be more assertive and entrepreneurial to get access to any of them. Are you the kind of person who is good at researching opportunities and then at figuring out how to position yourself to get them? If not, you might like a smaller school where mentorship and opportunities are more accessible to everyone.
Do you want to be in a place that is a community or do you want to find your community in larger environment? Both approaches work - it’s like the difference between living in a city and a small town.
You should also think about the social environment. Do you want to go to football games? Join a frat or sorority? See the same people all the time? These aren’t necessarily big/small school differences, but they often fall along that divide.
At maNY large schools, you may need to apply to a specific school or major. Are you ready to do that?
Look at threads here on CC for both types of schools and see what students are concerned about. Are those things that matter to you? A good thing to do is visit a few in each group near home, whether you are considering them or not. I have a friend who told me that as soon as she visited Penn State, she knew she wanted that. Other kids walk on to a campus like Lafayette and have found home. It’s very personal.
I think you have to visit a few before you can know what you really prefer.
To second @bjkmom - you need to visit them while they are in session if possible. Stand in the student center or someplace central as classes end. Do you like the energy, or hate the traffic? Does the tour and/or info session speak to your interests? Go to a class. Do you want to be one of the faces in a lecture hall, or part of a discussion around a table? Do you care to know professors, do you want a televised football team, do you want to possibly need a bike to get around campus? All of those answers point you in the direction of what might fit best. Visiting is the only way to truly get a feel for the right answer.
If that’s not possible for the specific schools you’re interested in, go to schools near you and “borrow” their students and campus to get a feel for varying sizes. After that, you’ll have to research the specifics.
First things first: Are you a potential engineering major? Very few small colleges (often referred to as liberal arts colleges, or LACs) have full-fledged engineering programs. If that’s a deal-breaker, you pretty much have to limit your search to universities or a handful of LACs like Lafayette and Swarthmore. And, since LACs are by their nature less well known, they require more research.
If engineering isn’t an issue, then dip your toe into one of the more recent threads that cover a lot of the same subject matter: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2003085-are-top-lacs-considered-equal-to-top-universities-p1.html
Be aware that a lot of shade gets thrown around life-style choices like married versus single, city versus suburb, middle versus upper middle class - it’s easy to see where the “cool kids” went to college - but, there is some light along with the heat. Enjoy.
Visit a couple of each and amongst each type try to get in urban, suburban and rural choices as when those two criteria are layered together it will likely become self evident.
Large schools provide much more diverse course and research opportunities to study, however two things to keep in mind is that there could be limited and more general guidance and unless you are very focused, there is a chance that you are distracted with all the options offered at large university. Sometimes the class size is large, so, if you are someone who is a bit shy, you might not feel as free to communicate with the teacher. If you are focused and know your goals, you have more resources.
Small schools on the other side have small teach student ratio, where you are more likely to maintain a good relationship with you teacher, who could provide you valuable guidance and help your unique situation and goals and potentially provide a great recommendation if you ever want to move to next level.
Social Environment - Small schools tend to create a more cohesive social environment, Larger schools provide you more option to join and try out more diverse clubs of your choice.
Consider the reputation of the school before joining.
Another point to keep in mind is that when universities have their reputation based on their graduate program, they might not be as focused on the under graduate students.
@jj4213, both of your initial concepts are generalizations that may or may not be true - yes, the top universities will have deeper course offerings, outside of the top ones though the top LAC’s will likely prevail. Research opportunities amongst universities can first be divided by whether they have PHD programs - if they are considered regional universities that don’t have a PHD path research opportunities will be limited at best; then one needs to determine the opportunities at the undergraduate level at those that are PHD research institutions - in many of these instances, undergraduates will have a much better chance of research at a top level LAC.
This is a very personal decision and there is no right or wrong choice. I would visit a few schools within each size category… They will all be different. For example, all large schools will have their differences and all small schools will have their differences.
One of my kids went to a relatively small school ( 4000 undergrads) and it was perfect for her. My other kid cringed at the thought of a school that size …she is at a big school. She is also having a very different experience than several acquaintances who are also at large schools.
You will have a better sense once you visit and compare schools.
A lot of good advice above. There are tradeoffs and what is best for one student is not the same thing as what would be best for a different student.
My oldest is quite outgoing and wanted to dual major in fields that would not have been available in a small school. The greater variety of course offerings and the greater variety of resources made a larger school a better choice (and she is taking significant advantage of some of the resources that are only available at a large school).
My youngest is quiet and thoughtful and will be going to a smaller school which is a good fit for her. She is attracted by the smaller class sizes and the greater ease in finding her way around the school and getting to know professors and other students.
Definitely visit a few schools, preferably when classes are in session, and see where you are comfortable.
See attached, while one size doesn’t fit all, this isn’t not a unique experience
One thing to realize is that school size doesn’t matter to some people. After you’ve visited a variety of campuses, thought about it, talked to people, etc, if you still feel undecided then let it go and figure that school size is simply not a variable in your equation. Figure you’ve given it due consideration and move on to focus on the things that you are feeling strongly about.
But regarding size: something not mentioned here is that honors colleges at big universities can give you the best of all worlds.
Note that big, medium and small tend to be used as comparative terms and bear an inexact relationship to absolute qualities, particularly when considered by historical standards.
In terms of academic range, well-resourced smaller colleges (of under ~2000 students) may offer over 750 courses. If you were to sense that you would intuitively prefer the concept of a purely undergraduate-focused college experience, then you should be able to choose this direction while still having access to incredible academic variety.
Factors such as campus acreage and number of buildings represent other absolute aspects that you might wish to consider.