<p>Hey guys I thought it would be helpful to me to get some brainstorming on what the differences are between a big school college life and a small one.</p>
<p>I am currently deciding most likely between University of Michigan and Xavier University.</p>
<p>I am also trying to decide between a large and small school. I’ve heard many times that in small schools you get more personal attention. But larger schools have a more enjoyable lifestyle. </p>
<p>But I care more about my education than college life, but everybody’s got their preferences.</p>
<p>In small schools, it’s much easier to make friends IMO. I’d go to a small school if I had the chance.</p>
<p>Large schools allow you to explore other areas and allow you to change majors without changing universities. They may have more sections in courses giving you schedule flexibility. They might have a bigger variety in extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>There might be more opportunities for different kinds of research in large universities.</p>
<p>(I’m a fan of large universities)</p>
<p>Are you fo’ serious?!? Go to Michigan, man!</p>
<p>michigan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> [x infinity]</p>
<p>xavier</p>
<p>~sorrayyyy ;)</p>
<p>You can find your own group of friends more easily at a large school, explore more course options and majors, and there will be a lot more resources. Sure, the classes will be big but professors will have office hours, there will be tutoring and there will be more people to help you out if you get stuck!</p>
<p>I just prefer a larger school better.</p>
<p>Been to a small and a large. I actually kinda miss the smaller one.</p>
<p>Ideal for me would be a small school near a big city.</p>
<p>I like smaller schools. Each student at a small school is considered an important member of the whole. It’s certainly not hard to change majors at a small school- the good ones have a wide range of majors and the faculty gets to know each student and can advise them intelligently. Schedule flexibility? When my son and a few other students couldn’t make the available Spanish sections work with their schedules, the school opened a new section , which then attracted more students. </p>
<p>Most small schools have wonderful activities and sports- in fact, D3 sports are great because you don’t have to be a superstar to participate. Bigger schools may have more clubs, but a decent small school has plenty of variety, and you can always start your own at a smaller school because there is less bureaucracy. </p>
<pre><code> Professors are much more accessible at smaller schools. It’s easier to get to know them, and they will get to know you as a person rather than a number. There are often kids on this site who have a hard time asking profs to write them letters of recommendation because they may have only had one large class with them at a large university, and they don’t feel the profs know them well. My son went kayaking with one of his profs from his small LAC last week. He considers several of his professors his friends.
When I went to a large UC, I could go all day and not see someone I knew. That would rarely happen at a small college.
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<p>My son’s school has five sections of Spanish I, five sections of Spanish
II, three sections of Spanish 3 and one section of Spanish 4 listed for
the fall. They too add sections if needed.</p>
<p>They have fourteen sections of Calc I.</p>
<p>They have a wide variety of senior-level project courses and a wide
variety of graduate courses that undergrads can take. He can choose
from a wide variety of courses in other disciplines including nuclear
engineering (they have a reactor on campus).</p>
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<p>The large school is impersonal but it offers a lot of resources and
it can offer the very wide and deep variety of courses. It can also
provide more research opportunities. There are students that handle
the problems with large schools just fine. Many of the challenges that
you face at large schools are also seen in the working world.</p>
<p>What do you mean by small? I’m familiar with a school with about 50
students. The list of courses there is very small but they do a lot
of interesting activities.</p>
<p>When I said small, I was speaking of Xavier size. Xavier has class sizes of a little over 1000</p>
<p>When I was looking at universities, my mantra was “go big or go home.” </p>
<p>I wanted to go to a school that would feel like a mini-city - I could get lost in the crowd or meet a new person every day, if I wanted. There would be 100s of clubs and 1,000s of classes. There would be 100s of on-campus activities to choose from on a weekly basis. If I hated my friends I could meet a whole set of new ones, if I hated the clubs I joined I could pick 10 others.</p>
<p>On and on…</p>
<p>Well, it’s true. Comparing my big school to friends’ small privates, there IS more going on. I’m not saying small schools don’t have it going for them, but their events are significantly more…piddly. And yeah, I’ve compared. Last weekend at UMCP there was a concert with We Are Scientists and Big D and Kids Table (+others), some kind of Muslim competition/consortium going on, a cheerleading tournament, club meetings, lectures, outdoor club outtings, free food at the co-op, movies playing in the Hoff, sports games…the list goes on and on. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, did I find there to be significantly more class offerings in the humanities? Not really. Did I find it easier to make friends…well…also not really. </p>
<p>Looking back, I wish I had applied to smaller schools. The truth is, you only attend a handful of clubs and know a handful of people, anyway. At UMCP, some of the most interesting clubs are so big, it’s intimidating meeting new people in them, and especially intimidating to run for leadershp positions. Also, I can’t stand how my classes are so big - an English class should be small and seminar-styled. Not so UMCP (for many of them, anyway). The advising sucks. You don’t feel like people care about you unless you are a super star and in a bunch of honors or living-learning programs. While the excitement of a big school is great, the “shine” wears off a bit as you go on. </p>
<p>I would agree with DCHurricane that my ideal would be a small school near a big city. That way, you can feel close and connected to your campus, but you can also “escape the bubble.” </p>
<p>I’m not knocking big schools - I think they are definitely exciting, and everyday when I walk across the Mall or Memorial Chapel Lawn the place feels so freakin’ majestic. You feel like the world is at your feet. But, to take a familiar trope and twist it, there is green grass on both sides. It depends on what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>But I would rather be like my friends, who say they are “outgrowing” their small schools, rather than where I am now, feeling like I am just finding my footing 3 yrs in at my big one. I want to be ready to move on, but at a big school you never feel like you have conquered it. But hey…that’s just me.</p>
<p>And, as other posters said, that’s “the world” ;).</p>
<p>There’s also a significant prestige difference between UMich and Xavier…but ah…that’s another thread.</p>
<p>Go Xavier!</p>
<p>And don’t mind my bias…but Jesuit schools rock!</p>
<p>In all seriousness though, I thought I wanted to go to a big school, and I ended up at a small school. I love it, and I can’t imagine being at a big school!</p>
<p>Someone said that in big schools, you can still find your social circle. IMO, this circle wouldn’t be as strong as one in a smaller school. A small school means tightly knit community. You get to see your friends more because there’s a higher chance you see them in your classes. etc.</p>
<p>I also agree that it would be awesome to go to a small school near a big city. </p>
<p>Lastly, the way I see it, students at smaller schools are [generally] more academically inclined and less likely to pass out on the floor every weekend. Plus, they get more attention from professors. I don’t know the extensive details of going to a small school, but if you just compare a small city to NYC, I think you’ll get a good picture.</p>
<p>UGH. Both sides present so many good things, I guess I just cant figure out which one is more “me”.</p>
<p>The people that saying ideal would be small school near big city…would this be xavier? Is cincinnati part of the “big city” category?</p>
<p>And how is easy is it to find a solid group of friends you are really close to at a big school?</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Cincinnati so I can’t comment on it specifically. But to me big cities I’ve been to are: NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, San Jose… wow I haven’t been to that many big cities! DC (I live there) and LA (never been) also count.</p>
<p>I haven’t had an easy time making friends at my current (big) school.</p>