<p>I'm a high school senior this year, looking at colleges like anyone would be and being completely torn as to what I really want. Some people are telling me that I would never like a big school, that it's too impersonal and you never really get to know people. Others are saying that big schools can be alright, it's just up to you to make the school smaller. Of course, there's validity with both statements, but which one's more true? How small can you really make big schools? Specifically, I'm looking at Berkeley and Illinois right now (two of the biggest public schools, go figure), and I'm confused. I'm somewhat of an introvert, and I prefer having my tight-knit group of friends to a big crowd--is it typical for people at these larger schools to <em>really</em> get to know each other, if they try?</p>
<p>I’m not sure about those schools in particular, but with mine- I entered a residential college within our large (40k+ students) university. It feels small to me, but I still have the resources of the large U. </p>
<p>And yes, it is quite possible to have a tight knit group of friends at a large U. I know many people who have a tight-knit group here even if they’re not in an RC.</p>
<p>My school with its 30k+ population feels pretty small to me. A big school is what you make of it. A small school, you’re kind of stuck with whatever you end up with. But a big school isn’t for everyone.</p>
<p>I thought for sure that I wanted a big school when I was applying to universities. Now, I know that I would have preferred something smaller (but near a city, so I could still get away!).</p>
<p>In terms of friendships, you will DEFINITELY make close friends at any university. I don’t think size has to do with that. One thing that is hard about a large university is finding your niche though. It will be easy to fall in with the people in your dorm, or in a class or two, but it’s much harder to really find the crowd you truly fit in with. If you do go to a big uni, make sure that you really try out all of the clubs that sound interesting to you, and STICK WITH A FEW. You can’t just go once or twice…you gotta go all semester. For instance, I really didn’t know where to find the intellectual kids/concerned with the world kids here. I found them like in my last year and they were all part of these clubs I’d never heard of. Sigh. Should have explored more…I do admit I was very lazy in the beginning. You CANNOT be lazy at a big school. Also, you MUST get good grades at a big school…a lot of the programs meant to make the big school “smaller” like departmental honors, living-learning program, etc. have competitive entry requirements. Your big school is as small as you make it…and as small as your grades allow.</p>
<p>The main problem I’ve found with the big school atmosphere, though, is the classes. It might not matter as much depending on your major, but I think I would have felt more charged academically in a smaller, more close-knit environment. I just get a bit bored/distracted in a big class.</p>
<p>But small schools are really sleepy outside of the classroom…the power of the energy at a big school cannot be overestimated. There’s more activism, more events, more foot traffic, more alive-ness. I go to my friends’ selective liberal art school campuses and they are DEAD compared to mine. People who go to small schools will say their schools are not quiet and stuffy, but that’s because they’ve never experienced the sheer power of a place like Berkeley, that is always on the move.</p>
<p>So, you know the pros and cons…make your choice.</p>
<p>I go to a school with about 39,000 students, and I love it.</p>
<p>As a junior, most places I go, I’ll see at least a few people I know now. Now that I’m deep in my major, it has a pretty small school feeling. You end up having classes with a bunch of the same people, so it has that small school feeling once you get into your major. The classes at my school are usually 25-40 people in upper level classes, so it’s definitely that smaller classroom feel.</p>
<p>As for the person who was talking about English at their school, I don’t really understand how your school has that all setup. A lot of the English and Literature classes at my school are around 20 people, and they are setup that way intentionally to aide discussion. I find it odd that your school wouldn’t setup English classes to purposefully be discussion based.</p>
<p>I disagree that it’s harder to find your niche at a big school. At a small school, if you don’t fit in with the group, or if you don’t get along with the group of kids that share your interests, you’re screwed. At a big school there are much more groups to try out. You never run out of kids to meet.</p>
<p>My school has a lot of small-group discussion for the classes where it is appropriate, too. For many of our classes, we have a huge lecture but then the class also has to meet with a group of 15-20 for discussion once or twice a week that you register for when you sign up for the lecture. It’s sort of like a lab for a science class, only discussion.</p>
<p>I go to a university with about 30,000 kids and it hasn’t felt big to me yet. People who say that they feel like a number and that the school doesn’t care about them aren’t trying hard enough to make connections with the faculty and staff. I talk to my professors and go to their office hours, so I have a really good relationship with them. The administration is kind of a pain the bigger the school gets but you just have to live with it.</p>
<p>I’ll admit it is way hard to find a group of people you really fit in with when you have so many people around you to get to know, but I don’t think having less to choose from would make it any easier. There are so many different types of people at a big university that there’s got to be someone who’s like you if you make the effort to go find them. At a small school, I would imagine that if the student body has a general mindset that’s different from yours, you’re kind of screwed.</p>
<p>I’ve gotten to know quite a few people over the semester and while I wouldn’t say they’re my best friends, I enjoy their company and I know I’ll find some people who really get me eventually. It’s only been a semester. I really enjoy my big state u. Don’t feel like a number at all. I think finding a community like honors or people within your major can really help to make a school feel smaller.</p>
<p>My school has some 42,000 students and it honestly doesn’t feel all that different from high school. If you actually make an effort to be more than “just a number,” you’ll be perfectly fine and won’t feel overwhelmed. </p>
<p>The only downfall of the bigger school is that cliques form within the week after move in, and once that time frame is over, no one’s willing andopen to meet new friends. You’re stuck with what you got.</p>
<p>The thing that is inaccurate about small schools is the “stuck with what you got” idea.</p>
<p>Small schools will also have many different types of people…even small schools will have thousands of students on campus. Unless you’re the type to have hundreds of friends usually a small school is adequate in terms of the variety and number of people there. </p>
<p>I think that’s the misconception a lot of people applying to schools from HS have. They “have to go big” otherwise it’ll be just like high school with nobody you fit in with/etc./etc. The truth is most high schools are much smaller than most small(ish) universities (around 5,000 students is probably my ideal size), and also there is less intermingling between the different years in HS, and also hopefully you’re choosing a school based on where you feel you’ll fit in/where you felt the best vibe from the students.</p>
<p>It’s not like you won’t find friends at a small school…and I think it can definitely be easier to sort through the people/clubs though for your “group” at a small school.</p>
<p>I’m also a high school senior. I’ve heard of schools that have small programs that when you get into your major classes that the big university feels a lot smaller that way. </p>
<p>And as I have no experience in college, it’s just what I’ve heard.</p>
<p>I go to Berkeley now, and I got into Illinois and considered it for a time (parents’ alma mater). I was never worried about the whole ‘big school’ atmosphere. Big schools just give you more opportunities to do things. You still really get to know people and make friends like you would anywhere else; just because there’s 50,000 other students rather than 5,000 doesn’t effect your ability to forge relationships with individual people. There’s just nothing like the hustle and bustle of a big campus, or the crowd energy at a football game. I’m very happy with my choice to attend a large public university, but really, everyone has their own taste, and some people may prefer a smaller setting. Just go with what feels right when you visit college campuses.</p>
<p>Rise and overcome. Survival of the fittest. Don’t cut your options/opportunities short.</p>
<p>Great responses, thanks for all the help guys! I definitely have a better idea of what I’m looking for now =)</p>
<p>Seeing as you’re considering UIUC…</p>
<p>I go to a school of similar size to UIUC and have been there a few times to see friends as well as visiting in high school, and I can honestly say that UIUC ** truly physically feels MASSIVELY HUGE ** as my school really doesn’t, despite having a similar number of students. </p>
<p>You really need to visit to see how big it feels. Some small schools might even “feel” big.</p>
<p>I love my small school. There are people I never have seen, and probably never will again, but then again there are people I see everyday and there isn’t a day I don’t see tons of people I know. Of course there are still cliques and whatnot, but theres always a place for anyone, given they allow themselves to be put out there.</p>
<p>Additionally, my friend goes to a much bigger school than me and 2 years later lives in a house with people on his floor freshman year.</p>
<p>I am unhappy at my college with less than 1,300 students. Course offerings are extremely limited, both in depth and breadth. The social environment is hit-or-miss. (Even my high school had more geeky science students than my college!)</p>
<p>On the other hand, I have been spending some time at Penn recently. Penn with its 20,000 students is not nearly as large as the universities you are considering, but it does not feel too large or impersonal at all. You find your niche and those will be the people that you interact with the most. </p>
<p>Someone in the past has made the following analogy: The US is one of the biggest nations in the world. Do you think that it’s too big and impersonal? Would you be happier in tiny Luxembourg? Probably not. The thing is, you never interact with the entire country. You have your home town/city, your neighborhood, your high school and your family. The rest of the country is still there, giving you opportunities to travel or enjoy other people’s work remotely, but you are probably not acutely aware of it on a day-to-day basis.</p>
<p>It depends on how much you get involved with your community. I go to University of Washington (45kish?) and it feels smaller than my high school (of 500 students) …</p>
<p>I got very involved with the engineering and CSE societies on campus. I got involved with cultural student associations. I made friends with people in my classes. </p>
<p>Between all my classes, I ALWAYS see someone I know. It’s pretty weird actually, because I didn’t expect UW to be this … small for me.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’m a commuter. 
I don’t care if people live in the dorms, in an apartment, in Greek Row, or are another commuter. It’s just a bit of effort every day, and in the long run, a lot of connections have been made. I’ve only stayed on campus really late for socials or meetings a few times, but I’ve really enjoyed UW so far. :)</p>