How to tell if a school is too small for you?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi there,

I was wondering from people’s experiences what is the best way to tell if a college will be too small in undergraduate size. For instance, I’m considering applying to Grinnell, but at 1,700 undergraduates it will be of similar size as my high school. I don’t have time to tour it in order to get a better feel but are there questions I could ask myself or things I could consider that would help me a make the best decision here?
Thanks

2

“Too small” probably applies more to the departments of your academic interests. You want those departments to be of sufficient size that they offer sufficient courses (and research opportunities if desired) in your possible majors and other academic interests. Check course catalogs, schedules, and faculty rosters in each area of your academic interests.

3

Is there a virtual tour? Imagine your high school but maybe more spread out…is that enough people to be with for four years? Do you like being known on a smaller campus versus being part of a big one? Do you feel there is enough room to grow there intellectually or in other ways? Keep in mind you go in at 18 and come out at 22 - there is a lot of growth that happens in between. Does this school provide opportunity to do that? Enough adventures on and off campus - things to be involved in, etc? Is there a town nearby? What does it offer? Even though your HS is about the same size population wise, can your tour any college of comparable size that is near you just to get a feel? Good luck!

4

Similarly, on the non-academic side look to see if the school has clubs and activities that are important to you. Different small schools will have different non-academic elements that may make a big difference to you. A huge school will probably have anything you might think of (sports, theater, music, Greek life, academic clubs, etc) and of course small schools won’t have the same variety. As long as the small school has what you’re looking for, both inside and outside the classroom, then it’s not too small.

5

What kind of high school do you attend? If you’re at a non-magnet public high school, then maybe 10 or 20% of the student body are your academic peers. It’s likely that outside of activities like sports or music, your social group draws largely from that academic pool and you probably socialize largely within your grade. High school social structure being what it is, I’m guessing 100 or 200 people make up your day to day world.

At a selective LAC, your academic peer group is everyone. In that sense alone it could feel 5 or 10 times larger than your same sized high school. Also, all of the faces will be new, unlike high school where you may be seeing some of the same faces that you went to preschool with. My son is at an LAC the same size as his high school and this is what he’s experienced.

If Grinnell has what you want academically you should apply. You can visit schools in April after you’re accepted to decide if they feel right. Not everyone feels at home at an LAC and every school has its own vibe so you do want to figure out a way to visit before you choose. Waiting until acceptances come out will let you target your visits to schools that make you the best offers.

6

Consider your options from academic, spatial, historic, social and numerical aspects (opinion):

Academically

  1. Look for ~ 4 dozen or more areas of study overall.
  2. Look for a choice of ~15 or more courses in academic disciplines of particular interest to you.
  3. Look for concentrations or minors in some of the less common fields. Geosciences, for example, can be a great source of electives for non-majors. Courses in topics such as linguistics or astronomy (particularly with access to an on-campus observatory) can be similarly rewarding.

Spatially

  1. Consider the number of dining locations as well as their variety. Having options as to where to eat on a daily basis can make a smaller college seem larger.
  2. Do not overlook campus acreage. "Small" colleges can range from literally small to literally large (as in larger than many universities) by this standard.

Historically

Note that many, perhaps most, private colleges were small by current standards during the years during which they established their reputations. Colleges that have resisted this tendency to grow may simply be doing better at adhering to a model that offers decided benefits.

Socially

Look for a gender distribution that approximates 50/50.

Absolute Size

Colleges with less than 1200 students may seem small by any standard.

7

Ask yourself the following questions.

  1. Do you want to be at a school where there are so many students that you don't see the same people every day, where every day you see mostly unfamiliar faces? (large university)
  2. Do you like being at a school where you occasionally see the same faces but will for the most part see new faces? (medium-sized university)
  3. Do you want to be at a school where you will see mostly the same people every day and no new faces? (small college like Grinnell)
8

Try visiting a similarily small college close to your home. I originally thought I wanted a really small college. After I felt like I knew the whole campus after spending barely an hour there, is when I knew I wanted a bigger sized campus. I still value many of the things that a smaller school provides: close knit community, student professor interaction, and feeling like you matter, but I attend a medium sized school which has many of those things. Location may also matter to you, and knowing whether you would be comfortable in a more remote vs. urban area is important. I do recommend visiting if you do end up getting in, but as I remember the school should have free applications so you can always apply and see what happens. Visit at least one small college while it is in session to see if it appeals to you. Also read online reviews and the forums to get a sense of the campus vibe

9

Additionally, consider the athletic and outdoor facilities. Options such as a skating rink, golf course, swimming pool and running, walking and x-country ski trails can be found at some, but far from all, small (or even large) schools.

10

My S originally thought he wanted a really large university with Division I sports. After touring schools and considering class sizes, campus size, etc. he realized he wanted a small school. For him, the classroom experience he wanted was the tipping factor. He ended up at a LAC that was slightly smaller in enrollment than his HS.

When he visited large, spread-out campuses he didn’t like the thought of traveling 20-30 minutes to get to each class. The campus he ended up at was around 215 acres/1800 students.

If you are able, try to visit various campuses near you (you don’t have to be specifically interested in that school). Look at both number of students and the size of the campus.

11

Consider as well college-run transportation options. Daily shuttle service to off-campus areas of interest (shopping, cinemas, etc.) can provide a sense of connection to the outside world.

12

Some majors like physics have a well defined core set of courses, where most students in the major take mostly the same advanced in-major courses, with a few electives. Others, like history and biology, are very broad and cover many areas, so different students in the same major may choose substantially different sets of advanced in-major courses. Students whose interests are in the latter type of major may find that the minimum number of advanced course offerings in the department needs to be larger than students whose interests are in the former type of major, who may be most concerned with whether the core set of courses is offered at reasonable frequency.

13

^ I agree.