All of my life I have belonged to small schools. From Pre-K through 8 grade I went to the same school surrounded by the same people in a class with no more than 30 students. In high school my class was 90 students in all but individual classes never consisted of any more than 15 to 20 students. Now I am looking at schools like the University of Wisonsin-Madison, and Penn-State with 30,000 students. I just want to know what you think, There are some really brilliant people on this site and I know that you don’t really know me as a person but I still value your opinions and would like to hear what you think.
Some kids will love being in an environment that is as big and thriving as a large public university, and some won’t feel comfortable at all. You need to consider your circumstances. Are you an independent learner? Classes will be very large at these schools, especially fresh/soph year. Are you wanting to be away from home and experience something totally different than you grew up with? It’s questions like these that you need to consider.
Penn State has 46,000 undergrads, btw.
However, there are lots of ways to make a big school seem smaller. Clubs, organizations, and study groups are all methods of getting to know a more tight-knit group of people. Especially as you get into your major classes, you may start to see the same people over and over, even with 46,000 other options walking around campus as well.
My boyfriend attends a school no bigger than our high school. I knew I didn’t want that, so I came here. It’s personal preference. See if you can visit while class is in session to see how you feel about it?
Nobody can predict this for you.
I would advise looking at smaller regional state schools. Then you can transfer after a couple of years if you really want the large school vibe.
I would advise looking at LACs. First, even a school with 2,000 or 3,000 students will feel “big” to you; second, the “feel” of a campus with that many students is very different from that of a high school.
Since you’ve only been in small schools, you should visit and spend an overnight, attend lectures with 200 students in a big hall, attend a class with 35 students, see how it “feels”, walk on a campus street as literally 10,000 students walk in various directions getting to class. Does it feel exciting or overwhelming?
What are your stats and where’s in-state for you?
Please note that if you’re not a PA resident, Penn State will not give you any financial aid, so make sure your parents have 45K per year to spend on your education.
Run NPCs on every university you’re interested in.
I’d try to get a picture of the full spectrum before making any decisions. Go to a small liberal arts college, a small/medium state school, a medium/large private school and a big state school. Sit in a few classes, get a feel for it.