Little fish in an enormous pond

So it looks like I am going to end up going to a huge school (Ohio State) as I didn’t receive nearly enough financial aid from any other (much smaller) schools I applied to. I’m extremely worried about getting “lost in the crowd” and not being able to succeed in such a large environment. I am just a shy, quiet kid coming from a tiny high school, so I just can’t imagine surviving 4+ years at such a huge school. So I either need to tough it out at a big school or negotiate some more aid from the other schools I applied to. Any advice?

You shouldn’t worry about it. Personally, I think bigger schools are better from a social aspect as there are more opportunities to find “your tribe”. Just go into school with an open mind and don’t be afraid to try new things and meet new people.

You need to get out of your comfort zone. That is one of the benefits of going to college. Unless you intend to live your life in the small town you grew up in.

@JT4815 It does not hurt to ask for more financial aid from your top choice schools. If you end up at Ohio State make sure to attend the Freshman Orientation to meet other students. Look for campus groups or activities that you can join. Many universities provide additional activities to help freshman transition - retention is important to them! Also you could consider Greek life. My DH came from a graduating class of 60 students. He went to a large state school and joined a Fraternity his freshman year. This provided him with an immediate group of friends at school. I understand how overwhelming a large school can seem when you come from a small town, but you will not be alone in this experience many students have come from a small town and been successful at a large school.

Have you looked into the learning communities at OSU?

https://housing.osu.edu/learning-communities/

Are you from Ohio? If you are really concerned about how large OSU is, have you looked at smaller schools in the area that are still accepting students? It looks like you have a 28 ACT. There are smaller schools in Ohio that will give good merit aid for a 28 that will bring costs down. You could investigate Wittenberg, Mount Union, Capital, Ohio Wesleyan and others to see their merit scholarships and admission policies. It may not be too late.

If you are decided you will stick with OSU, the learning communities could be a good option. Either way, there will be others who feel as you do. Become friends with your roommate. Branch out a bit and know it’s okay if you need time to yourself. Good luck!

Certainly you can ask your top one or two choices if they would re-visit your financial aid. There is really nothing to lose.

But assuming you end up at Ohio State, you should seek out ways to find commutes that will suit you within the university. Above suggestion might be an excellent start. Look into clubs/organizations (which can include anything from Greek Life, religious, political, sports, academic, or just something you are interested in) to create a social group. Academically, try to meet with professors when you have the opportunity, go to any smaller break-out sessions etc.

To an extent, college your experience will be what you make of it. I think if you go into Ohio State with the right attitude and you persevere until you find your niche that it can be great. And always keep in mind how many people in the US and abroad would love to be in your shoes.

Comp Sci major.

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I’m only in Pre-Calculus now (as a senior in high school) and won’t take Calc until my freshman year of college. I also got a 28 on the math section of the ACT if that matters at all.
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Many students don’t take Calc until fall freshman year. If that really bothers you, then take Calc I this summer at a CC.

If that doesn’t interest you, then take some GenEd/Core classes in the summer. that will help you move more quickly into your major. Do you have any AP credits??

The beauty of majors is that they can “shrink” a large college. You’ll likely be taking some CS classes your freshman year, right? You’ll find that many of the same kids are in those classes. They will be your friends.

ALSO…join the CS club or association at the school…and any social clubs that interest you.

Also…find out if OSU has any “camps” or anything the week before school starts. Those can be GREAT icebreakers for meeting new friends.

ALSO…go to many of the Week of Welcome (or whatever OSU calls it). These are the welcome activities planned for new freshman…usually starting a few days before classes start.

Sign up for Orientation. If that is a 2 day event, use that as an opportunity to make some new friends.

@TomSrOfBoston @sahmkc Why did you both assume that coming from a small school meant living in a small town? Did I miss that? Poster said “I am just a shy, quiet kid coming from a tiny high school.” While it may very well be that the poster comes from a small town, there are many kids who go to small high schools that live in large towns/ cities.

One advantage to a large school, especially for a more introverted person, is that there are going to be more people who share your interests and will relate to you in a way that is comfortable for you. Sometimes in a smaller school if you don’t fit in there won’t be as many other options. While you can’t change the fact that there are some 45000 students on campus, there will far fewer in your classes, your major, your dorm or your floor. While there maybe hundreds of organizations, most are going to have less than 30 members. I think it’s easier to make a large university feel smaller (mentally) than to make a small school feel larger. Good luck!

@paveyourpath - I don’t think it really matter whether the town is small - OP’s High School is “tiny”. So experiences of people from tiny high schools either due to town size or school choice are relevant. I guess I should have said small school instead of small town. If you have never experienced what it is like to come from a small school, it’s difficult to relate to OP’s worries. I changed schools my senior year - We moved and I went from a school with 1500 students to a school where there were 32 people in my graduating class. The school had no locks on the lockers and everyone knew who I was before I had even met them.

In my opinion it may matter whether the small school is in a small town or not but my comment wasn’t to make a distinction on the size of the town but just to point out that an assumption was made that a tiny school equated with being in a small town.

I have looked into learning communities, which will definitely help me find my place at a big school. I know OSU is a very good school and that I’m lucky to have even been accepted, so going there definitely isn’t going to be a bad thing, just a little out of my comfort zone (which will probably be good for me in the long run). I will see if any of the smaller schools I applied to can help me out a bit more, but if not, I’m sure I will be fine. Thanks for the advice everyone!

  1. Most schools have some kind of activities fair in the first weeks of school, where you can learn about clubs and organizations that you can be a part of. Go to the fair and learn about them, then maybe pick 1-3 that you feel like might be a good fit. Those will organize smaller groups of students that you can meet in a less overwhelming atmosphere who also share interests with you.

  2. Go to professors’ office hours. In a 200-300-person introductory lecture class, I would be willing to bet money that fewer than 20% of students actually visit professors during their office hours - and most of the remaining 20% visit just when they are struggling with homework or before a big exam. Visit the professors for other reasons, too - to ask questions about the material, to engage in discussion about it. The same goes for teaching assistants, if you have them in your classes - visit their office hours. They’re often sources of valuable information about research opportunities and graduate school/careers, if you ask them.

  3. Classes that are offered at unpopular times (generally before 10 in the morning or after around 4-5 pm in the evening) are often smaller than classes at popular times (especially classes in the 10 am to 2 pm range).

  4. If your big lecture hall classes don’t already have recitation sessions, think about organizing one. You can approach the graduate TA for help in doing that. Gauge some interest from your classmates. A small enough recitation session just becomes a study group, but that’s fine, too.

I’m another that thinks you can have a lot of luck finding your exact type of student at a big school. A large school this size is like a small city and you don’t try to be friends or do everything in a city - you find a special neighborhood, coffee shop, church, etc that fits your life. You can find your “small college” group in several ways.

The first small experience you’re likely to have is your freshman dorm. That is a manageable number of people to meet. You may make a best friend or you may just make some acquaintances who, like you, need another soul to be around while learning about college. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find a best friend - introverts (my D is one) don’t always like huge groups and sometimes it takes time to find one or two close friends.

Second is your major. Now depending on what it is you may not get into smaller focused classes until later, but sometimes there are department things to get involved in. Agree with stopping by offices and meeting professors. A good plan for every college student.

Try an interest group as a way to make your school seem smaller. It might be an interest group, like student government or debate or a religious group. Service groups are also good and sometimes schools have days of service/service Saturday type things.

It may seem counterintuitive, but I found with my two Ds that the one at big school had more opportunities for leadership than one at small, selective school (very competitive for everything from singing groups to orientation leaders). There are just some many more things to choose from.

Good luck.