<p>Son is looking at different types of schools since he isnt quite sure what he wants to do - smaller LACs that seem to offer a well-rounded experience and larger state schools with a great deal of school spirit. He is also looking at a co-op type school which seems to have a strong job focus. </p>
<p>I wonder what you see as pros/cons to each of these? I realize that college is what you make it, but as this is our first foray into uncharted territory, I would love some other perspectives.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t separate the LAC and the big universities by school spirit. Sure, you see the huge state schools on TV but the LAC I’m familiar with pack the stands for football, basketball, volleyball, etc. too. </p>
<p>I know there is one school that pops up here a lot in reference to their co-op program but I can’t remember what that school is. Other’s will know though.</p>
<p>What are his stats? GPA? Test Scores, etc.?</p>
<p>Northeastern is the co-op school that has caught his interest because of its 0-6 pharmacy program. He has a 3.7 GPA, takes honors and AP classes. He hasnt taken the SAT yet, but has been making 650 or so on math and 700 or so on critical reading on practice tests.</p>
<p>Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the differences they have seen in the different types of schools? I imagine smaller LACs will have a more nurturing environment, a larger school will have better technology and a co-op school has more job opportunities?</p>
<p>Well… I can take a shot at the LAC vs. large university (I have a degree from a large research university, D1 graduated from an LAC last spring).</p>
<p>LAC comments:
<p>Big Uni comments:
<p>spritle–it really depends on the school. We toured a couple large universities who’s facilities were sorely lacking and several LAC that have the top line everything equipment. It really comes down to how happy the alum are and how generous local businesses are, not so much the “kind” of school :D. </p>
<p>inparent gave a pretty good general idea, however, only one of the LAC’s our kids applied to is D3 (out of 21 schools between the 2 of them) so it really depends on the individual school.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>just my personal experiences with my boys…</p>
<p>All 3 disliked large state schools because they were just “too big”…our high school had 750-800 students. They didn’t like the large campuses, the large dining halls, the large lecture halls…</p>
<p>2 of the 3 also disliked LACs…too small, not enough people, not enough types of people, not enough class choice.</p>
<p>All 3 ended up choosing mid-size schools. H always jokes that the three all picked the same school in different cities…about 5-6000 undergrads, with a real campus, in a large city…with no football team. They chose Emory in Atlanta, University of Denver, and American University.</p>
<p>They have each found the schools of a size to end up with professors as personal mentors, a good variety of classes and majors, lots to do on campus, lots of friends with all different kinds of interests, and being in cities to be enriching—internships, cultural events, and life off campus all being available. </p>
<p>It’s also been their observation that over-drinking is maybe a little bit less prevalent. Maybe because there is more to do, maybe because the students who chose these schools are those who chose not to drink as much.</p>
<p>Note that I am not saying they do not drink–they do; or that they sometimes do not over-drink–they do that too. </p>
<p>My sons’ observation is just that not everyone feels they need to overdrink all the time as being the way to have fun. And for those students who do not want to be in those situations, there is a lot to do and there are a lot of people around to do it with so they don’t feel left out. Of course there is a subset of kids who choose to drink themselves to oblivion on every campus–my sons have merely said that those choices don’t impact them nearly as much.</p>
<p>I think intparent makes a good general comparison of a small vs. large school. As SteveMA points out, each school is different so you really have to investigate each one, but it also depends on what your child is looking for in a school. He has to decide what’s more important to him. Maybe he should look into something in the middle - a mid-size university with a small school feel. Then he’d have to best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Thank you for your great responses! Our first college tour is this weekend, hopefully he will be able to get a feel for what he likes and dislikes soon. </p>
<p>My main concern I guess is the co-op schools. I just wonder if those types of schools/students might be more career-driven (not necessarily a bad thing), and less general college norm focused, if that makes any kind of sense.</p>
<p>The coop schools are worth checking out. My son visited RIT and Drexel. For him, they were too get a job focused but depending on your major they are a good thing. </p>
<p>My friend’s daughter will be starting at Drexel this month and she is majoring in Graphic Design. There are tons of unemployed Graphic designers so Drexel will give her a start in this popular field that other schools might not have.</p>