Small College kids

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Okay, I've had 2 large posts written up and deleted here(press a page back accidently and their gone)....so I'll make this quick....</p>

<p>What are the differences between small liberal arts students and normal college students....so far I've grown to hate them, given their ultra friendly demeanor and they seem to be relatively uninteresting people...and if your not like them your screwed socially on campus
They also seem to love comunnity, conformity, and hate large places....I really think it's becuase their uninteresting and average people who would be nobides at a big unniversity.</p>

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<p>What's "uninteresting" is your annoyingly incorrect use of "your" and "their." So you think that a Haverford, Williams, Middlebury, or Swarthmore student is "average?" Why don't you try getting accepted at these places first, to see if "average" people get in? I highly doubt that you would find very many average students at places whose acceptance rates are in the 20%s and low 30%s. Most of these students would not be "nobides," as you so eloquently misspell it, at large universities, simply due to the academic achievement required to be accepted at the best LACs. Take your generalizations elsewhere.</p>

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<p>And, for the record, I'm not a student at an LAC, but I was accepted to one of those that I mentioned in the previous post. I chose to attend a large university instead, where I'm certainly not a nobody.</p>

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<p>I think that you are reading far too much into that post, ilikeplato. I also think that Rageking does not realize the difference that exists between the two types of schools. </p>

<p>There really is not that dramatic a difference in the two types of schools. Liberal arts colleges, especially in the northeast, are typically self-selecting. The students who apply there thrive in an environment with smaller classes and an academic focus beyond the major. These students who apply are typically very well-rounded (look at incoming class profiles--note the number of valedictorians, editors of publications, community service members and varsity athletes). These kids do it all. In the process, many enjoy learning from their experiences. That said, they are still typical college students who have their own circles of friends. They enjoy movies. They enjoy drinking. They enjoy playing video games. They enjoy hanging out. As for their being nobodies at a large school, I would disagree with that statement. Many are very highly thought of, very bright and they work hard. However, most applied to a small LAC because they enjoy smaller schools.</p>

<p>At larger schools, there are more variables involved since there are more students. For instance, students may apply to a large state university because of financial aid, because of a particular major, because family attended the school, because of the athletics or because they love the school. But put all these students on campus and they'll begin to separate (maybe even segregate, depending on the school). There are so many students that everyone is represented. However, do not confuse this with "everyone hangs out together". As someone who has friends at larger institutions, I have noticed that the student body breaks apart. One can't conceivably know 10 or 15000 students.</p>

<p>At most liberal arts colleges, there is a prevailing "type" of student. (It doesn't have to involve race or extracurriculars, but I'd argue there is a certain "mindset" at these schools that many students adhere to by choice--not because they are trying to conform, but because they're being who they are.) So instead of having only a handful of types of students at small schools, one has hundreds of different types of students at larger schools.</p>

<p>You can't compare different colleges. They are what they are. Socially, most are very similar. Academically, most are similar (some more rigorous than others). Why do kids sound so gushy at small LACs? Probably because they know most of the people on campus and they love the school (remember the self-selection).</p>

<p>That was long...sorry.</p>

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<p>Thank you, Kossitan!</p>

<p>OP- This is far the most rude post I have ever seen in the past year I've been on CC. You are incredibly narrow-minded and arrogant in your attitude towards liberal arts students. I am sorry that we just do not fit in your requirements of your social circle but by being in this environment, we are free to explore our love of academics and learning.</p>

<p>If you consider yourself "out there" in your large university, that only says one thing about you is that you have the guts to put your face out whereas many people would be too shy to do that.</p>

<p>I ditto on self-selection. Many people wonder why there are so many incredible and smart students at Smith College and other women's colleges where the acceptance rates are a bit higher than most LACs. And students in those colleges are incredibly happy to be at these places and cannot believe that they got in with "low" SAT scores/decent GPA. It is the opportunity to study with like-minded peers that draws many students to LACs. You may not enjoy discussing what you read for your literature class or educate others about the grammar of Russian language over dinner with friends, but LAC students do.</p>

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<p>Sorry if I appeared rude, I wrote two huge posts(both deleted since they asked me to sign in again and erased the post..another thing aswell)....and was strapped for time...needless to say I was less articulate and quite annoyed.. took a good 30 minutes to do both.....it fleshed out the rude statements</p>

<p>Also, my liberal arts school is litterally filled with meat heads(about 50%+ of the male population are probaly athletes or former athletes, this place looks like a army training camp in terms of males). Carthage college cares alot about athletics....I'm guessing the others don't. The Course load seems to reflect it aswell(my freshman year of HS was harder than this).....</p>

<p>and for my comments this is from my experience as a LAC student....and I really don't understand why these people are the way they are....I'm guessing it's a reason behind it.</p>

<p>As for the nobodies comment, I spoke from the what I've heard(would have been fleshed out...but again post deleted). These people seem to fear being in a big environment like a state school or big city.....They seem to be country bumpkins...</p>

<p>As for un-interesting....most of the males got in becuase they're good at playing sports....most of my classes are with the same group of people(school's doing) so I'm stuck with the same group meatheads.</p>

<p>Naturally my view of Liberal arts school have been skewed....I wish I stayed the night and avoid carthage college!</p>

<p>==============================
OP- This is far the most rude post I have ever seen in the past year I've been on CC. You are incredibly narrow-minded and arrogant in your attitude towards liberal arts students. I am sorry that we just do not fit in your requirements of your social circle but by being in this environment, we are free to explore our love of academics and learning.
-===============================================</p>

<p>Hah, most of the people here are athletes or muscians if not both....the most intelligent conversations I've heard from others aside from my friend was based on sportcenter, b-ball playbooks, and poker......</p>

<p>I think I ended up in the worst LAC around....I expected the type of school you meantion where learning and academics were important aswell as social life....I feel conned out of my freshman year.,...</p>

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<p>crappy schools will have crappy students</p>

<p>whether it be at a LAC with small classes filled with bad students or a huge U with a lot of poor students</p>

<p>its pretty stupid to say that just because you attend a bad LAC means that all LAC's are bad. just as it is stupid to say that since you attend some terrible state U then other large schools such as cornell are equally bad.........</p>

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<p>I guess I should have specified my LAC....I forgot to proof read.</p>

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<p>What rageking has described lends some proof to what I posted earlier. LAC's are self-selecting. It isn't a college admissions issue. Student bodies are attracted to certain aspects of a college and/or that college's "lifestyle". When I visited LAC's in the midwest last year (Knox, most notably), I noticed that some of them looked like New England LACs. Others were horses of a different color. Academically, an argument can be made that some of these schools are as strong as their eastern counterparts. However, most of the students there were midwestern kids (is that not the worst observation ever? Wow, surprised there were midwestern kids at midwestern LACs!) who looked like they came straight from the county fair and had never seen a polo shirt before. I was fairly intimidated, even moreso when they asked why I went to a prep school. </p>

<p>What I'm driving at here is that groups of students flock to certain schools, they always have and they will continue to do so. This is especially noticeable at small schools. For this reason, it is important to spend a long time on prospective college campuses. Bates is different from Bowdoin which is different from Trinity which is different from Williams. These are examples from the SAME athletic division, discounting the scores of other schools in the country. They appear the same--they're not. Each student body has its own nuances, be they race divisions, economic divisions, academic pursuits, extracurriculars.</p>

<p>It is too bad you didn't stay overnight, Rageking. I almost ran into that problem last year, where I applied to schools I thought I would like. I ultimately decided to take a year off, reapply to schools. As I look back, I realize that those schools weren't me, weren't what I was looking for.</p>

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<p>^</p>

<p>Yeah, I wish I would have stayed the night.....I honestly cannot believe the amount of athletecism here.....Hell, my new roommate claims he a manager for the baseball team....I figured he either gave himself that role , however if there was ever a school that would give a scholarship to a kid for having "manager" prospects it would be here.....</p>

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<p>Rageking, if you are truly unhappy with the students' attitude at your LAC and your view of LACs are being distorted by your current college, then I suggest you look elsewhere where you can have more positive experience and find others who share the same vision as you dol</p>

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<p>Sounds like your school bites. Too bad you had to bunch it together with hundreds of other, more legitimate colleges. Think about transferring.</p>

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<p>I also attend a small, fairly unknown LAC (lynchburg college) however I came in with a much different view. I went into LC not wanting to be there at all. Now, I love the place. The thought of having to leave because of expenses scares me to no end, and suprisingly I have plently of fairly intelligent conversations with people. Just because it is a lower ranked school academia-wise, the students on the inside make it great. I will admit however that there are millions of jocks but that is balanced with plenty of science, english, and theater geeks. Then you have the even smaller group like me that fits into both the jock and geek catagory!</p>

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<p>how is it that a small college would be big on athletics? when one says a school big on athletics i think of big azz schools like florida state, michigan, etc... hardly small schools...</p>

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<p>A school can be big on athletics without being a top division 1 school. My school is in division III and nationally ranked in soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. When people are looking to go to a college to play sports but don't want their lives to be run by it, they'll look to a DIII school.</p>

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<h2>how is it that a small college would be big on athletics? when one says a school big on athletics i think of big azz schools like florida state, michigan, etc... hardly small schools...</h2>

<p>It still brings in the donations I suppose......</p>

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<p>if you say so...</p>

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<p>Rageking, some LACs are the coolest places ever. While some are athletically inclined and low on diversity and are relatively conservative (Bucknell, Wheaton, Gettysburg, etc), others are the opposite (Vassar, Wesleyan, Amherst, etc). Its really hard to stereotype them.</p>

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<p>What so bad about friendly people? I personally rather get to know my teachers than to be a SSN in a class of 300 at my large state school.</p>

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<h2>What so bad about friendly people? </h2>

<p>By friendly, the kind of people who want as much company as possible no matter How bottom of the barrel a person can be. The more friends the better....quantity over quality...</p>

<p>In my experience, they're usually not very interesting people, give mixed signals when they're women, and they seem to want to talk at the most inoppurtune times...</p>

<p>and some were just desparate...not to mention we're polar opposites personality wise....I have a friend who is really friendly and he can't understand why I don't like this place or see the world the way I do....in contrast, most of the things he does(getting to know everyone) would make me cringe and he actually likes it...I usually talk for the purpose of a alterior motive.....he does it with anybody for fun.</p>

<p>He's a ok guy....however we both think each other as odd....</p>