So there are a lot of great small schools out there, but I’ve always gone to big schools with lots of opportunities. When I think of big schools i think of wider range of intramural, clubs, and more diversity of different types of people. Sometimes I see a small school and its mostly a business undergrad schools and the students are similar personalities. But with big schools you get the football and out of control party life seems more common at large universities than small ones.
What’s the benefit of a small school? Do you ever wish you went to a larger school? If you go to a small school or graduated from a small school, you should let me know which one.
I went to Oxford College of Emory before transferring to the University of Oklahoma. The drinking scene was much more prominent at Oxford thanks to the relatively limited number of on campus activities and rural location.
Most smaller schools, at least small liberal arts schools, don’t have business school.
Benefits: small classes, tight-knit student bodies, less administrative red tape, opportunities for close relationships with faculty and research opportunities.
Let us know your stats and the kind of vibe and geographic location, rural vs. urban vs. suburban that you are looking forward and we could recommend some small schools to consider.
3.7 gpa. 30 ACT (will retake). Top 10% Dual enrollment program for all of junior and senior year.
Eps involve lots tutoring through a non-profit for inner city kids, internship at local science museum, volunteering at elderly center helping the elderly with computers.
Couple of state and national math awards.
I’m in Portland, oregon.
Price wise: 45k a year is the very highest we can go. Will not receive much need based aid.
Environment. Not-rural. Lively college town or nice city would be ideal. Non-overwhelming or no greek life would be preferable. Not huge party scenes (or at least a good amount of people that wouldn’t be into it). A nerdy intellectual atmosphere is great. Friendly, collaborative, happy students. Definitely more of the liberal side. Religion I don’t care as long as it does take over my course schedule, but I do prefer more secular. Prefer to stay away from the south and no where in the middle of the cornfield. A more diverse student body is what i’m looking for. Would love to play intramural and get involved with a math club.
I would like opportunities for research and other impressive stuff for grad school. I do want to try to compete for a well known grad school, so the name of the undergrad should be respectable and recognizable.
My major is mathematics. I’m on the PhD, applied mathematician track. I would prefer to have that focus rather than a finance, business, or teaching focus.
I’m very hesitant about small schools but I do like small class sizes and there is only so many very large schools with the attention I desire.
About 40 minutes or so from Minneapolis/St. Paul is St. Olaf College. VERY strong math program which sends many students on to PhD work. It’s worth taking a look at. They do offer some merit aid.
I have had that on my list. What about something closer to the west side of the country?
In your area, places that offer quite good merit aid include U of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA), Willamette (Salem, OR), Lewis and Clark (outskirts of Portland). At Whitman (Walla Walla, WA) merit tops out at 15K, last time I checked. For the first three, a strong but not necessarily tippy top student can have a reasonable expectation of a scholarship.
I think I mentioned WWU in another thread of yours - beautiful physical setting, about 15K students, many majors offered. With the WUE discount, assuming you qualify academically, COA would be in the low 20s. Has an honors program. No football time. Frats do not dominate.
In the midwest, Macalester in the Twin Cities might be a good fit. Merit money is available, but competitive.
A well-resourced small college may offer 700+ courses across a wide range of fields, so on an academic level, they may require little compromise.