What are your students experiences with a 3000 size University? My daughter goes to a high school with almost that many lol-- but the fit otherwise is really right-- location, athletics, major, social fit… but somehow we both (her and I) envisioned a bigger school. Thoughts?
One of my daughters is a rising junior at the University of Richmond, about 3200 undergrads. It was the smallest school she applied to, and she was concerned that it would be too small, but in the end, she feels very comfortable there. The small class sizes have been great, as well as great professors with whom she has close interactions, and they also have excellent advising and career counseling. She was able to find a research position with one of her professors during her freshman year, too.
A college campus of 3000 students is very different from a high school of 3000 students, and it feels much bigger. There are many more academic and administrative buildings and space, dorms, dining areas, a separate library, student center, sports facilities, etc.
My daughter still meets new people each semester and has many friends. There are many clubs, activities, and service opportunities available at UR and other smaller colleges. Students are also encouraged to start new ones, and some startup $$ is provided.
One of the biggest advantages of smaller colleges is smaller classes and more interaction with other students and professors. If the fit is right, that’s what matters. Me personally, I went to a college with about 15k students. Admittedly I commuted, but I knew no one, never saw the same people from day to day, and never felt connected to campus. Give me the small college over the big one any day.
My older D went to a college about that size. The post above is right-a small college is nothing like a HS of that size. D liked it well enough, though it was ALSO in a small town, and she DIDN’T like that at all. Having to take the one bus to the ER because the one taxi was busy (this was before Uber) pretty much sealed her wanting to transfer to someplace in a larger city.
Check your PM’s in a bit. We just got back from dropping younger D off at her HBCU and I wanted to share some of my observations with you.
It is a personal decision. IMO the only important question is what does your D think about going to a school that size? My two kids had very different opinions. There is no right or wrong answer. My D fell in love with the idea of a smaller college and ended up quickly focusing her search on LACs. It worked out great for her – amazing friends, close relationships with a number of professors, the chance to do research work directly for 2 different professors, small classes, easy to get involved in on-campus activities etc. and she had a full and happy social life. When my S looked at LACs he felt they were too small/too confining and he ended up at a mid-sized university.
My D attends a college with @1700 students. There were close to 4000 in her HS. As @mamag2855 pointed out, the size of the campus makes even a small college feel much larger than HS. And because students are spread out across campus, with different schedules, the people with whom you cross paths constantly changes. After 2 years on campus, D sees familiar faces everyday, but is surprised by how many people she doesn’t know, and how many new people she continues to meet. D’s college is residential for 4 years and dorms are assigned by a room draw system so she is constantly exposed to new people. Of course, around 25% of the student body changes each year. She also loves the small class size and personal interaction with faculty.
In contrast, my S attended a college with @17000 students. A lot of students moved off campus after sophomore year. As a result, it seemed that once students found their tribe - be it through clubs, first year dorms, Greek organizations, etc. - they stuck together and didn’t branch out much. There are more people around you, but I don’t know that you necessarily meet more people.
I will agree that a college with 3,000 students feel much larger than a high school with the same amount of students. How many students who live on campus makes a huge difference with the whole vibe of the school. I went to commuter a school with over 30,000 students but around 4,000 of us lived on campus. The school seemed much smaller to me and this was because I spent my time with the students who lived on campus.
This is one of those odd things that are totally true! Similarly, I have a much larger and varied group of friends in my suburban town than I did the decade I lived in Manhattan.
Both my Ds attended LACs a little smaller than the one you mention OP. They each loved their respective schools and each found their tribe. I agree the small classes are the primary draw. Some students do seem to get a little claustrophobic on small campuses but as long as there are a good number of things to do, either on campus or locally…
Main thing to make sure of is that the departments of her possible majors offer sufficient advanced level courses to keep her interested and cover the usual expected subareas of the subject if she intends to go on to graduate study or major-specific employment after graduation.
@Grainraiser - I did note that the school requires all F, So, and Jr to live on campus, so I imagine that keeps the campus feeling busy and had apartment style housing on campus for seniors. The campus is 130 acres so not tiny I guess!
I loved my little 2000-student LAC, but I knew that’s what I wanted beforehand. If I’d envisioned myself at a UCLA or Mich (or even Cornell), I probably wouldn’t have liked my LAC so much.
IMO, it depends on what the school tried to provide. Smaller LACs can offer a top product because they aren’t trying to offer 200 products. If a small school tries to offer English and writing and math and micro biology and business and accounting and 90 other things, I don’t think it is going to do anything well.
My D went to a high school with 1600 or so students, which is big to me (my HS was <500). She always thought she wanted to go to a bigger college. College should be bigger than high school, right? I could understand her reasoning. As it turns out, she’s going to a college with about 2700 undergrads, and she liked it right from the first visit.
She is in one of the more popular majors, which helps–I do agree you want to consider the size of the department you’ll likely study in.
Her school does NOT have a large campus, very small in fact. It’s urban–I think that’s part of the appeal for her. Although campus does seem to have a lot of activity, it’s easy to get out and about and do other things in the city. There is also cross-registration with a larger school right next door, and the meal cards are good at both schools. So those things will expand her options beyond a typical small campus.
She moves onto campus next week, so we’ll see how it goes. I think it’s a great choice for her.
@marvin100 she was looking at schools with 4000-7000 so not like UCLA!
DD attended an LAC, so smaller than 3000 students. In addition to the smaller classes and getting to know the professors and staff, I think she really liked being able to make a difference at the school. For example, she led orientation one year and trained the other student orientation leaders. She also organized a school wide service event and a few other things. Ultimately, being a big fish in a little pond worked very well for her.
Consider Simmons College in Boston. About 2500 students and it is a small women’s university in the middle of the city. Simmons offers on addition to arts and sciences: Management, nursing, education and health sciences.
I personally wouldn’t recommend a small school unless it is part of larger consortium, especially if the school isn’t well funded. A small school wouldn’t be able offer as many classes, and if it happens to be a required class for a major or graduation…Another downside of a small school is by junior year, one could just be tired of the same old. I went to a school with 2500 students. It was great for the first two years because of small classes and a lot of personal attention, but by the time I was a junior I was tired of the whole scene. Sometimes it is also harder socially at a small school. You could luck out finding good friends, but if you don’t then it could be difficult, whereas at a larger school it is much easier to find your own tribe.
Like most things, it depends on the school, the location, the major, and the student’s preference. Some kids definitely outgrow their very tiny, isolated LACs and wish for a larger pond. Others thrive. A semester abroad or at another college can help.
The alumni networks may also be smaller with less opportunity for interships and jobs. Some LACs seem to do a great job on that, but others not as much (which is also true for larger schools).
As noted above, the major really matters. Some of the LACs my youngest looked at touted the UG research opportunities, but the research projects in the bio department were much more oriented toward ecology than the cell biology he was interested in. Kids that change majors can sometimes have trouble getting all their classes in at smaller departments, where some classes may only be offered in alternate years.
I would certainly encourage her to apply and then visit. I know several athletes that went to smaller schools so they could play their sport and were happy they did so.
Lots of students go off campus for junior year, though. My D1 at a smaller school had great opportunities to do an unusual study abroad semester and a semester at an excellent internship in DC. Both my kids have gotten supurb teaching and mentoring from their small schools, too.