<p>I have a friend where we do not really agree on this. In her case, her child never looked at colleges, she and her husband did the picking. And the criteria included where she could get scholarships, but also the biggest school. In fact, the bigger school was the #1 criteria. So they checked to see how many people graduate in their child's major each year, and literally, went with the one with the biggest number. </p>
<p>Needless to say, when they found out that our child is attending a small school, they felt we had made a huge mistake. And our child picked his school. Their child had no say in her school. Their feelings were that classes would be cancelled due to lack of enrollment if the school was not big enough. Already now, their child has had troubles getting classes because at their large university, when a class didn't make and so was not offered. Thing is, not making meant only getting 10 or so people enrolled. I told her that at the college my child is attending, a class would have made with less than 10. And not as much variety is offered. Classes simply "make." I have not seen yet where a class has not "made." In her case, her child had a class not make that she needed for graduation, and she could not get enrolled in another class when that one was dropped. Everything else was already full apparently, that would have fit for that one requirement, and not interfere with her other classes.</p>
<p>Anyone have experiences with this? Opinions?</p>
<p>School size may matter in some situations, but blindly picking by school size (either large or small) can lead to choosing poorly. In many cases, what is actually important (e.g. breadth and depth of offerings of interest to the student, frequency of course offerings, class sizes) may not be perfectly correlated with school size, so investigation of what is actually important should be done (especially since these characteristics can vary by department or major).</p>
<p>not really sure what you are asking… But, I would think that any major which leads to a degree, at any size school, would have a course progression listed in the catalog, which if followed, would lead to a degree in that major. And it would be up to the student and academic advisor to make sure the courses are followed and planned from freshman year, so that a degree could be obtained in four years. I have read many places where students take 5-6 years to graduate due to a variety of factors, some of which I’ve read are due to not being able to take classes. (overenrolled would be my opinion for not getting a class, but I guess underenrolled could happen) At any rate, I am glad it is working out for your student. Sometimes, the best laid plans for any family, can have a wrench thrown into them. We can only plan for the best outcome and pray it all comes together. It’s impossible for anyone to have predicted a situation like the one you are describing. Even if they could have forseen scheduling problems, they may have made the same decision.</p>
<p>I agree with ucbalumnus. My kids went to a school of about 4000 undergrads. S had classes in his major which ran with as few as 4 students. And neither ever had a class with more than 30. Neither ever had trouble getting the classes they needed/wanted. Both graduated in 4 years. Neither had any interest in a very large school.</p>
<p>I went to a school of 2400 students. All of my friends graduated in 4 years. Both of my kids graduated/going to a school of 13000 students, and most student’s graduate in 4 years. I don’t think size matters, what matters is number of classes offered.</p>
<p>My D, freshman at UC Berkeley (>25,000 undergraduates), is in a class that only has 8 students. Big university doesn’t necessarily translate to big classes.</p>
<p>I think it’s a weird way to pick, but to each his/her own. Parents picking without input from the one actually attending can’t always lead to a happy outcome. </p>
<p>At my 40k+ student U, most of my classes have 20 or less people. Last semester 2 of my classes had less than 10 people- one with only 6 and the other with 9. The wonders of an RC :). And no, no cancelled classes here.</p>
<p>"Needless to say, when they found out that our child is attending a small school, they felt we had made a huge mistake. And our child picked his school. "</p>
<p>I don’t even get why they would voice such an opinion when it is not their business. I have suggested schools for my friends with hs age children to consider, but beyond that it’s not my business, my child, my concern. Why would they tell you you " made a huge mistake"? Anyway, it seems like you really want to say “I told you so.” What good will that do?</p>
<p>I find that a lot of people insert their opinions into something that is none of their business and clearly a personal matter. I get a lot of that from my SIL who actually tells me that some of the schools on our list are “B schools, not A schools.” Just because her kid did not like them does not make them “B schools.” Junior year will be fun…</p>
<p>twogirls ~ I think we have the same SIL, lol. Mine made a derogatory comment about the city that is home to the university my kids attended. Like “who would ever want to go there?” type of thing. Well lo and behold, when her youngest was looking, several of his classmates looked at that same school, so they decided they would too. My D actually served as their tour guide there and guess what? They were singing the praises of the school. Even though their son chose another school, both my SIL and my brother were saying how much they would have liked to attend that school. Hmmmmm, maybe we sometimes DO know a thing or two.</p>
<p>Yeah, I usually just keep my opinions to myself when I am around them because I get enough of their opinions, lol.</p>
<p>Kitty I just find it so aggravating. The other night they were telling my daughter to apply to certain schools in the south and were telling us that " who cares if you need an airplane, what difference does it make if it’s a four hour car ride or a two hour plane ride." This decision has nothing to do with them. It is a personal decision for our family and it depends on a variety of factors. UGH!!!</p>
<p>It’s silly. One D goes to a regional university that has around 12,000 undergraduates. The other D will attend a university with over 40,000. Both are great schools for each daughter individually. You have to find the right fit FOR YOU. Big schools offer things that small schools often don’t. Small schools offer things that big schools often don’t. No biggie. Personal preference. I’d have a talk with my D to let her know to let some of this outside influence roll off her back, and to make a decision that seems right for her and her parents (the ones that will be paying). Nod and smile.</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between a 4 hour car drive and a 2 hour plane ride. Planes don’t run at all times day or night. I can get in my car and go see my kid 4 hours away in case I’m needed, and I’m not at the mercy of a flight schedule.</p>
<p>i dont think the size of the school should be the #1 factor it all depends with what theyre going to feel more comfortable with. But to each they’re own they should know what theyre doing.</p>
<p>I would be asking them if they were planning to pay the airfare for several round trip flights. And as cromette mentioned, flight schedules may not be all that convenient. Hopefully, your D can just smile and nod when they start their suggestions.</p>