<p>Obviously this board will be biased LOL, but I'm just looking for some opinions and any additional insight. PC is sooo expensive, and while my parents say they will able to pay tuition, money WILL be tight considering I have an older brother who also attends a private university. We do plan on appealing our financial aid package, though. Not sure how that works... hopefully they will give us more. In addition, I really don't know if I can handle 5 classes a semester? PC's core curriculum is so lengthy - the website says juniors and seniors are expected to take 5 classes a semester to satisfy all the curriculum on time. On the other hand, UConn is much more financially doable. However, I don't know if I will be able to do well in a class of 100+ kids? I'm the type of student who needs to sit up front and ask the teacher questions. I didn't have a problem with it at first but I did a student-for-a-day, and my host's history class was overwhelming. The campus in general was overwhelming to me. FYI, I come from a high school of ~700 students. I guess I should probably add that I am definitely looking for school spirit (but both schools have that), and a thriving city nearby (clearly PC wins that one). And BTW, I'm going in undecided. Thanks for any possible advice, guys.</p>
<p>Just a heads up, you’ll likely have to take 5 classes a semester at UConn too, as most programs require at least 120 credits to graduate.</p>
<p>So I don’t really know anything about Providence College. In fact I didn’t even know what PC was until I googled it. So I’m not going to try and compare their campuses/academics, but one thing I’ll tell you about class size right now is that smaller class sizes really don’t matter. What matters is the quality of the professor teaching the class, and the quality of the TA during discussion sections. Even if you’re in a class of 10, it’s not realistic to be interrupting the professor every 5 minutes with questions. They could be insightful, legitimate, thought provoking sentiments, but the professor has an outline of material he/she needs to cover, and it’s simply unrealistic to expect him/her to slow down the class to address individual needs.</p>
<p>The place for these questions is office hours. This is where you can really get into a subject one on one with a professor/TA who has real understanding of the field and can give you a substantive answer. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to predict which school will have the best professors for your particular interest. </p>
<p>Basically what I’m saying is make your choice on other factors (cost, college life, specific program strengths). The best universities in the nation, both private and public, have massive lecture classes. Sometimes, the professor doesn’t even show up for extended periods and the TA lectures. It’s different from high school. Most of your professors probably won’t know your name. Don’t worry, it’s normal.</p>
<p>As harsh as that message sounded, I know you’re right and I definitely am going to need some time getting used to a college environment. I appreciate your honest feedback. </p>
<p>BTW, one other thing I liked about PC was that they don’t have TA’s. Also, its hard for me to choose based on “specific program strengths” when I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Occasionally I regret clicking “Undecided” on the Common App.</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry about that, I was pretty tired when I wrote that. In general it’s not a good idea to write anything that late at night. </p>
<p>Anyways, I just wanted you to know that you can definitely still have a personal relationship with the faculty at UConn. Just because there are 700 people in lecture, it doesn’t mean they’ll all come to office hours. You probably won’t be able to talk to them directly after lecture because there will be a lot of people waiting to ask questions, but if you write down your thoughts, you can still get the same experience. I get the feeling that it’s easier to approach professors at private colleges because there are smaller classes, which means you might have a more personal relationship. At a large university it’s a more intimidating relationship because you’re only one of hundreds, but if you’re confident and you know what you’re talking about, most professors will welcome the discussion.</p>
<p>If you don’t like the idea of predetermined office hours where everyone goes, a private college might meet your needs better. It’s just my opinion that it’s really not necessary as long you assert yourself, but you might see it differently. Also PC would probably offer you more help choosing a major. I know UConn has ACES, but I never really got a good impression from that office, and they’ll likely have a larger number of students to deal with.</p>
<p>No don’t worry haha, you were totally right in what you said. I need to open my eyes and realize college will not be anything like my 700-person high school, no matter if I choose a huge state school or small private school. Thanks for all your input, I appreciate it!</p>