You should ALWAYS choose the curriculum first, size and location come later.
I would look at the following factors when deciding between a small and large school:
Usually size is related to whether the school is public or private, and the choice of public or private is driven by affordability. If your family’s financial situation requires that you attend a public university, you may still be able to find a small campus environment. For example, the SUNY system (State University of New York) is comprised of small to medium-sized campuses throughout the state, as opposed the typical model of a huge flagship campus with a few less selective satellites.
Class size, help from professors instead of graduate assistants, distance from one class to the next, how many students will you know, and learning styles. It’s the comparison of living in New York City or Gunnison, Colorado.
There are many things to consider when choosing between a small and a large school. At a larger school students will most likely be taking larger lecture style classes ( at least for the first year or so until the student gets more deep into their specific major)…you may be in a class over 100 or more students and may not get that individual attention you need, unless you specifically seek it out. In a larger school you may have to be a bigger advocate for yourself and seek out the professor during their designated office hours. In a smaller school, your classes will be smaller and your professor will most likely know you by name. It may be easier to get more individualized attention, and form a better and closer relationship with your professor. A bigger school may offer more options for activities outside of the classroom like sports and other extracurricular activities, whereas at a small school you may be more limited. In the end you have to think of your preference and what you feel most comfortable with. In either school, you can be successfull as long as you have your goals set and know what it will entail to meet those goals.
You can make a large school smaller but you can’t make a small school bigger. This rule is fairly true. At a large school, you can take advantage of a myriad of resources and have all kinds of academic options. You can join activities and social organizations to help make the university smaller. You can also run the risk of having graduate students teach some classes and may not be able to live on campus all four years. Small colleges are perfect for someone who wants a truly personalized education. You can get access to professors and intense programming. You most likely can live in the dorms as long as you want. You will know pretty much everyone on campus and have an amazing time. So make a list of what you want and see what each campus has to offer.
In my 7+ years of working in higher education (in addition to my own experience during the college search process), I’ve noticed a trend in which students get this romanticized impression of a particular school (and who knows what causes it–sports teams, friends, family, news, etc.) but the school actually isn’t a good fit for them.
you should know your learning skills and style in order to pick the right school. in what learning environment you will have better chance to succeed?
Small colleges often provide greater opportunities for interacting with professors and class discussion, while larger colleges frequently offer a greater variety of courses and programs and more opportunities for undergrads to get involved in faculty research projects. If you want opportunities for class discussion and smaller seminar-style classes right from the start, a smaller school may be right for you. On the other hand, if you want the greatest possible range and variety in course offerings, or if you prefer soaking up knowledge in lecture classes where the professor does most of the talking, a larger school may be for you.
Who they are! What are they looking for.
When choosing between a large and small school, students should consider their personal and academic preferences. Students may find it helpful to consider the following:
There can be a huge range between the number of students in a small school and the number in a large school – from less than a thousand to several tens of thousands.
Are you ‘the bigger the better’ or ‘good things come in small packages’ person? Should you choose a small school or a big university?
When choosing between a small and large school you should consider things from two standpoints: academic & social. From an academic side you need to think about how you learn best and what type of classroom setting you’d prefer. Do you like to participate in class discussion or do you prefer to be an observer? Do you want to have accessible teachers or are you okay with graduate students as guides? From a social side you need to decide if you’d like to be a big fish in a small pond or vice versa. Does it matter whether a school offers 300 clubs or 80 to choose from? The best way to find out what’s best for you is to visit, sit in on a class, and spend time interacting with current students.
When deciding between a small and large school, it is important to consider your learning style, extracurricular interests and professional goals, among other things. Do you prefer an intimate classroom setting with ample opportunities to interact with faculty and your fellow classmates? If so, you should include at least a few small schools on your target college list. Alternatively, If you are determined to pursue a highly specialized major, such as biomedical engineering or entomology, then a large institution may be your only option. On average, large schools have more academic and extracurricular offerings, but demand that students possess a requisite level of direction and assertiveness to take full advantage of existing opportunities. In contrast, smaller schools tend to have fewer offerings but may provide greater access to the activities (e.g. undergraduate research, varsity sports, liberal arts instruction, etc.) that make for a meaningful undergraduate experience.
Are you comfortable sitting in large rooms (with over 500 hundred students) listening to lectures and taking note? Or do you prefer more discussion-based classes, where the professor knows your name? In general, smaller schools offer smaller classes with more accessible faculty where you feel part of a community rather quickly. While you can gain a wonderful education at a larger university, you may have to work harder to find your place there. At a big school, there will be more majors, more clubs and of course more students; so you need to be more aggressive in navigating the system in order to receive the type of educational opportunities that you desire. Whereas smaller schools may prove to be more supportive and nurturing.
students are different in learning skills. small school has benefits of teaching students in a small size classroom and large school may use teacher assistant. the interaction between students and faculties is also a very important fact to consider. large school may not offer too much time for questions and small discussions. seminar style classroom is the always the best no matter what type of students you are.
No doubt you’ve heard this word used a lot but it’s true! It’s all about the right ‘fit’ and that can include academic fit, financial fit, geographical fit, cultural fit, and, of course, size. One of our children elected to attend a major state university of around 50,000 students. Our other child decided a smaller private college around 1,000 students with plenty of activities was a better fit. Talk about extremes! However, each school was the right fit for their personalities. Interestingly, academically they could have switched schools and each would have still received an excellent education but the environment made a difference to each. You definitely need to visit the campuses of the colleges where you are applying especially if they are radically different in size. Despite all your college research, you will get a ‘feel’ for the best campus for you. However, some criteria to consider when deciding on the best fit for size… 1. Are you comfortable with large classes or would you prefer smaller groups and the assurance that the instructor/professor will notice if you are absent from class? Also know that even on extremely large campuses, once you begin taking classes in your major, the class sizes are significantly smaller and your major professors will know you. 2. As a student on a smaller campus, opportunities may come your way a little faster because faculty and administration will know who you are more quickly. On a large campus you may need to be more of a self-advocate to be sure your strengths are recognized. 3. Large universities will have an abundance of majors, minors, and programs. Smaller colleges offer a variety of majors and minors but they may be ‘packaged’ differently. Also, smaller colleges often offer more opportunities to self-design a major. 4. Outside of class will you feel swallowed up by large numbers of students everywhere or does the thought of this energize you? Do you want the raucous tailgating experience of Division I football or are you just as happy to attend a Division III game that still has lots of excitement but on a smaller scale? Do your research but pay attention to your instincts, personality, strengths, and needs. Enjoy the journey! Consider the possibilities!
While it is possible to make a big school feel small, a small school is always going to be, small. Maybe you come from a small high school and liked knowing everyone. Maybe you came from a large high school and didn’t like not knowing everyone! Once on campus at a large institution, you can join groups that will narrow your focus on a smaller population. An honors program, special interest dorm, student activity clubs are all ways to personalize your experience on campus.
A rule of thumb is to ask yourself: would you like to know and be known by few, some or all of your classmates, few, some or all students in your year or few, some or all of the students in your entire college? Another way to unpack what size means is: when you enter a dining hall, would you like to know no one, someone or everyone?
It’s important to know how many people you’d like to be surrounded by – will you learn better when you have small classes and personal attention from you professors, or do you work efficiently when you’re independent and can blend into the background of large lectures? Larger universities often mean more variety in everything from courses to activities to people living arrangements. However, they also men you can get lost in the shuffle at a time when you might need a tightly-knit community of support the most.
I personally experienced both. I attended a small college near home the first two years while I grew up a little and got used to the academic demands of college. After I felt like I had a handle on it, I transferred to a larger state university. Oddly enough, I felt like I got more attention from faculty at the larger school which I was very surprised by.
Whether a school is truly big or small is a personal determination. The numbers are what they are, but the perspective is an individual one. You can shrink a large school by focusing your energies on a smaller area–your major, a sorority, or a particular activity. In doing so you may fail to take advantage of the wider array of opportunities usually associated with large schools. Meanwhile, wide ranging involvement in things at a small school can make it seem bigger than the numbers say it is. In the end, you will define and create your experience–or at least the truly meaningful aspects of it–regardless of what is offered by the school.
Know what it is that YOU want. A small college gives the benefit of closeness, to other students and to professors. A small college gives undergrads more opportunity for research. A small college has small class sizes suitable for discussion oriented learning. A large university has many, many majors, large class sizes (unless you are in Honors), and usually include sports events and spirit. Larger universities also have more “career oriented” learning, such as engineering or business. Choose the college size that fits you best.
Schools of all sizes have their pros and cons and they offer very different learning environments as well as social and cultural experiences. Visiting campuses is crucial to find out which is right for you. As a rule, small colleges are going to offer smaller class sizes and more personal relationships with faculty. You will feel part of a smaller community and may have more opportunities to take on leadership roles and be more involved in research, etc. At a larger school, chances are you will be exposed to a bigger variety of sports programs, academic subjects and a larger variety of clubs and activities. Only you can decide which environment is better for you both academically and socially.
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