Small College vs. Large University

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for help in narrowing your college choices to make that final important decision. Unfortunately, there is no right answer, it must be a personal one. But, I'll tackle some of the all important issues to help you decide. I went to a small liberal arts college, my ex husband and high school friend went to a major university and transferred to a small college and my son is a senior at a large university. I have seen all sides from all angles, and here is the scoop.

Class Size: Obviously, most classes are going to be smaller at a small school. But it's not always the case. If you select a University with an Honors College and you qualify, you will find some VERY small class sizes even at the biggest of universities.

Relationship to Professors: A small college will generally give you more access to your professors and the classes are more likely taught by professors than teaching assistants. If you are very shy and need a one on one relationship with your faculty, a small college will be better for you. However, beware, my freshman year as a pre-med major, I had a "B" in biology. My instructor was also my faculty advisor. When my grades came at the end of the semester (back then they were mailed to your parents) my transcript showed a "D" in biology. I was aghast. When I returned to school following a dismal Christmas break, I went to the professor and said that there was a mistake on my grade. She told me that no there wasn't, that while my grade average was a "B" she felt that I had given her "D" effort and the grade would stand. I fought my way all the way to the academic dean with no success. Conversely, my son attends a very large university and is on a first name basis with not only his professors, but the deans of his college of study as well. If you are not a stand out student, and you like to be "known" select the smaller schools, if you are a stand out student, or are one that likes to fade into the back of the room, then a large university will work out just fine for you.

Courses of Study: It is a well documented statistic that two thirds of all freshmen change their major at least once. I changed mine 3 times, my ex-husband changed his 3 times and our son has changed once, but has 3 minors. You need to make sure that the institution that you choose has not only a very good department in what you are planning to major in, but also a large selection of other interest that you might find yourself interested in. If you are simply interested in a liberal arts major, a small college is fine. If you are looking at technical fields like engineering, look for a school that has the best program that you can get, but also a wide variety of other engineering majors that you can divert to if you find that you thought aerospace was for you, but now you think maybe agricultural engineering is more to your liking.

Accommodations/Parking/Campus Size: Once you have narrowed down your results, you will likely need to research each of your prospective schools on these areas. Some small colleges can have very little parking, especially older schools that are now surrounded by neighborhoods, while others will have more than adequate parking. The same is true for large schools. Most have adequate parking but you are usually only allowed to park in designated areas which might be a long hike to your classes or dorm. Large universities often times have a university travel system like buses or vans than run on a schedule that you can ride from place to place. Colleges and universities, regardless of size can have either very large or very small complexes. Sometimes an institution has outgrown its original buildings and has rented or purchased areas all over town. While large universities are sometimes very compact in terms of land space and utilize tall buildings. Accommodations also depend entirely on the institution. While large universities usually have a greater number of types of housing available, getting a private room may be entirely impossible.

The bottom line is this: Do your research and find a couple of schools that you think might be right for you and visit them, take a tour, meet with current students, take a list of questions. I don't ever think it's a good idea to select what will be your new home for 4 or more years without visiting it first.