Urban vs. Rural Campuses

OK, so you've made the decision to go to college. With the hundreds of possible choices available, you'll have to narrow it down. One of the first questions you should ask is, "Do I prefer an urban or a rural campus?"

Both have their advantages and disadvantages; it highly depends on your personality. Students who choose a rural campus generally love the outdoors, nature, and the chance to be free of urban distractions. Those who choose an urban campus, on the other hand, may love it for the exact opposite reasons: there are many shops, bars, and restaurants close at hand; chances are, you would be near to local concerts; and some just prefer the faster pace of life, and the "artistic feel" of large cities.

Let's take a look at samples of both in a bit more detail.

A Rural Campus: LaGrange College (LaGrange, GA)

LaGrange's marketing describes it as a "small campus community." That's a very accurate description, in fact, because the campus, compared to its urban neighbors, is close-knit and has far fewer students.

It is located in a small town, and it's possible that some of the freshmen may already know one another when they begin. As may be expected, the area is very nature-oriented, having its share of parks, baseball fields, lakes, and wooded areas. Those who love the outdoors would likely feel right at home in LaGrange (and similar campuses).

Though the college itself has many of the same majors you would find at a larger urban university (e.g. Art & Design, Business Management, English), class sizes tend to be smaller.

As far as campus life goes, schools like LaGrange tend to have many clubs and organizations. According to LaGrange's site, the school has 40+ student societies, as well as opportunities to participate in community service and charity.

LaGrange also has its own campus pool, which allows for not only swimming, but the viewing of "dive-in movies" from the water.

Sports, too, are very much a part of campus life. The school offers men's and women's basketball; baseball; cheerleading; cross country; football; golf; men's and women's soccer; and much more. While both urban and rural campuses have athletics available, you may find that on a rural campus, joining a sport is a much more popular social activity.

Football, in particular, is extremely popular at LaGrange and other rural campuses. LaGrange's Panthers, in fact, set a Division III record for most improved team in 2008, according to LaGrange: Football News.

Greek life, as well, is very much a part of LaGrange's campus social activity. There are many sororities, including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. There are also three fraternities: Alpha Delta Gamma, Pi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Sigma. More information can be found at the website.

There is much more to rural campus life than can even be described in a brief article, so it will be worth your time to make a visit to the campuses themselves.

An Urban Campus: Brown University (Providence, RI)

As you might expect, an urban campus has a very different feel than your average rural college or university. Brown University, though it is considered Ivy League, has somewhat less of the "haughty" reputation than its older cousins, Harvard and Yale.

Brown, like many urban campuses, is more or less spread out across the city of Providence. On one block, you may be standing in front of a campus building, while on the next, you may find a restaurant, bookstore, or apartment building.

Some of its dorms are coed. In fact, sometimes men and women share apartment-style dorm rooms.

The bathroom experience aside, with men and women living together, students have a chance to socialize, form relationships, and become more comfortable with one another. However, if you feel ill-at-ease living with the opposite sex, there are also women's dorms, fraternity/sorority housing, and cooperative housing. The dorms also offer apartment-style rooms, featuring a bathroom, common room, and a kitchenette.

Brown, too, like many large and well-established schools, offers its fair share of sports. There is men's baseball; men's and women's basketball; men's and women's X-country; men's and women's fencing; women's equestrian sports; men's and women's soccer; and men's wrestling (plus more). Unfortunately, Brown does not offer sports-based scholarships. Being a highly academic school, its focus is more on grades and classroom performance than on athletics. This isn't to say, however, that you can't do both.

Living on the Brown campus, according to some students, is very laidback, in the type of environment that appeals to many intellectuals, artists, and entrepreneurs. Being that the school offers such a variety of experiences, it appeals to extremely well-rounded individuals.

In the case of this school, however, your grades, as well as activities, community service, and personality must be exceptional to appeal to admissions. Not all urban schools are like Brown, of course; it is merely a fine example.

Where To Next?

Honestly, no one can force you to make your college choice. It really comes down to doing your own research: visiting campuses, talking to current and former students, meeting professors, and reading polls and feedback from others.

When you find the school that suits your personal and academic needs, fill out that application! They're certainly waiting to hear from you.