Small Colleges and Big Universities: Comparing the Pros and Cons of Each
Which is better: A big university or a small college?
Frankly, that depends a lot on what you want out of your college experience. A lot of high school students focus on the programs a school has to offer and its overall academic reputation, but the size of a school really is important — and one size definitely doesn’t fit all.
While every school is unique, there are some basic differences between large and small schools that you should carefully consider before you decide where to apply. Here are some of the major pros and cons of each environment:
Program Availability and Customization
Large universities offer a huge variety of courses, majors and research opportunities — and you’ll probably find state-of-the-art labs and libraries with everything you could imagine. You may also have the opportunity to take dual-degree programs that will allow you to move seamlessly from your bachelor’s to your master’s and beyond or engage in research programs you won’t find elsewhere.
On the flip-side of the coin, however, small schools can be a lot more flexible about course requirements. Many actively encourage students to create their own, custom programs and degrees — which can be vastly more fulfilling than checking off the boxes to make sure you have all the required classes you need at a big school. You may also get better academic guidance and support in a small school (where you get to know your advisors instead of being just one more face in a crowd).
Class Sizes and Faculty Differences
A school’s size has a big impact on the student-faculty interactions.
Large universities often attract renowned names — researchers, writers and even celebrity instructors aren’t uncommon. Unfortunately, you probably won’t have much direct contact with any of them when you’re an undergrad. Classes can be huge (several hundred students at a time in lecture halls), and many lower-level classes are taught by graduate assistants, not actual professors.
Smaller schools don’t typically have well-known researchers and instructors in their ranks (although there are always exceptions), but the classes are smaller and undergrads can usually expect more personalized attention. Even low-level courses are usually taught by professors, not graduate assistants, and you may have no more than a few dozen (or even fewer) students in any given class.
Community and Diversity
Do you like being a “big fish in a little pond,” or do you prefer the peace of quiet anonymity? Either is fine, but you’ll find it hard to stand out on a large campus — and harder still to remain relatively invisible on a small one.
Small schools can feel a little more intimate and have a strong sense of community — but they may not have much in the way of sports teams, clubs or extracurriculars. That can make it difficult to feel like your social needs are fulfilled if you flourish with activity. Small schools can also lack diversity, while that’s pretty much guaranteed on a larger campus.
By comparison, however, a big campus can have so many options for social activities, sports, academic clubs and more that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You can end up feeling lonely in a crowd until you find the right niche. They do, however, tend to have well-funded sports programs and plenty of entertainment options — which can be important to many students.
How Can You Sum Up the Differences?
To succeed at your chosen university and have a great experience, you want to go in knowing what to expect in terms of both campus life and potential opportunities.
The students who tend to thrive best at large schools tend to be self-directed, unafraid to speak their minds and willing to embrace each opportunity as it comes. Instead of feeling overwhelmed in a crowd, they feel exhilarated.
The students who do better at small schools tend to enjoy the opportunity to get to know their classmates and their professors very well, blossom with individual attention and enjoy creating their own opportunities. Instead of feeling uncomfortably guarded in small groups, they prefer them.
College size is just one of several factors you need to contemplate as you make your college list — but look carefully at your options and decide what atmosphere resonates best with you.
