Why Go To a Small School?
Big state schools can oftentimes cause problems for many kids out there. Whether it’s because they’re just treated like a number or have a hard time meeting people, there really can be a lot of unseen problems with big schools. So that’s why so many people out there are turning to smaller, most of the time private schools. These places operate on a different level from the big state universities you’re probably familiar with.
The first thing to know about a small school is that they operate more like a high school where everyone happens to live there. You can more easily think of it like a boarding school. There’s essentially a campus life of a college combined with a high school. You won’t just be treated as some kind of number at these schools. The class sizes are usually much smaller than at the big schools where they’re just trying to fit as many numbers into a class as humanly possible or the number of seats will allow. You can get to know all the advisors or have a personal relationship with your teachers. It’s really just the best of high school combined with a college life, albeit on a smaller scale.
The classes are often much easier as well because the range of intelligence usually isn’t as wide as at big schools. Since there are fewer kids who attend, the classes can be focused on a certain intelligence group. Be warned, however, that if you attend a competitive one, the classes will universally be much harder due to this very same reason so watch out.
The last reason is that you can get to know people better at small schools. You’ll always have classes with the same people no matter your major. Again, it’s like high school. In big colleges, it can be hard to be close with anyone. You usually just know a lot of people a little. But at a smaller school, more people will know you on a much more personal basis just because you’ll see them more often.
Therefore, if these reasons appeal to you, then a small school may be for you. However, if you want to get as far away from high school as possible, then a big school should be in play. But the choice is yours and yours alone.
