What are the pros and cons of attending a large University versus a small collage?
I am undecided on if I want to attendlarge university, of a smaller college. Id like to inquire on the differences between both and what works well. #college #college-major #college-advise #university
3 answers
Lisa Suiter
Lisa’s Answer
I have attended both a large and small college/university. I can tell you that is an individual response. I found for myself that the smaller institutions generally provide better instructions as the professor has the ability to genuinely know the students in class. Typically if you are teaching 100+ individuals you can not learn how each person learns best. Think of attending school classes in a movie theater seating arrangement vs a high school class room. I graduated from a small college and the students learned to look out for each other in classes. If they were not attending class, we would usually try and find out the reason, illness, stress, and offer to help. In one case the student thought that spring break was earlier than it was (2 weeks later). We called his parents and determined that he was at home and told him that he needed to get back to school until the real spring break. In a big school no one would have done that extra step most likely....
Ariel’s Answer
Having attended a "prestigious" 4-year university, I think your decision to attend a larger school should be based on what your purpose is. If you're wanting to have access to a hub of research professionals who can orient you around a certain area of expertise for research then you'd attend a school that focuses on this. However, if you want to be in an environment where a lot of thought is put into learning and how each student learns differently, then maybe a smaller school is better. It depends but at a smaller school, I think there are more benefits in terms of building intentional relationships with professors and a more likelihood of being taught by teachers and not just researchers.
Cost is also important. My advice is to avoid going into debt during undergrad, especially if you plan on going to grad school or higher.
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Liping’s Answer
Small college has more leadership opportunities for students, it's easier to make difference on campus, individual students can really stand out in a small university, while not the case in a large university. The class size in small college is smaller than large university. therefore, small university has more student-centered approach to education than large University.