in your experience what's the best size school for having an active social and dating life in college?

[Anonymous]

I went to a college with less than 2,000 students. My husband went to a large SEC school.

We both had a wonderful social time in college, dated a bunch, and made life long friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will depend more on how successful she is at getting connected on campus and where she will be comfortable making the effort. Kids can thrive socially or be isolated at small, medium and large colleges. The trick is really making the effort at first building a friend group. Find the college where that will happen naturally and the dating will come from being in circles with friends of friends, etc.

This. The effort is key and that’s a requirement everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I liked being at a larger school and went to Michigan. It was nice to never have to see someone again if I wanted. I think you’d run into your ex boyfriends a lot on a small campus.

I went to a 2,000 student school. Exes were everywhere for our friend group and everyone knew everyone else's business.

[Anonymous]

Do not underestimate the issue of the gender imbalance. It is impactful, and not in a good way. It just doesn’t encourage healthy relationships.

Not during college, but in the decade that follows, I truly wonder who all of these highly educated young women will partner with in life.

[Anonymous]

DH and I loved and valued our college experience at two different state schools 30,000 and 40,000 students respectively. I would never have agreed to attend a small private, single sex high school. Would never have wanted something small for college. Op, people are so different, I don't think we can answer this for you. She should apply widely, keep her options open as she explores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I loved and valued our college experience at two different state schools 30,000 and 40,000 students respectively. I would never have agreed to attend a small private, single sex high school. Would never have wanted something small for college. Op, people are so different, I don't think we can answer this for you. She should apply widely, keep her options open as she explores.

I’d agree. Yes, I think it matters what the admitted student gender ratio is. But the rest is so personal. My daughter really thought she wanted a mid size school. But when she visited 2 different SLACS she realized that was more her vibe.

Of all your visits, where did you see her the most comfortable and engaged?

[Anonymous]

Not to put too fine a point on it….

If she is hot then she will have no problem dating no matter what college she goes to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wherever she goes, encourage her to follow her interests to join a department/team/club/group.

I loved attending a big school because it allowed for many academic and extracurricular explorations from sports, community academic and music! Good luck.

+1
My daughter is at a big school and having the time of her life. She has been experiencing so many more opportunities than I ever had at my SLAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked being at a larger school and went to Michigan. It was nice to never have to see someone again if I wanted. I think you’d run into your ex boyfriends a lot on a small campus.

I went to a 2,000 student school. Exes were everywhere for our friend group and everyone knew everyone else's business.

+1
Same here. So awkward when a relationship ended.
DP

[Anonymous]

Quite a few long term relationships survive at the LACs. Everyone living on campus all 4 years has its benefits!

[Anonymous]

Dating is not a reason to pick a school but since you raised it, some schools have a high percent of grads marrying other grads:
Yale, Duke, Penn, Cornell, Princeton, William and Mary, though probably the other ivies too

Bonus if you pick these schools you have a top education which is more important that the dating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the MRS degree was a thing of the past. Isn’t college for education

definitely my opinion. I got my DD in and out on a major where she can support herself. She got a job offer before graduation woth Microsoft and has been there for six years. OP - if your daughter isn't socializing and dating now (kids use a far cruder term gor it now) she usn't going to magically change in college and you must prepare her for that. Do NOT talk about socializing and "dating" in front if her! Too much pressure!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dating is not a reason to pick a school but since you raised it, some schools have a high percent of grads marrying other grads:
Yale, Duke, Penn, Cornell, Princeton, William and Mary, though probably the other ivies too

Bonus if you pick these schools you have a top education which is more important that the dating

Sorry - citations for those claims? Plenty of schools across the nation have grads who wind up marrying fellow grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the MRS degree was a thing of the past. Isn’t college for education

Go into the Relationships forum and see how hard it is to date and find a quality life partner after college! It gets harder and harder as time passes. The apps are horrible, and if you want to meet "organically" so many places are "off limits" as far as many women are concerned - work, the gym, the coffee shop, the bookshop. It's a total minefield, and plenty of men have been conditioned not to approach women in public. Flirting and getting phone numbers is increasingly a lost art.

You are not doing women any favors if you pretend college is "just for education" and they should take finding a potential husband off the table. You will never find a better place to do so than college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the MRS degree was a thing of the past. Isn’t college for education

It’s making a comeback.
Turns out the millennial experience of let’s all focus on our careers and sleep around in our 20s was good for some, but left a lot of mid-30s gals reevaluating the choice and without a ton of options to meet matches outside of hookup-culture apps.