Class size: how small is too small?

[Anonymous]

I always thought those huge state schools seemed like assembly lines. I know some people have to go for financial reason but I never realized people chose that environment until I was pretty old.

There are plus and minus to both so don’t let your experience deprive DC of what could be great for them.

[Anonymous]

The happy middle is larger LACs. Wesleyan comes to mind. 3,000+ is a good enough size, as someone else said, that you can see both familiar faces and new faces when you walk around campus. There's room to make new friends if an old friend group grows stale, but it's also easy to connect with the same friendly faces if you want to because you will keep encountering them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The happy middle is larger LACs. Wesleyan comes to mind. 3,000+ is a good enough size, as someone else said, that you can see both familiar faces and new faces when you walk around campus. There's room to make new friends if an old friend group grows stale, but it's also easy to connect with the same friendly faces if you want to because you will keep encountering them.

Williams is much better than Wesleyan, while being smaller. You get very little out of Wesleyan being slightly bigger. You actually get less resources than peers.

[Anonymous]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is major. I know someone who ended up being miserable at his LAC. He was in a less common major and that meant that he had the same people in all of the classes in his major. He said that by the end of the first year, he knew exactly what each student would say before they opened their mouth. (Most of the classes were discussion based.) He was also the star of his class in his major and said that he had to get used to being the one profs called on when they wanted to wrap things up. And all the other students in his major were aware that he was the star, which put a lot of pressure on him.

He thought he would have enjoyed classes more if there had been a mix of students in his class and if he had had more academic competition. He thought that happened in the more common majors.

Just something you might want to think about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing that hasn't been mentioned is major. I know someone who ended up being miserable at his LAC. He was in a less common major and that meant that he had the same people in all of the classes in his major. He said that by the end of the first year, he knew exactly what each student would say before they opened their mouth. (Most of the classes were discussion based.) He was also the star of his class in his major and said that he had to get used to being the one profs called on when they wanted to wrap things up. And all the other students in his major were aware that he was the star, which put a lot of pressure on him.

He thought he would have enjoyed classes more if there had been a mix of students in his class and if he had had more academic competition. He thought that happened in the more common majors.

Just something you might want to think about.

even in a school of 2000 people, there are 500 people leaving every year and 500 new people coming in. never mind the juniors who are coming back after a year away who you didn't know before. And the juniors who are leaving. You usually take classes with kids outside your own grade. 30% of the pool changes each year, at least!

I think it's a mistake to say it's like high school where you're more silo'd to a grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves his school of 2800. He is happy with his choice of small school, run into friends and classmates everywhere and now that he has a junior knows at least a couple of kids in each of his classes. He also really knows his professors and his advisor is one of his professors this semester. It was right for him so if your kid thinks they will like it and understand what it’s like then probably they will.

We went with our niece to tour University of Maryland last year, and my kid could not believe that we spent two hours with a mutual friend and they did not want to run person they knew while we were walking around …

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

My undergrad school had 1800 students. I loved it and definitely made friends, mostly meeting them through class/a shared major. But I also made friends through other activities. I never had a college course with more than 50 students, and most classes were smaller. I got to help out with research, work as a TA, and do (& publish) my own research as an undergrad. (I’m not saying these opportunities don’t exist at bigger schools... just that they do exist at small ones.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves his school of 2800. He is happy with his choice of small school, run into friends and classmates everywhere and now that he has a junior knows at least a couple of kids in each of his classes. He also really knows his professors and his advisor is one of his professors this semester. It was right for him so if your kid thinks they will like it and understand what it’s like then probably they will.

We went with our niece to tour University of Maryland last year, and my kid could not believe that we spent two hours with a mutual friend and they did not want to run person they knew while we were walking around …

What does this mean?

Sorry! Bad talk to texting. My son (who attends a LAC) joined me and my niece on a tour of MD (college park) given by a current MD student-in the two hours we spent with the student she did not run into anyone she knew- campus just so big and so many students. My DC said he was glad he didn’t go to such a big school.

[Anonymous]

Big schools are exciting. Something new around every corner. Just navigating it is such an accomplishment. So many majors. Gives confidence in finding one's way in the big wide adult world.

You chart your own course. No counselor to convince. Want to drop a class? Drop the class. Take an unusual class. Change your major.

Yes it's a lot less personal and it felt like freedom.

[Anonymous]

Holy Cross is in the sweet spot at 3,400 plus very easy access to Boston.

[Anonymous]

Anything more than 8000 is huge. Sweet spot is 4 to 6k. Not too small, and not huge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything more than 8000 is huge. Sweet spot is 4 to 6k. Not too small, and not huge.

What are the best 4K-6k schools that are not Ivies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big schools are exciting. Something new around every corner. Just navigating it is such an accomplishment. So many majors. Gives confidence in finding one's way in the big wide adult world.

You chart your own course. No counselor to convince. Want to drop a class? Drop the class. Take an unusual class. Change your major.

Yes it's a lot less personal and it felt like freedom.

Or they feel like no one cares and are sterile institutions. It can also be really hard to change majors at a big school.

Some people love them, some people don’t. That doesn’t make them better or worse. DH loved his big state school, I hated mine, and our oldest chose and loves a SLAC.

One size does not fit all.

[Anonymous]

I attended a SLAC and loved some aspects of it - but definitely felt stifled and claustrophobic by my junior year. It was just the same people, all the time, everywhere. Everyone knew everyone else's business, creating a lot of stupid drama all the time. Not a wide variety of classes to choose from either. It was a relief to study abroad and see the wider world!

Fast-forward to my own kids and neither one had any desire for a small school. Both chose large state schools and I have to say - I'm envious of their experiences compared to mine. They have so many opportunities available to them, from a wide variety of majors and classes, to clubs and intramurals, to people to meet via dorms, classes, and activities. They each have a core group of close friends, which is all anyone needs, but the opportunity to see different faces in your classes, hear different perspectives, etc. is so different from my own college years.

Both have needed to change their major and had absolutely no issues doing so. Their advisers have been with them since before freshman year even started, and they've received excellent guidance. They have good relationships with several of their professors, who have written them excellent recommendation letters for internships, etc.

The atmospheres just couldn't be more different. I did love college, but now realize so much of what I missed by choosing a small school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing that hasn't been mentioned is major. I know someone who ended up being miserable at his LAC. He was in a less common major and that meant that he had the same people in all of the classes in his major. He said that by the end of the first year, he knew exactly what each student would say before they opened their mouth. (Most of the classes were discussion based.) He was also the star of his class in his major and said that he had to get used to being the one profs called on when they wanted to wrap things up. And all the other students in his major were aware that he was the star, which put a lot of pressure on him.

He thought he would have enjoyed classes more if there had been a mix of students in his class and if he had had more academic competition. He thought that happened in the more common majors.

Just something you might want to think about.

This was *exactly* my experience at a SLAC! Same people in every class! Ugh.