Anyone regret sending kid to big state vs a mid size NE or vice versa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never let my kid go to a massive school where everything is overcrowded students are just a number.

I attended a SLAC and deeply regret it. I felt so stifled and bored, seeing the same people all the time, where everyone knew everyone else’s business. The small classes were so dull, with the same handful of people in each one - same with the paltry clubs.

My own kids wanted nothing to do with SLACs and chose large state schools where they have an abundance of activities to choose from - not to mention great depth and variety in their classes/majors. None have had a class bigger than about 50 people and most are around 30. One has a foreign language class with only ten people.

They are involved in academic organizations, study abroad, internships, and social activities (neither went Greek). I so wish I had chosen differently when I was their age, but my own parents inexplicably pushed me towards a small school. Now I see how much I missed!

Please identify the school, or I would am claiming bs on class size.

+1 Large state schools can be good but many classes have more than 50 people.

Usually a larger class will only be found in a freshman/101 course. Classes get much smaller as you go further into your major. I have a DC at VT and she has never had a class larger than 100 people, and that was only in her first year, taking a required course that many others had to take. She’s now a junior and her classes are nowhere near that size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Know and accept that you have a bias. You are most likely going to prefer - whatever college experience you had, whether a small LAC or large state school.

DH and I valued our large state school experience. So many options for majors, class sections, class times, different professors. No need to get a sign-off, convince a counselor if you wanted to change your major, drop a class, try-out a class in a very different subject just for fun. You charted your own course.

Ummm....many good large state schools have 75% of the majors as "impacted". So nope, you cannot just try a course, switch majors, etc.
At smaller schools (my kids are at 5-8K undergrads) it was much easier to change majors (2 of my 3 kids did so, one changed their major about 90 mins before registering for fall soph courses). It was very easy to take courses outside your major, switch your major, drop a class. The difference is before dropping a course you have to talk to your advisor/the dept coordinator for your major. Which is a good thing. They guide you and make sure you don't do something stupid---like dropping a course that takes you below "# of units required to keep your Financial aid"/etc. They help guide you to tutoring and extra help before you hit the point of needing to drop a course, because the goal is for you to succeed. An 18/19 yo needing a bitof assistance is not coddling, it's helping prepare them for life. In the real world good companies have mentors assigned to new hires to help guide them as well

DP. My kids attend different state schools. All have switched majors at least once and never had any issue doing so. Which schools are you referring to that have “75% of majors impacted”?

+1
Notice, the PP never came back to tell us which schools have all 75% impacted majors. What a lie.

[Anonymous]

Our DD didn't want a small or mid-size school after having been at a pretty small school through high school. She wanted a big school, and someplace academically excellent and also culturally rah-rah! She chose U Michigan and loves it. They do a good job helping students form smaller communities in the much larger environment, and she feels good getting to experience, and learning to navigate, a much larger community. I don't know how other large universities do at this, but she (and we) are very happy with U Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DD didn't want a small or mid-size school after having been at a pretty small school through high school. She wanted a big school, and someplace academically excellent and also culturally rah-rah! She chose U Michigan and loves it. They do a good job helping students form smaller communities in the much larger environment, and she feels good getting to experience, and learning to navigate, a much larger community. I don't know how other large universities do at this, but she (and we) are very happy with U Michigan.

Same. My kid actually came from a larger HS and didn't want a college the same size. UMich does an excellent job making the school feel a comfortable size. I'm so impressed with the growth I've seen and the opportunities that my kid has had there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never let my kid go to a massive school where everything is overcrowded students are just a number.

I attended a SLAC and deeply regret it. I felt so stifled and bored, seeing the same people all the time, where everyone knew everyone else’s business. The small classes were so dull, with the same handful of people in each one - same with the paltry clubs.

My own kids wanted nothing to do with SLACs and chose large state schools where they have an abundance of activities to choose from - not to mention great depth and variety in their classes/majors. None have had a class bigger than about 50 people and most are around 30. One has a foreign language class with only ten people.

They are involved in academic organizations, study abroad, internships, and social activities (neither went Greek). I so wish I had chosen differently when I was their age, but my own parents inexplicably pushed me towards a small school. Now I see how much I missed!

Please identify the school, or I would am claiming bs on class size.

+1 Large state schools can be good but many classes have more than 50 people.

Usually a larger class will only be found in a freshman/101 course. Classes get much smaller as you go further into your major. I have a DC at VT and she has never had a class larger than 100 people, and that was only in her first year, taking a required course that many others had to take. She’s now a junior and her classes are nowhere near that size.

Is she in business or STEM? Because our state U (ranked in top 50) has 30K+ undergrads, and most stem and business courses are 150-200+ the first 2 years and in the popular majors, remain large thru senior year. Whereas my kids at smaller schools (5-8K undergrads): Chem 101/102 and Bio 101/102 are large (150-200) lectures with 10-15 person discussion sections and 20 person labs. Same for Calc 1 and 2 taken Fall then Spring freshman year. Otherwise most classes are under 50 students. Both my kids had AP credits for those intro courses, so they have yet to have a class with more than 50 students, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Know and accept that you have a bias. You are most likely going to prefer - whatever college experience you had, whether a small LAC or large state school.

DH and I valued our large state school experience. So many options for majors, class sections, class times, different professors. No need to get a sign-off, convince a counselor if you wanted to change your major, drop a class, try-out a class in a very different subject just for fun. You charted your own course.

Ummm....many good large state schools have 75% of the majors as "impacted". So nope, you cannot just try a course, switch majors, etc.
At smaller schools (my kids are at 5-8K undergrads) it was much easier to change majors (2 of my 3 kids did so, one changed their major about 90 mins before registering for fall soph courses). It was very easy to take courses outside your major, switch your major, drop a class. The difference is before dropping a course you have to talk to your advisor/the dept coordinator for your major. Which is a good thing. They guide you and make sure you don't do something stupid---like dropping a course that takes you below "# of units required to keep your Financial aid"/etc. They help guide you to tutoring and extra help before you hit the point of needing to drop a course, because the goal is for you to succeed. An 18/19 yo needing a bitof assistance is not coddling, it's helping prepare them for life. In the real world good companies have mentors assigned to new hires to help guide them as well

DP. My kids attend different state schools. All have switched majors at least once and never had any issue doing so. Which schools are you referring to that have “75% of majors impacted”?

+1
Notice, the PP never came back to tell us which schools have all 75% impacted majors. What a lie.

Most of the popular/higher ranked UC schools, University of Washington, Seattle to name a few. Go look at UW and it's easy to see. If you don't get into the major your kid wants with direct entry freshman year, then you have to fight to get in. It might take you 5+ years to graduate as you wait to gain admission to what you want. And within engineering, even if direct admit, you still have to fight to get the exact engineering major you want. Oh and say you want to switch out of engineering, well the most popular other majors are CS (that's even harder than Eng to get into, you dont' get in if not direct admit), Business (difficult to gain admission unless freshman direct entry), STEM majors like Chemistry, biochemistry, biology, etc....those are all impacted majors.

Very few kids want to switch from engineering to English or psychology.

It's a well know fact that if you don't get the major you want upon entering the university, you might take 5-6 years to graduate with a degree that you want to get, as you have to keep reapplying each semester. And these are smart kids, kids with AP credits and Dual Entry credits.

Same is true at many of the Top UCs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a huge state school. i had opportunities for closer relationships in my upper level classes, I just didn't do it and that's on me. My current college students have both chosen midsize privates and I do love the size. I think there is a big misconception on handholding though. One of mine is at an Ivy and it was clear from the jump it was all on the kid as communications are nearly nonexistent to parents. I think size of school can help, but at the end of the day, it is on the student. No school is going to come looking for you.

Solid advice.

But at a smaller school, it is easier. My kids were assigned faculty advisors in their majors fall of freshman year, not just a random advisor like their friends at many different large state U. And yes, that advisor does check in more frequently than the ones at large State U (in my experience) It's part of what you are more likely to get from a smaller school. But it's still on the kid to do the work. It's just easier if you have the same advisor for 4 years (unless YOU want to switch) and to start with a meaningful advisor (ie faculty in your intended major)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Know and accept that you have a bias. You are most likely going to prefer - whatever college experience you had, whether a small LAC or large state school.

DH and I valued our large state school experience. So many options for majors, class sections, class times, different professors. No need to get a sign-off, convince a counselor if you wanted to change your major, drop a class, try-out a class in a very different subject just for fun. You charted your own course.

Ummm....many good large state schools have 75% of the majors as "impacted". So nope, you cannot just try a course, switch majors, etc.
At smaller schools (my kids are at 5-8K undergrads) it was much easier to change majors (2 of my 3 kids did so, one changed their major about 90 mins before registering for fall soph courses). It was very easy to take courses outside your major, switch your major, drop a class. The difference is before dropping a course you have to talk to your advisor/the dept coordinator for your major. Which is a good thing. They guide you and make sure you don't do something stupid---like dropping a course that takes you below "# of units required to keep your Financial aid"/etc. They help guide you to tutoring and extra help before you hit the point of needing to drop a course, because the goal is for you to succeed. An 18/19 yo needing a bitof assistance is not coddling, it's helping prepare them for life. In the real world good companies have mentors assigned to new hires to help guide them as well

Smaller schools have less majors than larger schools to choose from or switch to.

IMO, my youngest would do better in a smaller school academically, but socially, they would despise it.

My older goes to a large state school. They are doing great. They joined social clubs to make the school feel smaller. They have never needed academic hand holding. They have always been a straight A student (magnet HS and now in college). But, their advisor was terrible, and they did have to figure some things out on their own. Still, they've had some amazing internships (that paid very well).

There are plenty of schools in the 5K-10K range that offer most majors, just like your large state schools. We encouraged our kids to find the right size school for them (all 3 picked 5-8K range ultimatelY). We also encouraged them to pick schools that had lots of majors and more importantly that you could easily switch to those majors. The only limits were you had to be directly admitted to nursing at all the schools and cannot switch in, as the curriculums start fall freshman year, not to mention there are only so many spots for labs and clinical. Only other limits are one kid is at a school with top level music school (think conservatory level), and you cannot just decide to switch and become a music major, you have to audition and be admitted. Otherwise, my kids could switch to any major they wanted. Want to drop engineering and become a finance major, no problem (at many schools that is an issue). Want to add CS as a double major with engineering? No issues.

So while I"m sure there are a few random and unpopular majors that my kid's schools don't offer, they offer well over 100 at all of them and two of them offer 160+ (our state U with 30K undergrads only offers ~180).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Know and accept that you have a bias. You are most likely going to prefer - whatever college experience you had, whether a small LAC or large state school.

DH and I valued our large state school experience. So many options for majors, class sections, class times, different professors. No need to get a sign-off, convince a counselor if you wanted to change your major, drop a class, try-out a class in a very different subject just for fun. You charted your own course.

Ummm....many good large state schools have 75% of the majors as "impacted". So nope, you cannot just try a course, switch majors, etc.
At smaller schools (my kids are at 5-8K undergrads) it was much easier to change majors (2 of my 3 kids did so, one changed their major about 90 mins before registering for fall soph courses). It was very easy to take courses outside your major, switch your major, drop a class. The difference is before dropping a course you have to talk to your advisor/the dept coordinator for your major. Which is a good thing. They guide you and make sure you don't do something stupid---like dropping a course that takes you below "# of units required to keep your Financial aid"/etc. They help guide you to tutoring and extra help before you hit the point of needing to drop a course, because the goal is for you to succeed. An 18/19 yo needing a bitof assistance is not coddling, it's helping prepare them for life. In the real world good companies have mentors assigned to new hires to help guide them as well

Smaller schools have less majors than larger schools to choose from or switch to.

IMO, my youngest would do better in a smaller school academically, but socially, they would despise it.

My older goes to a large state school. They are doing great. They joined social clubs to make the school feel smaller. They have never needed academic hand holding. They have always been a straight A student (magnet HS and now in college). But, their advisor was terrible, and they did have to figure some things out on their own. Still, they've had some amazing internships (that paid very well).

There are plenty of schools in the 5K-10K range that offer most majors, just like your large state schools. We encouraged our kids to find the right size school for them (all 3 picked 5-8K range ultimatelY). We also encouraged them to pick schools that had lots of majors and more importantly that you could easily switch to those majors. The only limits were you had to be directly admitted to nursing at all the schools and cannot switch in, as the curriculums start fall freshman year, not to mention there are only so many spots for labs and clinical. Only other limits are one kid is at a school with top level music school (think conservatory level), and you cannot just decide to switch and become a music major, you have to audition and be admitted. Otherwise, my kids could switch to any major they wanted. Want to drop engineering and become a finance major, no problem (at many schools that is an issue). Want to add CS as a double major with engineering? No issues.

So while I"m sure there are a few random and unpopular majors that my kid's schools don't offer, they offer well over 100 at all of them and two of them offer 160+ (our state U with 30K undergrads only offers ~180).

OK, but smaller schools still can't offer the same amount of majors or different types of classes. And schools where you can easily switch to CS are probably not that highly regarded. Usually, CS programs that are more highly regarded are LEPs, so it's difficult to switch into. Ex: UMD.

Also, we are talking small colleges, but even mid sized ones have less choices than the bigger state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a huge state school. i had opportunities for closer relationships in my upper level classes, I just didn't do it and that's on me. My current college students have both chosen midsize privates and I do love the size. I think there is a big misconception on handholding though. One of mine is at an Ivy and it was clear from the jump it was all on the kid as communications are nearly nonexistent to parents. I think size of school can help, but at the end of the day, it is on the student. No school is going to come looking for you.

Solid advice.

But at a smaller school, it is easier. My kids were assigned faculty advisors in their majors fall of freshman year, not just a random advisor like their friends at many different large state U. And yes, that advisor does check in more frequently than the ones at large State U (in my experience) It's part of what you are more likely to get from a smaller school. But it's still on the kid to do the work. It's just easier if you have the same advisor for 4 years (unless YOU want to switch) and to start with a meaningful advisor (ie faculty in your intended major)

My kid is at a state school and was assigned a school and major specific advisor before even picking out classes this summer. They've already met again to discuss what to think about when it's time to pick the next classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a huge state school. i had opportunities for closer relationships in my upper level classes, I just didn't do it and that's on me. My current college students have both chosen midsize privates and I do love the size. I think there is a big misconception on handholding though. One of mine is at an Ivy and it was clear from the jump it was all on the kid as communications are nearly nonexistent to parents. I think size of school can help, but at the end of the day, it is on the student. No school is going to come looking for you.

Solid advice.

But at a smaller school, it is easier. My kids were assigned faculty advisors in their majors fall of freshman year, not just a random advisor like their friends at many different large state U. And yes, that advisor does check in more frequently than the ones at large State U (in my experience) It's part of what you are more likely to get from a smaller school. But it's still on the kid to do the work. It's just easier if you have the same advisor for 4 years (unless YOU want to switch) and to start with a meaningful advisor (ie faculty in your intended major)

DP. It sounds like you’re just making sweeping generalizations about schools you know nothing about. My DC attends a large state school and was given an advisor within her major the summer before freshman year even began. She has worked closely with that same advisor for four years now, and received excellent advice regarding which classes to take, etc.

[Anonymous]

What's an NE?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a huge state school. i had opportunities for closer relationships in my upper level classes, I just didn't do it and that's on me. My current college students have both chosen midsize privates and I do love the size. I think there is a big misconception on handholding though. One of mine is at an Ivy and it was clear from the jump it was all on the kid as communications are nearly nonexistent to parents. I think size of school can help, but at the end of the day, it is on the student. No school is going to come looking for you.

Solid advice.

But at a smaller school, it is easier. My kids were assigned faculty advisors in their majors fall of freshman year, not just a random advisor like their friends at many different large state U. And yes, that advisor does check in more frequently than the ones at large State U (in my experience) It's part of what you are more likely to get from a smaller school. But it's still on the kid to do the work. It's just easier if you have the same advisor for 4 years (unless YOU want to switch) and to start with a meaningful advisor (ie faculty in your intended major)

DP. It sounds like you’re just making sweeping generalizations about schools you know nothing about. My DC attends a large state school and was given an advisor within her major the summer before freshman year even began. She has worked closely with that same advisor for four years now, and received excellent advice regarding which classes to take, etc.

+1

My advisor at an LAC was clueless & useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a huge state school. i had opportunities for closer relationships in my upper level classes, I just didn't do it and that's on me. My current college students have both chosen midsize privates and I do love the size. I think there is a big misconception on handholding though. One of mine is at an Ivy and it was clear from the jump it was all on the kid as communications are nearly nonexistent to parents. I think size of school can help, but at the end of the day, it is on the student. No school is going to come looking for you.

Solid advice.

But at a smaller school, it is easier. My kids were assigned faculty advisors in their majors fall of freshman year, not just a random advisor like their friends at many different large state U. And yes, that advisor does check in more frequently than the ones at large State U (in my experience) It's part of what you are more likely to get from a smaller school. But it's still on the kid to do the work. It's just easier if you have the same advisor for 4 years (unless YOU want to switch) and to start with a meaningful advisor (ie faculty in your intended major)

DP. It sounds like you’re just making sweeping generalizations about schools you know nothing about. My DC attends a large state school and was given an advisor within her major the summer before freshman year even began. She has worked closely with that same advisor for four years now, and received excellent advice regarding which classes to take, etc.

+1

My advisor at an LAC was clueless & useless.

+2
My DC at a large state school has benefitted from so many things I never did at my SLAC. I'm a bit envious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your kid. I went to a big state school. They expect you to be an adult from Day 1. No one is reaching out to check on you. You have a counselor you can meet with to discuss classes, etc. but you have to set the meeting. If you don’t do that, they aren’t going to follow up. If you miss class, no one is going to follow up. It’s a great environment with amazing opportunities, but you have to drive things yourself. If you kid isn’t good at that or is used to being coddled, it might not be the right fit.

You assume it’s not the same at smaller schools? My kid’s Ivy is cutthroat. Not the coddling stereotype people have of it here. The kid was in the hospital and still got no deadline leeway. You definitely need to be used to sink or swim- but he came from a private HS that was like this from day 1 of freshmen year. Parents had zero access to canvas, etc, no-retakes or extended deadlines and I never spoke to a single teacher or administrator all 4 years- so he was used to it.

Small does not automatically mean “coddling”. I also went to a big state university and did great. My roommate flunked out first semester—and that happens at every school big and small.

Are you sure your kid reached out to the prof asking for an extension? I could imagine some profs and some circumstances being a hard nose (e.g., the kid had months to work on the assignment and that particular kid hadn't been diligent during the semester), but even in that circumstance, what you're describing would be extraordinarily rare. Doctors give return-to-work expectations in their medical notes (they don't specify the ailment, but indicate the expectations for getting back on track) and a prof would be expected by the university to abide by those.

On your other points, though, there's no school in the country where kids have access to canvas and parents should never speak to a single teacher unless you have an immediate safety/health concern that requires it. (Even then, the information flow would be one-way; the prof isn't allowed to provide information back to the parent.) These are legal requirements since the student is officially an adult.