Reply to Big state schools - lot of fun, great networks, but do you really learn there?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think I have a unique perspective, as I spent the first two years of college at a small elite private college (I won't name it but it has been mentioned on this thread several times) and then transferred to a Big 10 school that has also been mentioned, so I saw both up close. I transferred because I wanted to major in an area that my small school did not have a department in. I could have designed an independent study program at my first college, but I think there is real value in being part of a community all studying the same thing, so I transferred to a school that had a spectacular department.

It was great being at a small school the first two years, because the classes were small and there was lots of opportunity for direct student/teacher contact. It was nurturing in a way that was helpful to me, a small-town girl living away from home for the first time. But by the end of my sophomore year I was much more independent, and didn't need the hand-holding. At my Big 10 school, there was much more breadth of classes. Since I was transferring as an upperclassman, I went directly into seminars and upper level classes, so I kind of missed the big gut classes that there undoubtedly are in a large school. I definitely had to be more proactive and self-directed about making contact with professors and advocating for myself at my Big 10 school, just because there are so many more students, but I think that was kind of a good experience. And after college, because there were so many grads from my Big 10 school, I was able to tap into a huge network professionally.

[b]So there are pros and cons of both types of school, it really depends on your student and what you want out of your college experience.[/b] [/quote]

+100 I don't get why some on DCUM are so black-and-white in their thinking about this topic, from both sides. There are pros and cons for all types of colleges and, regardless of size, most of college comes down to the efforts of the student to make the most of the opportunities available.

I went to a largeish public university. I had a good experience there, found mentors, mostly had smaller classes as it was a more undergrad focused U. But I also never even considered a LAC and in retrospect wonder if I'd have enjoyed that more? I was a 1st gen student and college was very much about what was affordable and nearby and what major had a clear path to a job.

Now I have one kid at a huge public U and another headed to a LAC. The public U kid really wanted the huge sports rah-rah culture but I think he ended up a bit intimidated by the environment and his close friends are still a group from high school. He hasn't pursued any clubs after a few forays in freshman year didn't connect but is involved in an undergrad research project, finds his major challenging, and will be well positioned for his career when he's done. I wish he would engage more with the out-of-the-classroom opportunities but ultimately it's his life and he never was a joiner in HS so I guess I should not be surprised.

The LAC kid has always been very different from her brother. Wants a small, close-knit community. Hates her huge HS. Put a big priority on faculty mentoring and research opportunities. She felt more at-home at the LACs we visited and found the big schools a real turn off for this next step. But she also plans to study abroad for a year and her career will require a master's degree, which will likely be at one of those big universities so she will certainly be exposed to a range of environments. As the complete opposite of #1, she was adamant that she would not go to any college a friend was going to and the final choice between schools came down to specific ECs she wants to be involved in. I think she's the kind of student who will take full advantage of what the LAC offers but is not the sharp-elbowed, competitive student who would push to get everything possible out of a big U.  I do wonder if the LAC will feel too small after a while but again, it's her life, not mine. [/quote]

So your big public kid may have been more of a "joiner" had they been at a SLAC or even one that is 5-8K.  Obviously you will never fully know, but the one potential for attending your local state U is that your kid doesn't go outside their comfort zone and meet new people (ie people that didn't attend their HS or the neighboring HS).  However, that can happen at a smaller school.  My own kid had a freshman roommate from 6 hours away, who for some reason did not room with their friend from HS---it's a smaller private university (6-8K size).  However, turns out they were best friends and neither never really made any other friends freshman year---just spent the whole year hanging with their bestie from HS.  I suspect one (or both parents) made them have different roommates freshman year in hopes they would broaden their horizons and meet more people, while taking advantage of knowing that everyone your friend meets is now at least also a potential friend/acquantance for the other one, so double the friend group potential.  However, they spent all of freshman year just hanging out the two of them, just HS 2.0, 6 hours from home.  I personally want more for my kids---they wanted to meet new people and explore, and both are shy, one painfully so.  [/quote]

Where did your painfully shy kid go and how was it?[/quote]

Univ Rochester 
So not really painfully shy, but definately introverted and extremely nervous/anxious once reality of being 2K miles from home set in.  Hung with the roommate for first 2 weeks of freshman year and the roomies bestie from home.  Nice kids, happy to include my kid, but my kid was more just along because I told them "you fake it until you make it.  Gotta put yourself out there the first month of school and go to meals with kids, do things with other students even if it's out of your comfort zone, because if you don't then by end of first month many will have made friends and it will be even harder to do that as an introvert. but at start, everyone is in same boat". Within a month my kid had a group of 4-5 decent friends and by spring semester of freshman year had joined a sorority (one she liked from the start) and didn't find rush terrifying, 3 of her best friends were in the same sorority, she had EC activities to keep her busy.  She had found her group by Oct/Nov of freshman year and continued to build from there.  Sophomore year she lived in sorority with the 3 friends from her group and continues to grow her group of friends now as a senior.  
But if she had ended up anywhere much larger, she might have struggled.  She's a highly motivated kid but hates putting herself out there unless she needs to.  So lectures of 200+ would not be best for her---she came out of her shell much faster in a smaller environment.   By end of freshman year she had found a research group with her favorite prof who aligns with her interests.  [/quote]

Thank you. I have an extremely shy DS looking at schools and Rochester is one that we might look at shortly. [/quote]

Definately take a look.  Know going in that they do NOT give much merit, so if you are not willing to be full pay don't let them fall in love.  But it's an amazing school[/quote]

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