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

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[quote=Anonymous]I went to a Big Ten school in the 90s, which is so long ago it’s possible everything has changed. But FWIW, here was my own experience:

- Most of my classes had 100+ students, a few 300+. For classes like that, teachers tend to stick to the kinds of learning that can be tested on a multiple-choice test. Our student union sold notes to many of the biggest classes as an aid to students, and for those classes I learned early in that I could buy the notes, skip every class, and just show up to take tests. We never interacted directly with the professor outside of lectures — all interaction was with a TA.

- I did have a handful of small classes, in my major and through the Honors program. I loved them, learned a ton, and did have experiences like dinner at the professor’s house or Honors weekend retreats.

- There was no guidance in terms of academics or career. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and no one was going to help me figure that out. I graduated in 3 years because I started with a bunch of AP and language credits, and I learned that I would be graduating when I registered for my spring 3rd-year classes. Can’t remember how the message was worded, but the automated system basically told me to finish my degree requirements and get out. I had planned on 4 years, so this was a surprise! I’m sure I could have worked it out somehow, by adding a 2nd major or something, but I am not the type of person who knows how to work the system.

- Because I didn’t know what else to do with my life, I went to law school. Part of me regrets that I didn’t work harder to figure out something specific that suited me better. But it does raise the important point that undergrad is only undergrad. It’s only one part of a student’s learning experience, and the later degrees matter more in terms of jobs and connections.

- I got in everywhere I applied to law school, and I only applied to top-10 schools. A strong LSAT helped, but clearly law schools weren’t treating my state school as a negative factor. In terms of the coursework itself, I was prepared in terms of skills but didn’t have the mindset to work as hard as most of my peers. Can’t say whether that would have been different if I’d had an undergrad experience that valued learning more.

- Because the school was huge, different people had different experiences. Some were better at life planning and/or working the school network and had the kind of experience with much more access to professors. The professors themselves were generally top-notch. All these years later, I’m working on a research project in a different field and keep coming across groundbreaking studies by professors who I’d studied under, back in the day, in my major courses. I had no idea that they were a big deal.

- Everyone I knew had some sort of community develop, whether through an activity/club/sport, a part-time job, a religious group, or whatever. I sometimes felt “lost in the system” academically but never socially. And I’m as socially awkward and introverted as it gets. As a lifelong nerd, I actually think it was great for me to spend a few years at a “party school” learning to loosen up.

I’m not a fan of “this vs that” exercises — it’s just a question of what works for a particular student. For that matter, sometimes you don’t get your top choice and you make the most of whatever choice is open to you. (If I’ve learned anything from 10+ years of DCPS EOTP, it is that! But it also applies looking back on my own life too….) [/quote]

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