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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I would have hated a big school. I found my comfort zone at a school that was under just 4K kids. I now call it "Goldilocks size" - not too big, not too small.

Would I have done fine at a state school? Most likely. But it wasn't the college experience I personally wanted.

My own child would be absolutely lost at a big school. She is headed to a small college with about 1200 students.

Can you find your crowd at a large school? Sure, but I think it would take a lot more work for certain kids. Again, I likely would have been fine as I have always been an extrovert - my child ISN'T me, though, and struggles a bit in that area.[/quote]

I"m not trying to be rude, but my public HS had 4,000 students.   I found my crowd in HS.  Could I find it with only 1200 students?  Unlikely!
[/quote]

My HS had 1200. My daughter’s was close to 3k.

[b]Smaller was a better size for her for college. And the college is kind of her crowd because of what the school is known for, which made it the right place for her specifically. [/b]We looked and there honestly weren’t many places with the exact mix of programs and services.

This is all very specific to your own kid. I personally could have been ok in many places-my needs weren’t quite as specific as my daughter’s. But I landed at a school that fit my ideal of what a college was supposed to look like. I know people are downplaying and/or rejecting the idea of the romantic “this is my place” feeling, but I absolutely felt that the moment we drove onto the campus of the school I attended.

Just do your research, know your kid and trust the process.[/quote]

This was my DD's experience. HS is a random assortment of kids who happen to live in the same area. A small college known for specific things attracts a lot of similar kids. I do think that fit element is much more important when choosing a small school. DD's list was driven more by that feeling of social fit during early tours because there are LOT of small schools that could have potentially met her needs so "doesn't feel right" is a perfectly reasonable way to cut things. In the end, she came down to deciding between three schools that, on paper, seemed very similar but after revisiting them she was really clear that the vibe was "off" at two of them and she felt right at the one she chose.

My son narrowed it down based on preference for big school, big sports, college town, good program for his major, not too far away. Had several options that met those criteria. The "vibe" really had nothing to do with where he applied but maybe it would have if covid didn't hit his junior year, limiting the ability to visit. In the end, he did have a clear first choice and ended up there. Not sure how he came to that, probably mostly from YouTube and friends.[/quote]

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