OP my DC was similar, went to a small school and really thought he wanted the opposite for college early in the discussions (spring of sophomore year). However, as he developed more academic interests, started thinking about majors etc that started to change. It became even more clear with college tours, he didn't think the large lecture hall style classes were ideal for him, also worried about ability to get classes he wanted/needed which is harder at large publics.
My advice is don't worry, just help your DC get exposure to a variety of college types; start exploring the academic side so that they can make balanced choices and support their ultimate decision.

I went from a very small private school to a huge flagship. In hindsight I would have done better with a smaller school—I was not prepared for the change in environment and found it overwhelming. That said, the offerings were incredible. They had everything. Not just academic but cultural, artistic, social, etc. My sister came from the same high school and attended the same flagship and really thrived. Think it just depends on the kid.

Anonymous wrote:How do you convince DC that flagship state schools are not all that they seem? DC is at a small private and is obsessed with finding the “college experience” of football, social life, community etc but has always been in small classes, small social circles, easy access to resources etc.

But they are. I call troll on this one.

My kid wanted that, got into many of them. He’s now at UCLA which, turns out, is not rah-rah at all! But he’s happy anyway.

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to a small private high school and wanted nothing to do with smaller private colleges because of this. He wanted a change. He's currently at a top OOS public and loving it. Your kid knows what's best for them and what will make them happy. Let it be.

💯

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly even if the kid hates it, he will learn a lot about himself. And isn’t that the point?

I don’t think the point of college is to be miserable in an environment that you hate for four years, even if it provides growth. You can grow and be happy at the same time.

You don’t have to stay for four years. LACs take transfers.

And there’s no guarantee the kid will be happy for four years if he starts at a LAC, especially if his parents pressure him to go there.

Plenty of happy medium very good private schools like Tufts, Richmond, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Boston College and Colgate.

Which have the best honors colleges? Sorry a SLAC person here and mid-size private grad school combo.

Flagships are pretty awesome. Have you toured any top20s privates lately? Dork city.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly even if the kid hates it, he will learn a lot about himself. And isn’t that the point?

I don’t think the point of college is to be miserable in an environment that you hate for four years, even if it provides growth. You can grow and be happy at the same time.

Honestly even if the kid hates it, he will learn a lot about himself. And isn’t that the point?

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a senior (at a large public HS) and a parent recently shared a story of their adult child. Kid went to a small private HS and wanted a large oos public university. That’s where kid went. Freshman year the kid didn’t have a class smaller than 100 students — and absolutely loved it. He loved the anonymity of it. This story was told to me not to support public or private or large or small. But rather, our kids are not us. We may choose differently but it’s their choice.

Great point. Opposite of LACs were everyone seemingly knows each others' business.

However, if in the state flagship honors college, honors courses are typically limited to 25 or fewer students.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a senior (at a large public HS) and a parent recently shared a story of their adult child. Kid went to a small private HS and wanted a large oos public university. That’s where kid went. Freshman year the kid didn’t have a class smaller than 100 students — and absolutely loved it. He loved the anonymity of it. This story was told to me not to support public or private or large or small. But rather, our kids are not us. We may choose differently but it’s their choice.

My kid was the exact same.

My kid is a senior (at a large public HS) and a parent recently shared a story of their adult child. Kid went to a small private HS and wanted a large oos public university. That’s where kid went. Freshman year the kid didn’t have a class smaller than 100 students — and absolutely loved it. He loved the anonymity of it. This story was told to me not to support public or private or large or small. But rather, our kids are not us. We may choose differently but it’s their choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you convince DC that flagship state schools are not all that they seem? DC is at a small private and is obsessed with finding the “college experience” of football, social life, community etc but has always been in small classes, small social circles, easy access to resources etc.

This is a description of most public state flagship Honors Colleges.

Add in merit scholarships, priority registration for courses, special housing, special advising & mentoring, abundant research opportunities, honors students only events, and priority access to almost everything at state flagship honors colleges. Plus, large universities offer a vastly wider array of academic & social options.