Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 11:07     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:to each, his own

I went to a big state school and coasted through in big lecture hall classes without ever actually talking to a professor. I was a pretty shy kid and had a hard time finding my people in a crowd of 30k, but I enjoyed my anonymity.

My rising senior has toured about 20 schools, and absolutely hates big schools. She wants smaller classes, the chance to work with professors on their research during undergrad, a close knit community, genuine recs for grad school, and everything that liberal arts colleges have to offer. She’s quite outgoing and social and feels that she will have just as many friends at a school with 3000-5000 as she would at a school of 30k.

Different schools fit different people. One size doesn’t have to be better than the other.


This.

Parents tend to direct their kids to (or away from) what they know. I’m an LAC grad and had a good experience so I have to guard against my bias as I do the tours with my kids. So far we’re 2 big, 1 small so I think I’m being fair. Or they’ve tuned me out.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 10:05     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Navigating life, better preparation. Less hand holding. If you can make it there you can make it anywhere.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:46     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:DD is crossing off all of the 5000 or less students schools, keeps saying they are too small.


can change majors or departments and there actually is another department or major to go to!
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:43     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Huge alumni network and sense of community.

Always something going on that's on campus (don't need to leave campus).

Something for everyone---seriously, there's a club for everything. There's often specialized dorms, a Greek system for those who are interested, etc.


eh. i went to a big b10 school and my sister went to an elite top 5 slac. The network at the slac is better.

Sure there are more 'alumni' living from my b10 school but it is really diluted. My sister can cold call or cold email alums and they are willing to talk, go to bat for her, give her advice - that's teh benefit of a small but powerful and proud alum network.

Princeton, Wellesley, Dartmouth, Williams all have way better alum networks than any 'large school' in terms of effectiveness. And that's what counts.


+1 With alumni networks is quality over quantity


I've never used my ivy network. Never came up.


I've used mine.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:40     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Huge alumni network and sense of community.

Always something going on that's on campus (don't need to leave campus).

Something for everyone---seriously, there's a club for everything. There's often specialized dorms, a Greek system for those who are interested, etc.


eh. i went to a big b10 school and my sister went to an elite top 5 slac. The network at the slac is better.

Sure there are more 'alumni' living from my b10 school but it is really diluted. My sister can cold call or cold email alums and they are willing to talk, go to bat for her, give her advice - that's teh benefit of a small but powerful and proud alum network.

Princeton, Wellesley, Dartmouth, Williams all have way better alum networks than any 'large school' in terms of effectiveness. And that's what counts.


+1 With alumni networks is quality over quantity


I've never used my ivy network. Never came up.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:39     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Offer all the classes in your major every single semester.

Privacy.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:38     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:The main advantage of a large school is that they will likely have a number of strong academic departments in the event that your child wants to switch majors. At a small school, especially if it is highly specialized, the options are more limited and a change of major might require transferring elsewhere.


This. I wanted a gigantic school with lots of strong departments because I had NO IDEA what I wanted to be at 18 years old. I wanted the opportunity to make a mistake with my choice and move to something else with minimal disruption.

And...it was great to make out with an occasional stranger at a party and never have to see that person again.


Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:35     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
The main advantage of a large school is that they will likely have a number of strong academic departments in the event that your child wants to switch majors. At a small school, especially if it is highly specialized, the options are more limited and a change of major might require transferring elsewhere.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:33     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:Our children would need to sell us on small colleges. We would listen and consider but DH and I had the experience of a large state U is that is what we appreciate the most.


They need your permission and approval? Really?

Unless it's a truly disastrously stupid choice, just let them chart their own course through life and live with the consequences.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 09:30     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:Our children would need to sell us on small colleges. We would listen and consider but DH and I had the experience of a large state U is that is what we appreciate the most.

Why? Just because you and your husband went to big schools? How is that relevant to what's best for your kids as the individuals (word choice intentional) they are?
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 08:56     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
DD is a junior. She says, "The bigger the better". She is at MCPS and has never sat in a class of 150 students. I have tried to explain bigger is not necessarily better but she will not hear of it. She want BIG -- Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama. And it seems a lot of her friends are the same way. It is interesting, I went to small school and hubby went to small state flagship. But hey, it's her life.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 08:35     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Huge alumni network and sense of community.

Always something going on that's on campus (don't need to leave campus).

Something for everyone---seriously, there's a club for everything. There's often specialized dorms, a Greek system for those who are interested, etc.


eh. i went to a big b10 school and my sister went to an elite top 5 slac. The network at the slac is better.

Sure there are more 'alumni' living from my b10 school but it is really diluted. My sister can cold call or cold email alums and they are willing to talk, go to bat for her, give her advice - that's teh benefit of a small but powerful and proud alum network.

Princeton, Wellesley, Dartmouth, Williams all have way better alum networks than any 'large school' in terms of effectiveness. And that's what counts.


+1 With alumni networks is quality over quantity
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 08:30     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:I see no attraction in large colleges but it’s a matter of what you want to get out of your education. I don’t want classes with hundreds of students. I don’t want to be taught by a grad assistant, I don’t want to be anonymous to my profs, I don’t want to go to some state school where 80% of students are locals....you get the point. And very few excellent schools are large.....undergrad 4K-8k seems like the sweet spot.


agreed
Most big schools are focused on grad students and undergrads get the leftovers.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 07:24     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Permission to reinvent yourself without people you knew from high school questioning why you’re evolving.

Lots of options, easy to pivot when interests change.

Easier to be anonymous and not have everyone knowing your business. I went to a school of 4500 and we knew withing hours when people screwed up...and that was before social media.



On the contrary, if you go to a large in-state college, it is nearly impossible to reinvent yourself as 20-50 of your high school classmates will be there with you. And if you go to a large out of state college, chances are that many people are hanging out with their high school friends.

I’m having a hard time believing that almost 5,000 kids knew someone’s business within minutes. My dd has about 600 in her grade in HS and still hasn’t met at least a quarter of them by senior year.


I disagree. Two of my kids go to a large in-state college and have to make an effort to see former classmates from their high school. One keeps in touch with old friends, another doesn't; they both live and spend the vast majority of their time with people from other areas of the state and other states. In a school with 20,000 or more students, there is plenty of room to reinvent yourself; it's up to the student to break away from their old friends and find new people to hang out with.


My kids would not even look at schools with fewer than 15,000 students. They wanted a big campus, the chance to meet lots of new people, and the academic opportunities that larger universities provide.





+1. About 20 kids from my high school went to our top state school. There were two of them I didn't even know attended until after we had graduated. One was a high school crush of mine! At the end of senior year he had planned on Georgetown, so I never knew what happenned (money maybe?) but I found his picture in our yearbook years later. I wouldn't worry about high school classmates in a large school.
Anonymous
Post 08/22/2018 07:23     Subject: What is the attraction of big schools?
Anonymous wrote:Huge alumni network and sense of community.

Always something going on that's on campus (don't need to leave campus).

Something for everyone---seriously, there's a club for everything. There's often specialized dorms, a Greek system for those who are interested, etc.


eh. i went to a big b10 school and my sister went to an elite top 5 slac. The network at the slac is better.

Sure there are more 'alumni' living from my b10 school but it is really diluted. My sister can cold call or cold email alums and they are willing to talk, go to bat for her, give her advice - that's teh benefit of a small but powerful and proud alum network.

Princeton, Wellesley, Dartmouth, Williams all have way better alum networks than any 'large school' in terms of effectiveness. And that's what counts.