Big School or Small School???

[gar598]

Well i'm faced with a hard decision to attend a big school or small school? Big as in enrollment. While most of the big schools are out of state (cost more money)the small schools are fairly close to home and would most likely save me a bundle.


Is it really worth it to go to a large school??

Is money that important???

Is small better??

 

[Shmorq]

The big schools will offer you more majors if you're undecided in what you want to do.

 

[Triumph]

this is a Very important decision. you need to find out what you like, degree recognition be darned. i go to a big school, Virginia Tech, and while my degree will carry more weight and maybe look more impressive (well, at least it'll be recognized), I don't really like it here. The last four years haven't been that much fun, and I'm pretty sure it would've been better for me to go to a smaller school, even though i wouldn't get the same opportunities. What is your happiness worth to you?

course you could always transfer, but that's a pain.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Larger schools tend to offer better facilities and more opportunities, unless you go to an exclusive, private school like Dartmouth College. I think GA Tech is the perfect size at around 9,000 undergrads. If only the male:female ratio was better! Right now we're around 3:1!

 

[gar598]

i'm thinking that if I don't like it, I can then transfer anywhere I want after the 1st year(if my grades are good enough)

 

[jaydee]

I'm wondering the same thing. As of now, I'm thinking 2 years of a small community college, and then transfer to a university like RIT, or Clarckson, up here in NY.

 

[HappyCracker]

I'm at a small skool in Philly, I think there's less than 3-4000 kids here, and only 2000 live on campus. Oh it's a big fashion school (I'm comp sci)so there's lots of girls (5:1 ratio)I dunno, no complaints here except for the fact that the school gets all their computers from gateway

 

[JACKHAMMER]

small school education is better.

 

[RC5Bri]

As an undergraduate, I went to a smaller school, and it was just great. There weren't too many people in class(normally less than 25/class), meaning more attention from the prof. Now I go to U of Michigan for grad school, and it is larger. All of my classes have 45 or more students, and I feel that I'm just a "face in the crowd".

It's up to you, but I prefer smaller schools.

 

[AncientPC]

I went to a big high school (3,700 students for 11th and 12th grade) so going to UT Austin was just a step up on the same scale pretty much.

I thought I was going to major in CS, now I'm not sure. I'm glad my school offers a butt load of choices.

 

[Vincent]

I think what's most important is to excel at whatever school you attend. The size of your school won't determine what happens after you graduate. What you do at the school you attend is much more important.

That said, I can say a little about the differences between a large school and a small school from my experiences as an undergraduate at a small school (4500 undergrads + 1500 graduate students) and as a graduate student at a large school (20,000 undergrads + 10,000 graduate students).

It's possible to excel at both kinds of places. At a large school you'll have to fight and claw your way to get access to the resources (classes, professors, research opportunities, etc) that you might want. There will also be a larger variety of opportunities available to you at a large school. At a small school the options (majors, classes, student organizations) available to you will be fewer, but it'll be easier for you to gain access to them because you won't have to shove hundreds of students out of your way. Try to imagine what kind of situation is better suited for your personality.

Good luck.

 

[Ace69]

IMHO, if you are going to go into a computer field, such as CS, EE it really does not matter what kind of college you go to. Just as long as you know what you are doing and go for some sort of cert. such as MCSE, CCNA, A+, etc you will be alot better off.

 

[Whisper]

Just visit both types of schools and see which one you think you would like better. I personally enjoy small schools more...easier access to professors (they notice when you're absent, help you stay on track -which is VERY important during your freshman year, heh- and all that other good stuff), resources such as lab materials, and less competition when signing up for the classes and times that you want. Having a bad schedule can just completely ruin your semester.

Large schools will generally have more social groups and clubs, anonymity, etc. They usually also tend to have more of the expensive equipment such as electron microscopes, telescopes, and so on (unless of course you go to a prestigious and small private institution).

But as I said above, the best thing to do -if you have the opportunity- would be to visit the campuses of a small and large school, ask around about what students like and dislike, and then see which would suit you more. Good luck with your choice.

 

[gar598]

Thanks for all the good input