Small group listening to instructor ()
Selecting a university to attend is one of the biggest and most stressful decisions a young person is tasked with making. When it comes to it, there are several benefits to choosing a small college instead of a major state university.
Individualized approach from professors: One major perk of going to a smaller college is that with less students also comes smaller class sizes. This allows professors to get to know their students personally as well as in a professional capacity. At the institution I attend, the more you get into your core classes, the more it’s set up as a graduate-level class. Due to this, professors can look for opportunities for you to grow and get involved in the community. In my experience, these professors have even gone so far as to look for opportunities to further my experience and build up my resume. This makes it so much easier for them to write glowing letters of recommendation for job and internship applications for their students as well!
Easy to get involved: A smaller college is usually housed within a smaller city or town. This makes it incredibly easy to get involved in both the community and your campus activities. For example, my school builds community service projects into the curriculum for the freshman class. This way, students are thrown into the community right off the bat! Furthermore, the flexibility aspect of scheduling is usually significantly higher when it comes to balancing activities such as sports and working on campus, as well as scheduling in terms of course load and dropping/adding courses.
Close knit community: Just as professors and faculty of the college can better know the students on campus due to the size of the institution, so are the students themselves. You often, especially within your major courses, will have class with the same people. This creates a wonderful sense of community on campus in which students look out for one another; there is always a friendly face to be found.
When it comes time to choose your college or university, keep in mind the benefits of choosing small!
