Is a smaller school better for the 1st year of college?

Question

I hear that if you go to a smaller school your 1st or 2nd year it is better because the professors know you better and they may be a little easier with you if you are in a class of about 50 to 60 compared to 500 or so. I have a Football scholar ship for North Dakota State or a really small school in minnesota. I know i can always transfer but if you go to a smaller college for a few years are you going to have an more relaxed year. I may not be explaining cleary but i am really thinking about this. Also what would be the average class size at someplace like NDSU

Answer 1

maybe will be easier...but i prefer the bigger school. because...

1) small schools have limited experiences to provide u...a lot more resources and greater chance to meet prominant people in the field u want to go into. ur just starting out...u need a wider array of opportunites. when it comes to starting ur career...u want to be broaden ur knowledge as much as possible then consider specializing.

2) transferring can be a pain. what if the school u want to go to won't take some of the classes u took? i met some transfer students and they always end up taking more classes overall...so they graduate in 5 years. also the first year u spend trying to understand the school system and how to use ur school to get into the field u want...if u transfer, then u have to start over learning about that school's opportunities, system, etc.
thus, u could end of spending more money and time than u would have if u just went to the second school right from the beginning.

3) what if u go to the small school and u get a really mean/eccentric professor? and he's hard to figure out/study for and so u don't get an "A"? college is like that...sometimes not as fair in grading as high school, because many classes will graded on a curve...so someone has to get "B's" & "C's" even if they really did better.

4) also think about the social life...where is the small school in minnesota? do u want to be in that town? what is there to do if u aren't studying? if u go to a bigger school with more people...the greater your chances of meeting ur significant other.

-sorry don't know the average class size at NDSU. ... i went to UCLA...big school...and one thing i noticed is that it's the intro/lower division classes that are big (>100) and then as u get into the upper division/specialized classes, it's much smaller <50...sometimes <20. don't worry about the class size. it really doesn't matter that much in an university setting...the class format is much different from high school. don't expect material to be spoon-fed to u...in high school, the teacher goes over everything u need to know. in college, the professor goes over some highlights, but much of what u need to know, u learn on ur own...that's why it doesn't matter. r u worried about if u can see what the professor is doing (on the board)? there's no assigned seating...just get to class early enough or have buddies save u a seat. besides, not everyone shows up to class anyway.

Answer 2

Go where you think you will want to go for the whole time. Transferring is really not ideal - once you have already figured out the school and made friends, why would you want to go somewhere else and have to do it all over again? I mean, it obviously makes sense if you need to do it halfway through (I did) but it's not really the best thing to plan on.

I don't know the average class size at NDSU, but my first year I went to a big huge state school and I had a class with 500 people in it. Let me tell you, it was easy. Teachers are easier when they just want to stick your test through the scantron machine. Also, there and in a lot of other schools with huge classes, they have something like a discussion group. It's for like an hour a week, and you meet in a group of 20-30 with a graduate student who is helping with the class. That way you can ask any questions or get personal help. It's not the actual professor, but it helps to make it more personal. So, even if the classes are huge there, they probably have some kind of system to help out the kids.

Less important - those huge class sizes pretty much guarantee that at least one of your friends will be in there. They don't take roll (how could they?) and so it makes it a lot easier to sleep in some days if need be. Just sayin'....

I personally would opt for the bigger school, but I would never really do in a small town atmosphere, so it's really up to you. I just think that there are a lot of benefits to being around a larger number of people. You're learning from your peers, as well - not just the professors.

Answer 3

It really depends on what you want in a school (and make sure that the school is good whether it's big or small). Personally, I went to a small school for undergrad and I loved it. In my upper level classes some only had about 10 people in them and it was a great learning environment. That's a great way to get to know your professors to get recommendations for future use. It also depends on what else you want. My school wasn't best for research opportunities, which would've helped me. You say you're going for football. You have to think which would have the best football opportunities, or if you're just using that as a way to go to school. It's all in what you want out of it. I don't know average class size at NDSU but I'd imagine that it's pretty big. Most state schools are. I'm sure they have that info on their web site.

contrary to what was said -- a smaller school usually isn't less expensive. smaller usually means private, which means much MORE expensive. big schools are state schools which are usually cheaper.

Answer 4

I went to school at a big university right after high school and I was completely overwhelmed and intimidated, so i quit . Now I am attending a smaller school, and it's great.
Going to a smaller school for the 1st year is a good idea because you will be able to develop good habits without all of the confusion of a big school. It's hard enough to develop an effective study habit without trying to figure out how to get from class to class, etc.
Just make sure that the small school credits will transfer to the larger school you want to attend.

Answer 5

I personaly am enrolled in a small private university and i enjoy the small class size. Some of the students are transfer students from other larger universities and they say they also like the smaller class size.

Answer 6

a smaller school will be less expensive and allow you to get more attention from your professors. you can transfer and still get your degree from the big well known school

Answer 7

I agree, it's more relaxing and not so over-whelming. Just make sure all your credits from small university will transfer, and accepted toward your major in larger university.

Answer 8

depends, although you meet more people and have more activities in bigger schools