Should I go to a big college?

Question

I'm a huge sports fan and I plan to go to alot of sporting events at whatever college I go to. I'd like to go to a college where the student section at games is always huge and I want it to have a football team. I also don't mind the idea of a going to a school with 30,000 people but i've never been on a campus that big so I really don't know. Plus, with more people on campus there's more activities, parties and more dating options. With all this being said, why do I feel obligated to go to a small school just because most people in my high school do and both my sisters did. I know that people say you can get lost in the crowd, but if I get past that those kind of school sound more fun. What should I do?

Answer 1

My family has all done very well with big colleges. My husband and I met at one, my son graduated from another, and my daughter currently attends one (having transferred from a small college). Big schools have many offerings that can make the place feel smaller and more personalized, while the small schools can't produce the feeling of bigness.

No one should knock your interest in extracurricular activities. They are what help to make a big campus feel more personal. My son was in marching band and was always bumping into familiar faces on campus. My daughter is in a hiphop/breakdancing club. My husband and I met through our sorority and fraternity. We were (or are) all honors students.

If you can, use your upcoming spring break to go visit some campuses, big and small, and talk to your student tour guide about what campus life is like for them.

Answer 2

All those things you listed-- the better social opportunities, the greater facilities, the more options-- all those things are exactly the reasons why people choose to go to a large college over a small college. Don't be intimidated by a college just because the campus is big. They usually post maps all over the campus or keep them in the office so you won't lose your way, so you don't ever have to worry about that.

In my opinion, the larger size of the university does not begin to outweigh all the many advantages of a big university. You said it yourself: bigger football teams, more activities, more parties, more dating options, etc. etc. and these are all good things. Perhaps other people in your high school wanted to do what everyone else was doing by applying to a small college just to fit in with the crowd. Maybe they didn't understand how many more options they would have had if they had gone to a bigger college.

Your best bet is to apply to multiple colleges, some big and some small, to keep your options open. If you're accepted by a big school and a small school, you can visit both and see which one you like better. They sometimes hold college fairs and information sessions to help prospective students like yourself understand the universities better.

As for the larger student body issue, you have no need to worry about that. You can easily adapt to being in a setting with more people, and actually, it's more fun when there's lots of people. You have more people to socialize with, more friends to make, and, as you mentioned, more dating options. It's a win-win situation.

I hope I've helped. Best of luck!

Answer 3

I really think that going to a "big" school versus a "smaller" school is really a matter of opinion. I live right on Ohio State University's campus, and I ended up going to a college that was 1/2 the size of my high school. After seeing the campuses and talking to other students on both compuses, you should definitely make the decision.

Don't forget, you can always transfer to another school if you decide that you don't like the small town life, or if you feel like you've gotten lost in the crowd. A small town means a "campus bubble" with very little variety in town life off campus, but on campus there can be tons of activities to get involved with.

But on the football team front, you should go to OSU, just because it rocks like that. And the "Block O" club sits together at the games every Saturday and makes the best student section ever. I'm definitely transferring there for next quarter.

Answer 4

Different kinds of schools work for different kinds of students. Don't worry about what works for your classmates. The only thing I worry about is that ALL of your reasons have to do with extracurriculars, and you will need to be spending most of your time on schoolwork in college (sorry, but that's the way it is for most people!). I started college at a large school, and would agree that there were more options there; the problem is that I never saw the same person more than once. I would sit next to someone in class and like them, then look for them the next time and never see them again the rest of the semester! I left after a year and a half in a deep depression. If you do go for the large school, make sure that you find some way to tie in with a few key groups, whether they be clubs, service organizations, or campus activities, so that you have a ready-made group of people to belong to. That didn't work well for me because my major required rehearsals which conflicted with absolutely everything else on campus.

Answer 5

Yes.

Arizona State University.

65,000 students.

Their fitness center was voted the best sports complex in the USA.

It's not much of a liberal student's college though, so beware if you think outside the box... very conservative (think Mormons).