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<p>Employers don’t have preconceptions about personalities or introversion / extroversion based on the name of the alma mater on the resume. </p>
<p>Personally, I think a shyer student is much better off at an LAC. It’s easier for a shy student to get too lost in the crowd at a big U.</p>
<p>If you are speaking of yourself and asking the question then your intent is to become more connected with other students when you are in college. For this to happen on any campus the student must want to. They must take that first step beyond their dorm room, must seek out clubs, etc. That can happen on either campus.
Find the program you are most likely to be happy with, sit in on classes, visit the campus (more than once if possible) and ask ‘would I be happy here?’ not ‘would I be happier here than school xyz?’.
As other posters have said, a personality overhaul is not in order here, it’s who you are. The idea is to embrace who you are. Make a goal to become confident and comfortable in your own skin. That makes the steps out the door so much easier. You can then find other people on campus who share the same interests that you do through clubs, study groups, etc. Your social comfort zone will become greater with more interaction and maturity. I really believe you have to be happy with the education first.
We have three boys who are like night, day, and total eclipse of the sun. S1 was dreading hs because it was so huge (2,500 students). It turned out there was something and someone for everyone. He blossomed his four years there. He’s not a social butterfly, but he’s funny, happy, and confident. Had he been in a small hs, he may have been very out of place given his quirky nature.</p>
<p>Don’t let others define your profile of a happy, healthy, productive young adult. That is that shy person, becoming confident in who they are and finding their niche in their corner of the world. :)</p>
<p>I’ll play devil’s advocate too. A lot of stereotyping- of people and schools- goes on when the big vs. LAC and introverts discussions start. Introverts are not necessarily better off in smaller schools, smaller locations (despite how intuitive it sounds). Introverts do not require more hand holding than extroverts. I know plenty who have flourished in larger universities, larger cities, where they can try on different personae, be more likely to ‘find their people’ (and don’t value or gain much from ‘high touch’). In contrast, in the smaller highschools or towns from where they came, they felt hemmed in/judged/they carried the reputation of being the ‘quiet one’ so could never break out. There can be huge value in being able to truly be yourself without everyone noticing (and that lets your real confidence grow). There can be gigantic freedom in speaking in class without ‘everyone knowing who you are’. Big can be liberating and let you find yourself. As a frequently speaker and introvert myself (like every second professor i know)- it is often easier to present to or perform in front of strangers than to people you know. </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting one type of school over the other for a particular personality type. I just think this type of discussion that I see on CC is often overly simplistic and I’m not sure it accurately captures either introverts or the characteristics of big schools and LACs. So I just wanted to throw out this other info into the mix.</p>
<p>One other point I would like to add: for the OP or anyone else who might think they are ‘helplessly shy’. If you are just an introvert, great! Lots of us are, there is nothing wrong that needs to be changed! However, what you might be describing is not introversion but actually a social phobia. If so, please search the internet and read more about it. It’s extremely treatable and need not be permanent at all.</p>