<p>I shockingly gained acceptance into (and then shockingly turned down) the alternative-but-friendly, intellectually stimulating small liberal arts college of my dreams. I visited on two occasions and fell in love during both. </p>
<p>I’m going to be enrolling at a large, urban state university that leaves me feeling cold, but four (4) years at the school that I will be attending will cost less than one (1) year at the liberal arts college, and I am hoping to attend graduate school. </p>
<p>I decided that because I would be heading to grad school, I needed to start pinching my pennies. I couldn’t see myself graduating with massive amounts of debt. My parents were willing to shoulder a lot of the cost - but I also couldn’t (in good conscience) make a decision that would cause them to take out a 100K loan and force them to forgo their retirements.</p>
<p>I’m having massive regrets tonight. I worked really hard throughout high school and achieved good grades and SAT scores so that my ideal college plans could become a reality. I want to undergo massive intellectual development - I want to explore who I am and how I think - and I worry that with the large class sizes and typically lectured classes of the large university, I am sacrificing my opportunity to grow into the wisest person who I can become. It kills me to think that I might be selling my self short. I genuinely love learning - I want nothing more than to understand as much as I can. </p>
<p>I’m not 100% sure why I am posting. Maybe I’m seeking reassurance, or advice, or the understanding of somebody who has experienced something similar. Is a debt-free future worth sacrificing the intellectual community that I’ve fantasized about? Does such a community really exist anywhere?</p>
<p>I could’ve written that exact post. You are not alone, my friend. I’ve had doubt after doubt after doubt ever since I mailed my deposit. It’s not that I don’t like my state school; it’s just that I turned down my dream school.</p>
<p>Most large state university’s have an honors program that tries to imitate a smaller LA school. I’d assume you’ve already looked into that and the school you are attending doesn’t offer that, but just in case…</p>
<p>Writeincursiv3 notes, How much money is intellectual growth worth?</p>
<p>Response: Well, the way you phrased your question, priceless. However, I am not sure that you are asking the right question!</p>
<p>Let me rephrase: Can you get approximately the same intellectual growth at a large state university as you can with a small liberal arts college?</p>
<p>In my judgment, depending on the attitude of the student, the answer is probably Yes! Trust me on this, you can get plenty of intellectual stimulation at a decent state university. Many of the faculty graduated from top schools. Moreover, because of the price differential, many state universities get a number of top students attending.</p>
<p>I just had this discussion with my wife about a really nice, small private school that my son attended for grad school after graduating from a decent state university. There is no question that this private school had better workout facilities and a MUCH better, more modern library for work and research. The private school was more techologically advanced with better internet and even allowing students to participate at home through their computer using advanced video/interactive techniques. The state university had no such option.</p>
<p>The private school had better food, better maintenance of buildings and grounds, and probably had some better teachers, although overall the quality of teaching was about the same. In fact, in just about all ways, the private school was a notch above that of the state university.</p>
<p>However, the really crucial question:" Was the private school worth four times that of the state university for these marginal improvements…probably not!</p>
<p>I have gained acceptance into the ‘honors program’ - however, it is non-exclusive and does not seem to offer too much in terms of a smaller community or close student-professor connections. It seems to be more of a name thing - like they use it primarily to appeal to smart kids during the admissions process.
I wish I had applied to the rival state university - it seems to offer a really legit honors program. Thanks for the advice, though - I’ll be sure to explore the honors college more. Maybe it’s better than I’m currently aware of.</p>
<p>Your post gives me confidence. I had hoped that more expensive schools cost more because they had nicer ‘luxuries’ (maybe this isn’t the best word to use.)
I will happily sacrifice good food, a nice weightroom, a bigger library - but when I think that I could be sacrificing my own potential, I cringe. I really hope that I still have professors that tear my eyes open (well, not literally)and academic experiences that help me understand myself and the world. I don’t want to gain mere preparation for my career - I want to explore the unknown in all aspects. I guess this is why liberal arts-y schools appealed to me.</p>
<p>I happen to be attending a big state school that is not traditionally known for being an academic powerhouse, but the Honors college is highly selective and I was told that I could avoid any large lecture classes if I chose to. I really believe that I will be getting a college in a college experience that will broaden my horizons even further than if I was simply going to a small Liberal Arts school.</p>
<p>Another option available at my school and many others is research. Working along side faculty can be a hugely rewarding intellectual experience that may not have been available at a smaller university.</p>
<p>Back when it was relatively cheaper, I attended my dream expensive selective liberal arts college. I had a great experience. I came out of it with the equivalent of two years of tuition and fees as student loan debt. Then, after working for a couple of years I went back to college at my cheap home state public university because I wanted to change professional fields. To my happy surprise, that cheap home state public university was full of students who were just as smart and interesting as those at my dream LAC had been. It was a bit harder to find them, but there was at least one in each of my giant lecture classes, and in each of my randomly selected laboratory sections. My professors were as charming, and as approachable, as at the LAC. I had a great experience there. And, oh yes, once I got past the giant first year courses, most classes weren’t an awful lot bigger than at my LAC.</p>
<p>At this point in my life, I’ve now taken undergraduate coursework at one highly selective LAC, one non-selective LAC, two community colleges, one large public university, and graduate coursework at two large public universities and at a small private university. You can have your eyes “torn open” in any of these environments. You can have faculty members who are so dull and/or inapproachable that you wonder how they’ve managed to find and keep a job in any of these environments. What you make of your college years truly is mostly up to you. Be that kid who always is prepared for class, and who asks questions, and who gets to know the professors and teaching assistants, and you will have a wonderful time. I can almost guarantee it.</p>
<p>Happymomof1 notes in post 8, " You can have your eyes “torn open” in any of these environments. You can have faculty members who are so dull and/or inapproachable that you wonder how they’ve managed to find and keep a job in any of these environments. What you make of your college years truly is mostly up to you. Be that kid who always is prepared for class, and who asks questions, and who gets to know the professors and teaching assistants, and you will have a wonderful time. I can almost guarantee it."</p>
<p>Happymomof1, I couldn’t have said it better! The college years is up to the student. A quality education can be gotten almost anywhere with the right determination and drive.</p>
<p>Course selection is important. At a big university the average quality of teaching may be lower than at a small LAC, but there is a much larger pool of professors to choose from. You want to get really down into the nitty gritty of courses and who is teaching them, find out who the really good professors are, and take courses with them. </p>
<p>Honestly I think big lectures are WAY underrated. I’d rather be in a room with 250 people listening to a brilliant lecturer than in a seminar room with 24, listening to a less-brilliant professor and the endless blathering of a bunch of teenagers. ;-)</p>
<p>At a big U you can often professor-shop and take classes with the brilliant and engaging ones more easily than you can at a small U.</p>
<p>One thing you need to make sure you don’t do is constantly ask “what if.” A lot of people in your situation are, say, unhappy with a class and think “If I had gone to the other school I bet this wouldn’t have happened…”, or “If I had gone to the other school I’d be happier with my social life…”</p>
<p>Buyers remorse can drive you crazy and it’s always a bad move, whether you’re wishing you had moved to a different city or taken a different job or married someone else. :)</p>
<p>Something you should do is take advantage of the fact that you’re a top student. If you keep your work ethic at the same level as it was in high school, you’ll probably be a standout - be sure to find out about doing undergrad research asap.</p>
<p>it’s not the lecture but it’s the mentoring that you are seeking at small places. There are less people to compete with the professor’s time and attention.</p>
<p>Sure, but there are also far fewer professors to choose from. If you’re interested in history, and the small LAC has 6 professors and big U has 20, you can end up with better “mentorship” at big U with a professor interested in the same things you are. That said, I agree you’ll need to compete a bit for attention in a way you wouldn’t at a small LAC.</p>
<p>At a big U, it’s sometimes a good idea to specialize early. Take your prereqs for your intended major ASAP and get into upper division coursework as soon as you can. That way you’ll have more facetime with the professors and it will open up more opportunities.</p>