Importance of Peer Group

Hanna
Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:46:13 +0000

The thing is, you can’t be friends with 30,000 people, or even 1000 people. The peer group that matters most is your close friends and the classmates in your major who will share your upper-level classes (<100 people).

Now, I don’t claim that there is no cost to being at a state school with a wider range of kids. It is a really nice luxury to be at, say, Princeton, where you can enroll in any course in any subject, or join any group, and be surrounded by universally bright and academically focused peers. But it is a luxury, not a necessity, for a good education AND a good college experience. At a solid public flagship, you can surround yourself with like-minded people most of the time. You just have to put in more effort than you would at Princeton. You may have to choose your major and your courses with a sharper eye, thinking about which ones will attract the students you want to learn with. You may have to actively seek out friends rather than having soulmates fall into your lap. You may have to suck it up and take a few dull intro classes that are aimed at less prepared students. But you can find your people. Every large public flagship has them.

If there is an option for honors housing at the state schools, choose it.