<p>I’ve always favored a personal environment because I feel I won’t be able to talk to my teachers in a large college. Yet, I’m now screwed cause many of my colleges are large and crowded since I wanted to live in a city. The really good ones, however, aren’t (like Columbia, which is my reach). How is college life in a large and crowded school? Why do you hate it? like it?</p>
<p>I love it. I couldn’t care less about talking to my teachers though so that’s not an issue for me. It doesn’t feel “crowded” either. It just seems like a city made up of students. I love it because there are always new people to meet and there are a wide range of classes. Sure sometimes you are treated like a number but that’s kind of how the real world is, and you learn to be independent. I also enjoy the anonymity. Of course it’s not for everyone, but I would hate a small school.</p>
<p>Small colleges are great for the first 1-2 years, but they tend to feel very limiting once you get to your upper-level coursework. I am at a school with 2,500 students and by the beginning of junior year, half of the people here wish that they had chosen a large impersonal university instead.</p>
<p>I just had a conversation with a few classmates last week, and we agreed that “We will never let our children attend a small college.” That statement might be a bit extreme but it captures our resentments pretty well.</p>
<p>b@r!um, where do you go to school? I love my LAC and most upperclassmen here are sad to leave.</p>
<p>Large colleges have lots of opportunities, and one of them is the opportunity to have <em>some</em> personal environments. They may be really specific and advanced upper division courses, or they may be a research group.</p>
<p>The idea is that you learn to seek those.</p>
<p>I’m curious: has anyone at a large university actually had the experience where they took active steps toward getting personal attention (contacted professors or advisors, etc.) and were unable to get help? I don’t mean cases where you wished you got help but didn’t do much about it, or cases where you contacted professors at very late notice or something. I read so many posts by LAC advocates talking about getting lost in a large college setting, and it just doesn’t match up with my experience. I went to a very large university, and it seemed to me that if you were putting forth a good effort in class and sought out professors outside when you needed help, any personal attention you wanted was at hand.</p>
<p>The large college doesn’t have to be impersonal at all. I go to umich and I know all my professors. You just have to make an effort. And you stand out MORE at a big school than a small school when you do, because at a small school it’s nothing special to know your professors-- everybody does.</p>
<p>I’ve certainly never been at a loss for personal attention.</p>
<p>I go to a small school, and in ways i think it might be less personable. My school has between 3000 and 4000 undegrads, half of which commute/leave on the weekend or when there isn’t class. Its also extremely cliquey here. If you fit in with those cliques then you will be fine, but if not then there isn’t much in the way of a social life. As far as the professors, i am at least acquainted with every one. Its because i have talked to them though. The big University(25k undergrads) i’m looking to transfer to; i’ve already contacted a few of the faculty members who teach the program im interested in, and each one has responded and helped me out. I know that if/when i go there i wont have an issue being personable with my professors.</p>