Heroin an issue at LACs as well as big schools.
Many of the students switch to heroin after they become addicted to prescription pain killers. It’s apparently a similar high. Many of them are athletes. It’s enough of a serious problem that several top northeastern LACs have joined forces, sharing resources and approaches, in fighting it. One went so far as expelling 6 seniors – who were months from graduation, but no diploma for them! – after they were busted doing heroin in on-campus housing. At the time, the police chief said it was the first time he saw a major $60,000+/year school actually take a real stand. He was quoted as saying that most of these exclusive privates spend a great deal of money and time hiding the fact of drugs, and ODs on campus. Luckily more schools are now following suit, just as Wesleyan did recently. More and more public health officials are trying to work with school officials, because they see heroin use even among private school kids are a major public health risk. They decry the lack of statistics and studies on the subject that could help them deal with the issue.
Here’s an article – from 2014 – on heroin on campus:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/04/28/colleges-confront-increase-use-heroin-students
Here’s a deadly drug incident at Trinity College that even made the NYT – 16 years ago! Yes, heroin was involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/21/nyregion/student-drug-death-arrests-and-illnesses-shock-college-in-hartford.html
That said, of course @Postmodern is correct; and I agree that the small vs. big choice is very, very individual. I just made a plug for big schools to offer a different perspective, since the small faction was posting so much 