I am really considering going to a large state school like Clemson or U Wisconsin.I admit that I can be a very uptight and can be very high maintenance. I am a shy person but within a week or so I adjust well,thanks to many years of sleep-away camp I know this.I am not really a fan of football but want to try to expand my horizons because I feel like I don’t really enjoy things and can be a negative person because I take things for granted.Will going to a large school with lots of spirit make me more open minded and happier?
I don’t think a college will generally change your basic personality. Visit some different types of schools (large state universities, liberal arts colleges, women’s colleges if you are female). Sit in on a class, eat in the cafeteria, go on a tour. See what feels comfortable to you. And run net price calculators on each college website (if you are out of state for large public schools like Wisconsin, they can be expensive with little or no aid).
No, going a a big school isn’t going to change your basic approach to life. If you are uptight, high maintenance, shy, negative or don’t really enjoy things, the size of the school isn’t really the issue. In fact, you are setting yourself up for some disappointment if you think it’s the school that is going to make the difference.
Rather than picking a school that forces you out of your comfort zone (which is how I interpret what you are saying), why not think about the places that bring out the best in you, the places where you thrive, where you have been happiest and what characterizes them. Then see if you can find schools that have some of those characteristics. You’ll have plenty to cope with wherever you end up without necessarily jumping into the deep end…
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very uptight and can be very high maintenance
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Can you explain what you mean by that? examples?
I don’t necessarily agree with the above post. My older son was very shy, and going to a big school, AND getting inovolved did help “expand his comfort zone.”
But…if you do this, you have to “put yourself out there,” which may mean attending some of the “ice breaker” activities and camps that schools often have a week or two before school starts so that kids can make new friends.
Are you OOS for both of those schools? Will your parents pay for them?
Are you considering these schools because you want to try and enjoy football for the first time? (Because even very small schools often have football teams and games, and honestly, those are probably more enjoyable to attend as a non-sports-crazed person, more laid-back atmosphere…and small schools have school spirit, too.)
Or - are there other reasons you like UW and Clemson, and you just think you have to enjoy football to attend those schools and fit in? Because you won’t need to like sports at all in order to find your niche and your people at a huge university.
I went to a Big 10 university famous for basketball - and never attended a basketball game, didn’t care about basketball at all, in fact. There were countless others like me. The Big 10 sports is easy enough to avoid most of the time.
And there are many, many other things to do - theater, movies, concerts, lectures, poetry readings, museums and galleries, etc. - on such a big campus. (There are on many small campuses as well.)
I was also shy and reserved in high school, and going to college brought me out of my shell. However, I think I may have done that, living on a small campus, too. It was just the general change in atmosphere - living in a dormitory with my peers, being treated more like an adult, etc. - of college, no matter the size, that facilitates that, I think.
I second attending any ice-breaker activities during freshman or welcome week, wherever you decide to go. It’s a great way to meet people. Also, join a club or two on campus.
There are advantages and disadvantages to bigger schools, but you will certainly have an environment for improving yourself, both academically, and emotionally, at any size school.
Ice breaker events and tail-gate (pre or during) parties, if they involve kegs of beer or loud music and standing around with a drink can be very off-putting if you are introverted. (I’m not but I still hate that environment and managed to avoid going to any after the first one). So I suggest looking for smaller gatherings - clubs where people share your interests, making yourself available in the dorm (keep you door open or study in a public space), finding a seat at a table with people you don’t know well but would like to meet, etc…Try chatting up someone after a seminar whose comments you thought were especially perceptive. These little excursions can help - and you can do them at a school of any size.
It sounds like you may actually enjoy a close-knit community better, as long as it offers a good variety of activities, some where you’ll step out of your comfort zone and stretch personality-wise, and some where you’ll be comfortable.
What’s your parents’ budget?
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Ice breaker events and tail-gate (pre or during) parties, if they involve kegs of beer or loud music and standing around with a drink can be very off-putting if you are introverted
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I was talking about school-sponsored “ice breaker” events…no booze would be involved. Often they’re hiking trips or canoeing trips, etc.
You obviously went to a better class of ‘ice breaker events’ than I did, mom2collegekids. Glad to hear that there are alternatives to the ‘booze cruise.’