Size, Environment & Location

What Size College are You Looking For?

With a range of opportunities, small colleges can be diverse, interesting and fun. These colleges range from under 5000 students to even 2000 students or less. They are typically private colleges but there are some that are public. If you want to be a big fish in a small pond, and are looking for a small college experience, these are some of the benefits of attending a smaller college:

  • Small class sizes

  • More discussion-based learning than lectures

  • Strong sense of community, seeing familiar faces when walking around the campus and better opportunities to develop long-lasting friendships

  • Better accessibility with professors who know you well

  • Research opportunities for undergraduate students

  • Less competition from other students for extracurricular activities

Large colleges can also be diverse, interesting and fun with many opportunities. These colleges range from greater than 15,000 students to over 30,000 students. If you want to be a small fish in a big pond, and are looking for a large college experience, these are some of the benefits of attending a large college:

  • More variety of majors to consider

  • Large research facilities

  • Big emphasis on attendance at sporting events, variety of sports and fan support

  • A place to blend in with the crowd, yet also form long-lasting friendships

  • More lecture-based learning in the earlier years

  • More opportunities for clubs and activities

Medium-sized colleges are those that are between 5,000 and 15,000 students. These colleges offer the qualities of both small and large universities, so it depends on how much of a factor size is for you in your college search.

College Environment

Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond? Here, the phrase refers to the rigor of the college environment. Is the competition there to motivate you or could it discourage you? Do you want to go to a college where you are pushed, not shoved?

Here are some of the benefits of being a big fish in a small pond:

  • Taking some of the pressure off (not as competitive to get the grades you are used to achieving)

  • Connect easier with professors

  • Access to labs, research opportunities, internships

  • If you consider post-graduate programs and you have a stronger GPA, you can apply to more schools with a higher chance of admission

  • You are going to shine and “rise” to the top

What type of student would do well as a small fish in a big pond learning environment?

  • Students who are used to having peers as a resource for learning

  • Grinders

  • Confident students

  • Students who know that there will be more talented students there than them and be comfortable with that, knowing that with diligence, they will reach their own achievements

  • Students who are okay with attending a school with a low chance of admission

What other factors should you consider in the environment? Do you want a diverse community? Are you interested in joining a fraternity or sorority? What clubs and activities are you looking for? How much does prestige, politics, or religion on campus mean to you?

Where do you want to spend your college years?

Location, location, location! If you live in the Northeast, do you want to go to school within several hours of there, or would you prefer to look at schools in other regions such as the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest or West? How far are you going to be comfortable living away from home? Do you like warmer weather or colder weather? What do you like to do? Are you someone who likes to be outdoors skiing, or playing tennis and golf? Do you want to be in a rural area or a big city or somewhere in between?