As March rolls around the corner, the anxiety is high. Expectant students run to their mailboxes in anticipation of the large envelopes (hopefully!). As the college acceptances accumulate, the stress decreases slightly as the pressure remains of choosing the right college (a home for the next four years of one’s life). Many students (like myself) may have applied to a range of schools—small versus large, located in a big city versus in a rural place and liberal arts versus vocational/STEM-oriented. Having been through the college process a year ago, I can understand the stressfulness of the process. How does one know if he/she chose the right school? Well…I don’t have an exact answer. All I can say is that sometimes it takes making a choice to realize whether a school is right for an individual.
When I went through the college decision process, I had a choice between New York University or Occidental College. Since both are fantastic schools, the difficulty of the choice increased significantly. While both institutions are polar opposites, I am personally glad that I chose a small school (especially for the following reasons):
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You get to know your peers and professors.
One aspect about large colleges/universities is the fact that there are thousands of students. Professors are not able to acquaint with students on a first name basis because classes tend to have 300+ students. In smaller colleges, class sizes can vary (sometimes being about 30 students the way they were in high school), allowing for the formation of student-teacher relationships as well as the promotion of individualized attention. This is beneficial in strengthening the communication and connection with professors. It is also useful when asking for recommendation letters (for graduate school/internships) and obtaining research opportunities. Professors are a very handy resource. I have learned over the months that they are good-natured and friendly individuals, who want their students to succeed and thrive. As long as the student is willing to put in the work/effort and ask for help when need be, the professor is willing to help in whatever way possible (not seen as much in larger universities). Small class sizes also allow individuals to really get to know their peers, which is helpful in forming friendships.
You get to really experience clubs and organizations.
A smaller class size means that there aren't as many individuals in each club and organization (the way there is in larger universities). Individuals have an increased opportunity to take on more of a leadership role in their extracurricular activity. Instead of merely placing the club or organization as another item on a resume, individuals will actually experience the club and organization for all its worth. It provides an opportunity for the individual to find his/her niche.
You get to truly see and experience the beauty of the campus.
A campus (in real life) is very different from a campus (in photos or in virtual tours). This is because of the number of students that inhabit the campus—filling each nook and corner and hiding the true beauty of the campus. When I chose Occidental, I was mesmerized by the openness and beauty of the campus. While the beauty of other campuses was hidden because of the number of students, Occidental has maintained its beauty, something we are all lucky to see on a daily basis.
The formation of a strong community.
As cliche and cheesy as this sounds, a small campus environment provides an individual with the sense of a strong community. Whether it be in the residence halls (where I met some of my best friends, who held my hand and gave me a shoulder to cry on in my weakest moments, and hugged me tightly while we laughed until our stomachs hurt in the best moments), or the peers in my classes (who will always have your back especially when you are having a rough/stressful week), the small school environment provided me with a place where I truly fit in. Even in my roughest moments, I believe that I made the right choice in choosing a small school. I believe that I have met some incredible individuals and have been given a vast number of resources to help me succeed in my personal and academic endeavors.
