Well, folks, it's that time of year again...high school seniors and transfer students alike are beginning to make their decisions on where they will attend college next fall. When looking at potential schools people often think that schools are either large states schools or small privet schools.But I'm here to tell you about the beauty of attending a mid-size university, it's the best of both worlds!
1. You are a name, not a number.
It is within the culture of most mid-size universities that students are given to make a name for themselves and the university's faculty make it a priority to personally get to know the students.
2. It is often easier to contact and interact with your professors.
At large universities professors often have teachers assistants and grad students that you must talk to before reaching the professor. At a mid-size university, you are less likely to run into that. Most professors are willing to stay and talk after class and host office hours on a regular basis.
3. You have the opportunity to make strong connections with your professors.
Because professors make themselves available to students, this creates a wonderful opportunity to build strong relationships with your professors. Professors get to know more about you and your work ethic. Short-term this could mean the difference between a C and a B. Long term, making connections with professors could mean that they could be a person of reference on your resume, a potential writer for a letter of recommendation, they could recommend you for a summer internship, have a personal connection that gets you into grad school, or recommends you for a job later on down the road.
4. Everything is within walking distance.
This means that there isn't a need for you to own a bike or ever have to move your car. Academic buildings are usually centrally located and easy to get to.
5. Everywhere you go you see people that you know.
Anywhere you go on campus you see familiar faces and close friends. This makes being away from home a little less lonely. There are also just enough people on campus that you can avoid that one guy that kept hitting on you at that party last weekend.
6. Connections with Alumni.
A strong alumni network...what more could a recent college grad want!
7. An array of student organizations to join.
Mid-size universities often have a wide variety of well-established student organizations to join. And if students can't seem to find an on-campus organization that sparks their interest that is not a problem, starting up a new organization is always an option!
8. You have more opportunities to become a student leader.
Attending a mid-size university provides students with the unique opportunity to become the best leader that they can be. Fewer students and a multitude of students organizations mean that students have more opportunities to take on leadership positions. Less competition isn't always a bad thing!
9. A wide variety of majors to choose from.
It happens...sometimes students change their mind on what they want as a career...Mid-size universities tend to offer a wide variety of majors, provide students with a multitude of options when it comes to areas of study.
10. It is a bit of a hidden gem.
Mid-size universities are one of the best-kept secrets in higher education. People on the outside know just enough about the school to recognize its prestige and those who attend the university have the benefit of sharing the interconnectedness that comes with attending a mid-size university.
