I could not, would not, EVER trade my small town university for one of the Big Ten.
Call me crazy, right? Let me tell you why. Whether you are a high school student looking at future colleges, a student attending a small university, or a graduate, you will most definitely appreciate the points in this article.
There’s something to be said for being the big fish in a little pond. With a student population of less than 5,000, you’d be surprised of all the things you can do. You want to be the student leader of your school? Do it. Join or start multiple clubs or organizations on campus? Go for it! Being a walk-on for a sports team sounds nearly impossible at a big school, and that’s because frankly, it might be. At a small college you can absolutely pick up a sport even if you have little experience, and play!
I was the high school student who struggled with their academics, but still wanted to have the college experience…so how does that work? For one, applying to a smaller school narrows down the competition between applicants. Your application isn’t just flipped through, they really take the time to get to know who you are. Another HUGE thing for me was financial aid. I applied at plenty of different sized universities, hoping to receive some sort of scholarship or financial aid package, to take off from the large price tag of these schools. The large schools barely offered me anything, while the small universities offered me a deal I simply could not refuse! So don’t let a large price tag of a small school scare you, because they are more able to give aid due to less competition between a large pool of applicants.
There are no strangers because everyone here is on a first-name basis. There is a comfort in walking through campus and seeing people you know. And guess what? The professors actually know your name! They care about you and your well-being, and with a student teacher ratio of about 17:1, your professors can take the extra time to help you and figure out your strengths and weaknesses. In high school, I really struggled with math, I’m talking about just barely passing. Coming into college I was terrified to have to take a required core math course, I thought “how am I supposed to pass math in college when I could barely get by in high school?” Well I did it, and I received a B, because my teacher was willing to help me all the way through the course. Thank you, Professor, I didn’t think I could do it!
I love my small college, everyone knows each other, and I can honestly say this is my home and these people are my second family. I would never EVER trade my small town school for a big university. The maturity, confidence, and memories I have gained here will last a lifetime.
