If you go to a small school like I do, there are some advantages and disadvantages to the size of your school. If there are less than 3,000 students at your college, you'll be able to relate to at least one thing on this list.
1. Everyone knows everyone
That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you take that. Personally, knowing everyone makes for a better campus community, but not everyone you ask will agree.
2. Class sizes are small
If you attend a large public university, like West Virginia University, a typical class size can be well into the 400s. At a small school, it's a rarity to have a class above 100. If your class size is 100, it's very likely that you are in an introductory class, or a liberal studies class and you probably won't encounter too many more of those as you advance through your major.
3. Professors get to know you on a personal level
Because your class sizes are small, your professors really get to know you. As you advance through classes in your major, you develop a connection with your professors that you just wouldn't get at a larger school. It's even entirely possible that you may have even visited the home of a professor or two. Your professors become more than just professors - they become the people you go to with just about anything.
4. News travels fast
Since everyone knows everyone, news travels a lot faster than many want it to. A party on the 2nd floor of a residence hall got busted? Everyone on campus will know who all was there and what time the party got busted by the next day. Not all news that spreads fast is bad, though. Just keep your ears open for the good news.
5. Campus isn't spread out for miles on end
As you can see from this campus map from my school's website, you can see just how small it is. Everything is within walking distance and should take you no more than 30 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the next if you walk slowly. On bigger campuses, it's virtually impossible to leave your dorm room or apartment 10 minutes before class and walk to your classroom. Getting to class on bigger campuses usually involves leaving your dorm at least 30-45 minutes before class begins, waiting for (sometimes unreliable) public transportation, or if you're lucky to be an upperclassman with a car, waiting through traffic and wishing you left your dorm/apartment earlier.
6. You become a part of a tight-knit community
While there are so many different groups of people on campus, it's easy to bring everyone together. Your peers become more than just people you go to the same school as - they become a second family in your time of need.
