Throughout the college application process, you will often hear others tell you about the various options and factors that come into play when deciding where to spend those four years. You are forced to consider the things that are desirable to you, while balancing out realistic aspects, such as money, size, location, and classroom environment (just to name a few).

You will probably hear about a stronger emphasis on classrooms and overall school size. Sure, you go to school to learn and to eventually earn yourself a degree and a job, but college is about so much more than just academics. While some may argue that they flourish in smaller classrooms, transferring to a big school has impacted me in ways that I could have never imagined. If you truly feel like your only path to success is through personal one on one attention, office hours and tutors can be lifesavers in college.

There will always be ways to make a big school feel smaller and more like home if you’re willing to invest the time it takes to dabble in some extracurriculars that may interest you. From a college junior to a high school senior, I have experienced both the small and large school environment and can truly argue that the best way to get the full college experience is to attend a large university.

Even if you don't desire that aspect right now, these are the last four years you have to be young and (sometimes) foolish, without the weight of responsibilities that will follow you post-graduation. One should never lose focus of the reason for being in college, but you should also allow yourself to have the experience of a lifetime, with the diversity and the unpredictability that a large school will offer you. Size does matter, and the future college student in you will thank you.