College where most classes have only 10-15 students, better education? (PhD, skills)
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The internship program is phenomenal and they basically guarantee every student who wants one can do a research internship, can start as early as the summer after your freshman year.
If this is true then that is great I guess I was making an assumption on what my friend did 10 years ago (before internships were almost an added requirement to land a job these days).
It depends on the person and the school. Many students do better in a smaller environment but there are those who thrive on large campuses as well. What does your child want?
U of Richmond looks like a great school. One of my daughters best friends graduated from there a few years ago and loved it. Immediately after graduation she went to Thailand and taught for two years. She's now finishing up grad school.
As far as private schools, it looks great. I personally, love small colleges and that's what all three of our kids chose, for all the reasons that you listed in your post. The two things I see as a real plus is
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#6 90% of the students graduated from the top ten percent of their class and as a result are dedicated to education, smart and hard working and this will create a better learning environment.
I can't see how anyone would prefer a college with huge classes of over a hundred students sitting in a large lecture hall where some foreign TA is lecturing with such a strong accent no one can understand him!
I can't see how anyone would prefer a college with huge classes of over a hundred students sitting in a large lecture hall where some foreign TA is lecturing with such a strong accent no one can understand him!
I don't get it either . Heck, the TA's don't even have to be foreign, they almost always have zero teaching experience and are just doing the job to get their own schooling paid for....guess which comes first...
I can't see how anyone would prefer a college with huge classes of over a hundred students sitting in a large lecture hall where some foreign TA is lecturing with such a strong accent no one can understand him!
This question was answered, very clearly and accurately, by Ruth4Truth. You must have missed it, so I'll repost it. If this is just a statement, well, thanks for your opinion. Mine is different from yours.
I went to two very large state schools, and I'm extremely glad I did for exactly the reasons listed below.
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Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
Large school: 1. Seemingly infinite variety of courses and majors. Much opportunity for students to explore, and discover where their talents lie, and maximize them.New disciplines student won't ever have heard of. Potential to generate a lot of excitement about learning, opening new worlds.
2. Very diverse student body. Many different interest groups: party-ers, intellectuals, geeks, greeks, creative types, a niche for everyone.
3. Class size ranges from barn-size to small, intimate groups of 10. Very eclectic selection, almost individually tailored to the student's interest.
4. Some faculty are heavily into research, many are not. Many are all about the students. Some faculty are of a very practical bent, organizing and leading study-abroad classes, or setting up special programs to bring visiting faculty from other countries, spearheading a special interest dormitory program, etc.
5. Bigger school = more resources. Well-staffed counseling centers, health center, sports facilities, cultural programs, etc. Job placement center for grads.
6. Easier to mix, mingle, and meet more people outside of class. At a small school, when you join activities, you run into the same people over and over. At a large school, everywhere you go, you're meeting new people. Therefore: enhanced social opportunities.
I can't see how anyone would prefer a college with huge classes of over a hundred students sitting in a large lecture hall where some foreign TA is lecturing with such a strong accent no one can understand him!
Did you post your original question because you wanted feedback from all angles? It's doubtful anyone would want what you describe above. But you are making a lot of assumptions about large schools which many on here have given good feedback about.
You are coming across as wanting ammo to talk your grandson out of a large university.
Where does HE want to go? What does HE want to study? Does the small college have the major HE is interested in? If so and he wants that environment then great! Sounds like a great fit. If not then no matter how you keep insisting that large universities make you sit in huge, huge classes for all classes and are not taught by the professors it's not going to matter.
He needs to go to the best fit for him and his major.
You seem to be ignoring posts by people with good examples of their experience or their kids experience at bigger universities that don't line up with your preconceived notion. If you really have his best interest at heart then keep an open mind.
This question was answered, very clearly and accurately, by Ruth4Truth. You must have missed it, so I'll repost it. If this is just a statement, well, thanks for your opinion. Mine is different from yours.
I went to two very large state schools, and I'm extremely glad I did for exactly the reasons listed below.
I'll argue that those same thing are not better at a big U vs a small U. Sure, you have a million majors but does it really matter that much, no. Getting to know people at a big U is MUCH more difficult as they don't have the small, community feel you get at a smaller school nor do they have the activities and whatnot that you find at smaller schools that encourage kids to get involved and meet people. You are pretty much left on your own to do most of that at a big U. As for facilities--not really. Most smaller schools have similar facilities, paired down to match the school size though. You will find more opportunities for research and internships at smaller schools as well because the profs know you, they have more one on one contact with you, etc. Job placement from smaller schools is almost always higher than big U because of the types of students that attend those schools vs big U that has to accept pretty much everyone...
I'll argue that those same thing are not better at a big U vs a small U. Sure, you have a million majors but does it really matter that much, no. Getting to know people at a big U is MUCH more difficult as they don't have the small, community feel you get at a smaller school nor do they have the activities and whatnot that you find at smaller schools that encourage kids to get involved and meet people. You are pretty much left on your own to do most of that at a big U. As for facilities--not really. Most smaller schools have similar facilities, paired down to match the school size though. You will find more opportunities for research and internships at smaller schools as well because the profs know you, they have more one on one contact with you, etc. Job placement from smaller schools is almost always higher than big U because of the types of students that attend those schools vs big U that has to accept pretty much everyone...
The long and short of it is, saying 'smaller schools are better', which is what the OP seems to be getting at, is a binary statement and doesn't give room for individual tastes. For some, larger schools are better.
My major in my 'big' school consisted of 40 people. You had better believe we all knew each other and worked together on a lot of classes, and that major will NOT, repeat, NOT be offered at any small school I am aware of. When there's about 300 majors, and specialties within the larger major, there IS a natural subdivision and grouping that goes on.
I didn't WANT to know half those cats at the big school. I found my friends and stuck with them. I had a bigger pool to initially get involved with, though.
If you want a left-handed underwater basketweaving club, you can probably find it at a big school. Private school, not so much. Just because it's 'on your own' to find it doesn't make it bad or undesirable. A student can just as efficiently fail to show initiative at a small school as they do at a large school, and can just as efficiently get left behind.
Completely disagree on facilities. I attended the two very large schools and worked for a period at a very small, private, well-funded school. Either my personal examples were completely skewed, or the bigger schools flat out had more available, and available types, of facilities. I tend to believe the latter.
As for job opportunities-all together now-'depends on the major and the school'. An engineer at UCLA is going to have better opportunities than the history major at Davidson, full stop.
The long and short of it is, saying 'smaller schools are better', which is what the OP seems to be getting at, is a binary statement and doesn't give room for individual tastes. For some, larger schools are better.
My major in my 'big' school consisted of 40 people. You had better believe we all knew each other and worked together on a lot of classes, and that major will NOT, repeat, NOT be offered at any small school I am aware of. When there's about 300 majors, and specialties within the larger major, there IS a natural subdivision and grouping that goes on.
I didn't WANT to know half those cats at the big school. I found my friends and stuck with them. I had a bigger pool to initially get involved with, though.
If you want a left-handed underwater basketweaving club, you can probably find it at a big school. Private school, not so much. Just because it's 'on your own' to find it doesn't make it bad or undesirable. A student can just as efficiently fail to show initiative at a small school as they do at a large school, and can just as efficiently get left behind.
Completely disagree on facilities. I attended the two very large schools and worked for a period at a very small, private, well-funded school. Either my personal examples were completely skewed, or the bigger schools flat out had more available, and available types, of facilities. I tend to believe the latter.
As for job opportunities-all together now-'depends on the major and the school'. An engineer at UCLA is going to have better opportunities than the history major at Davidson, full stop.
A history major from Davidson is going to have more opportunities than a history major at UCLA. An engineering student from Case Western is going to have more opportunities than an engineering student at UCLA....compare apples to apples....
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I guess I was making an assumption on what my friend did 10 years ago (before internships were almost an added requirement to land a job these days).
. Heck, the TA's don't even have to be foreign, they almost always have zero teaching experience and are just doing the job to get their own schooling paid for....guess which comes first...