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kathymac
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| Joined: | Tue Jun 26th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 02:36 am |
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Hello! I came by way of another site for college-anxious parents and kids. That's where I read the advice Carolyn gave, and found her so understanding and respectful of the differences among kids. Was glad to realize she established this site, and to have found a group of people willing to share their wisdom.
I have a senior in high school (son) and a daughter who's a junior in college. After having gone through the college search with her, who has such intensity and focus, it's taken some getting used to doing it a different way with our son. He has been laid-back (or maybe a bit scared, since he has only recently begun to work as hard as he should.) He is a great kid, though, and I'm heartened that he's started to get excited about a subject (astrophysics).
Our big question now is big vs. smaller school. Knowing him, he'd do fine at a large school, but I read Loren Pope and see the benefits he's derived from knowing his teachers at his small h.s. So I posted a question about this already. (sorry to have failed to tell about me first).
Looking forward to being an active part of this community.
Kathymac
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WestrnMom
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| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | West Coast, USA |
| Posts: | 1265 |
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 04:18 pm |
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Welcome to this community. You will find like-minded parents here. Your children sound similar to mine. I look forward to reading the question you posted in another topic and answering there.
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WestrnMom
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| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 04:21 pm |
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I'm going to reply here about the difference between a small LAC or private university over a larger school, since it doesn't apply to the question you asked in the other discussion about physics departments.
My son is a freshman this year at a small college, while my D is at a very large public school. There is no comparision between the kind of personalized attention S gets over what is available to D. However, the large schools do have larger departments especially in the sciences. If your son is going to choose astrophysics as a major, he will more than likely go to graduate school. 4 years of undergrad at a LAC or a small, private university can do more to move him along the path than getting lost at an enormous public school. If it helps at all, S was into the college application process but not as invested in the outcomes until the acceptances were received. Carolyn mentioned that would happen to students like S so I wasn't too worried. Once they know what their options are, they can afford to show more enthusiasm.
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limner
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| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 831 |
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 06:11 pm |
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| Welcome to AA, kathymac! My son is a freshman at a small LAC, and he's definitely seeing the benefit in personal attention from his teachers. My H teaches at a large public university and I graduated from one. I think one can get an excellent education at a large institution, but the student has to be able to put him- or herself out there and make their own opportunities. My brother started out at a large state university and wasn't at all happy. He transferred to a very small LAC and thrived. Large universities have much more of everything but the student has to be (IMHO) at least somewhat outgoing to make the most of what a large school has.
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alanarch
Member
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 08:39 pm |
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| I will second the praise of a small LAC. My son is a freshman and is loving it.
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Oct 6th, 2007 10:41 pm |
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Although my daughter attends a small college, and my son is likely headed towards one as well, I don't think there's an easy answer to the question of large vs. small. There are pro's and con's to both. Additionally, much also depends on the specific college/university itself. There are some larger institutions that do a good job of providing a more intimate and caring experience, and there are some smaller institutions that aren't quite as responsive and supportive as one would expect.
Also, so much depends on what the individual student needs to succeed and thrive. There is no "one size fits all" college in the country because every kid has a different learning style and personality. There are kids who do just great at large schools, and kids who are best served by a small school.
Academically, I think the differences also really kind of level out. Yes, there may be larger departments and more opportunities at a larger school -- but there are also more kids competing for them. And, yes, there are some excellent programs at small schools -- but sometimes it is nice to have more options than any small school can really provide.
Having said that, I do think there's something to be said for a smaller school when a student hasn't quite gotten up to speed until near the end of high school. There's more likely to be a built-in safety net at a small school and problems noticed quickly than there is at a larger school. However, for some kids, there's safety in anonymity -- being one of many is more comfortable than being the kid who is going to instantly be spotted when they slip.
Small schools are also great for kids like my daughter, who worked hard in high school but was never the kind of superstar or problem child that the teachers really took under their wing. It's wonderful to see her finally getting that sort of attention at her small school.
On the other hand, my son would do just fine at a large school -- he's not one to slip through the cracks, and, if he ever did, he'd complain loudly.  But, he's decided he'd rather be at a smaller school for undergrad and save the large university experience for grad school when he'll be at the top of the heap (so he thinks) instead of a lowly freshman.
So, there really is no right or wrong answer. I think I'd see if you could have your son visit a small school or two if you haven't already, but if he really is set on a large school, then don't worry too much.
Last edited on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 10:46 pm by CarolynLawrence
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kathymac
Member
| Joined: | Tue Jun 26th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Oct 9th, 2007 05:34 pm |
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Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful responses. With some persistent nudging, our S has promised to come up with a list that has more than 3 state universities on it. We suggested he look at some LACs we learned about in another posting (with strong physics depts.) I've tried to explain the value of LACs, even (or especially) for sciences, but it'll take a visit and others saying it.
It's good to find this place. Whew.
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Vderon
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| Joined: | Sun May 27th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Oct 9th, 2007 11:12 pm |
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Welcome! I know this is a common answer, but you can make a large university smaller by doing freshman interest groups, joining clubs or even rushing a fraternity or sorority. My daughter goes to Mizzou, but while her number of acquaintances is large, her circle of good friends is small.
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Northeastmom
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 03:52 pm |
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| I don't think that is just a matter of small vs. large. It is a matter of student focused or research focused too. My son attends a large school of 16k undergraduates, and that figure will increase through 2012. There are few graduate programs at that school, so they are undergraduate focused, and are currently not so research focused. I fear this will change with the growth that is currently occuring, but perhaps not for a few more years. I can tell that my son gets personal attention if he goes to office hours, or emails his professors. No professors have turned him away. The nice benefit that I have seen is that most notes are posted on blackboard for many, many classes. I have heard less about notes being posted on blackboard at smaller schools, but small schools use this too. This is very helpful to the disorganized, or those who have not mastered the art of notetaking in hs. As a personal observation, the weaker students from our hs who went to smaller schools (I am only including males, since those are my son's friends) are actually not doing as well as those who chose larger schools. I understand that this is not a study, and perhaps it is an unusal coincidence, but to me it was an unexpected surprise. Last edited on Wed Oct 10th, 2007 04:31 pm by Northeastmom
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kathymac
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| Joined: | Tue Jun 26th, 2007 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 04:09 pm |
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That's so interesting. And helps in thinking about what to ask/understand about each institution. I went to a large university (SO many years ago) and had the experience your son is having, without the notes on Blackboard, that is. Professors were always open to talking and teaching during office hours. Since my S, unlike our D, is not shy and does seem to seek-out teachers at his h.s., then maybe he could get some good guidance at some of the larger places.
Yours and others' responses help me to see the dimensions we need to take a look at, as we visit and think about where he'll grow most and be happy.
Thanks.
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Northeastmom
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 04:28 pm |
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kathymac, that is why I posted. I tortured myself over the small vs. large debate. One day, a college professor pointed out research focused vs. student focused. My son decided in the 11th hour that he wanted the rah, rah, football, high campus spirit environment. I compromised by sending him to a school like that, but one that focused mostly on the undergraduate and teaching, and not research. He goes to a school that began as a teacher college, and those roots are still reflected in today's teaching. Good luck, and I hope that this perspective is helpful.
To add, I was very impressed with advising for freshman year. It was far superior to what many of his friends at small private colleges received. It has since fallen short for sophomore year. I think that this will change, once he is admitted into the college of his major at the end of this year. Right now, he has an advisor, but the advisor has been unresponsive. This is not the person, but it just seems be a weak link, and he was spoiled with advising as a freshman. Perhaps advising would be better in a smaller school.
Last edited on Wed Oct 10th, 2007 04:36 pm by Northeastmom
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CalifCarolyn
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| Joined: | Tue Apr 4th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Oct 15th, 2007 08:30 pm |
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| I will chime in with my 2 cents too re: large vs. small. D1 (a Junior) is at a larger university in Boston but with the focus on co-ops and majors by year she has actually felt like the school is a small supporting place. She knows her advisors from the business dept and her co-op advisor has been fantastic. A larger University in a large city has become familiar and supportive, much like a small neighborhood. D2 (Freshman) is at a small LAC in northern Indiana and has a great relationship with her advisor and department profs. The major differences between University size, for my girls, seems to be within the number of course offerings, flexibility of scheduling and variety of activities. Like Carolyn's son my younger daughter would never fall through the cracks at a larger university, she is too vocal, but at the smaller LAC she is already active in student government, which has made her transition to college much easier. My girls looked at individual departments when selecting Universities and then at the school as a whole. I think that kept them focused on their academic goals instead of the college environment. Someone along the way told my older daughter to do that and she found that it made it easier for her to sift through the schools. For example she loved UCSD, celebrated her acceptance but turned it down because the degree path wasn't what she wanted by the time April came along.
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