Many Carlsbad seniors are in the process of getting their letters of admission, but how did they pick their respective schools? A popular topic of debate is whether to go to the big time, distinguished university or the small, more personal school.
“I love meeting new people so I went with big schools,” Senior Tam Le said.
Many students choose to attend a ‘big’ school because of its prestige; many distinguished universities have an impressive web of alumni. Renowned sports programs with their huge stadiums, nationally televised games, top young athletes in the country are sometimes the deciding factor. Other qualities of big schools include higher quality undergraduate programs, more scholarship money, and nicer facilities.
“I applied to a private but big school because I wanted to have the ultimate social experience,” Senior Juliette Wardle said. “Why not go where there are the most people?”
Popular reasons to attend a ‘small’ school include easier access to school faculty and more athletic opportunities. Smaller class sizes appeal to many students because of the lower student to faculty ratio with a student-centered approach. Class discussions are much different in smaller schools because they are led by a professor rather than a teacher aid, and there is a greater opportunity to speak out and give input.
“I prefer smaller, but was looking more at education than size. A smaller college provides a more tight knit experience rather than all of the cliques,” Senior Kristina Sep said.
Educational aspects influence decisions just as much as the social atmosphere.
“The more personal class sizes made me apply to more small schools,” Senior Connor Owen said.
Some students still have trouble even after doing their research, so they applied to schools with various sizes just in case they slide more one way when letters of acceptance come out.
“I applied to big colleges for the people and that ‘college town’ feel. I also made small schools an option if they suited my major,” Senior Zach Gordon said.
Gordon applied to Oregon, Arizona, and Cal State San Marcos.
“Well I applied to both big and small. Big schools offer the social aspects, but smaller ones give you the one on one feeling with your teachers,” Senior Scotty Beauchamp said.
