Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

I'm researching colleges right now. I haven't visited any yet (I will visit any colleges before I apply to them--don't worry), but I'm making a list of possibles. One of my favorites is Purdue University--however with a 37,000 enrollment at the West Lafayette campus I wonder how lost I would feel among the masses. I am also considering (much) smaller colleges (3K);however, Purdue is the only school to have comprehensive computer majors (I'm looking at IT) and so far it's my best bet. I want to know what opinions people have about large universities and their experiences with them. Any opinons on college are welcome too, and I thank you in advance!

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-Vincent

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 268

I go to University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Don't know exactly how many students go here, but it's definitely more than 30,000. You don't really get that lost in the crowd, since most of your interaction is within your college/department.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

I don't go to a huge university (hell, 30K is bigger than Aberdeen!), but I agree with namja. I don't know many people outside of my major, and NSU's tiny. I think the difference comes in when you're talking about generals. Having a smaller class size is nice for those who have trouble grasping the material, and it's nice to have the professor recognize you personally when/if you have to make up work (due to family/personal problems, being sick, etc.).

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 441

I go to University of California, San Diego. I think our enrollment is 26k including graduates. Yeah, its definetly different from high school. But I don't think that being lost in the masses is really a problem. Having a larger university only means the university has more resources for you to utilize, such as entire computer labs with unix workstations or a 7 floor library.

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

Thanks for the insights! Purdue is definitely on my lists of college to visit now.

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-Vincent

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 289

i attend arizona state university .. nearly 50,000 students ..

a lot of general study/basic college requirement classes are taught in large lecture halls (there are some with 500+ students) -- generally these large lecture classes are taught either once or twice a week and in addition there is a smaller, more focused "lab" that goes along with the lecture .. When getting into your major, however, the class sizes are dramatically smaller (between 20 to 40 students) and many of the students in these classes are in your other classes (similar to high school) ...

While the lectures are a drag, it is nice to know that there are 500 others taking the class with you, so getting notes for classes you cannot attend or creating study groups for tests, etc seems easier (as far as fitting peoples schedules..) --

as mentioned, another thing that is nice is the amount of resources available .. lots of computer labs, huge library, on campus resturants (fast food like taco bell / pizza hut / burger king to nicer/healthier food..) ... also all students have access to the 135,000 sq ft recreation facility which includes weight room, heated 70 meter x 25 yard pool, etc.. They also supply a career services department which will help you locate that perfect job along with several large job fairs which attracts many of the fortune 500 companies as well as smaller firms.

If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Joe

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Ohio State
Posts: 41

Big schools are the way to go! As Cerulean said, we have far more resources to offer. I am very happy with my decision to go to The Ohio State University, where the enrollment really is almost 50,000 (48,003). Just get involved wherever you go, I promise you will not feel lost in the crowds. You really can do or study anything you want to at a big school.

University of Texas, Austin 49,034
The Ohio State University, Columbus 48,003
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 44,361
University of Florida, Gainesville 44,276
Arizona State University, Tempe 44,215
Texas A & M University, College Station 43,500
Penn State University, University Park 40,658
University of Wisconsin, Madison 40,045
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 37,846

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- John

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

No one has mentioned anything that I don't have at NSU (other than 500+ lecture classes - ours top out around 100), including fast food (not on campus, but I can get to Burger King/McDonald's/Taco Bell/Subway/etc. and back in the 10 minutes between classes), large library (not that big of a deal since any book in the state of SD can be checked out with the student id), focused lab time for lecture classes, sizeable pool and weight room, career services (though I have to admit that the companies that show up tend to be rather focused for the big majors; eg business, music, teacher ed.), etc. I have to say I felt like I was missing out on something by going to a smaller school, but it's looking like a lot is the same, regardless of school size.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Ohio State
Posts: 41

I don't think anyone meant to imply that the only additional resources available at a large school are fast-food places. Personally, I was referring more to the vast opportunities available only at a large school. We offer 10,444 courses at OSU. This not only gives you more choices as a student, it gives you more flexibility. If you always thought you wanted to be an electrical engineer, so you went to a small engineering school... you really wouldn't have many other options if you changed your mind. Here, you can switch to any of 176 majors. I have nothing against smaller schools. My brother was very happy with his choice to attend Case Western in Cleveland. I was also accepted at CWRU and would have followed in his footsteps if I was 100% sure that I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

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- John

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

Wow! You guys certainly turned a large school into a plus than a negative. PU is definitely on the top of my list. I feel a lot better about the situation. Small private liberal arts school like Depauw and Butler don't seem as attractive now definitely and they don't offer the major I'd like anyhow.

Thanks Again!

P.S. Anyone have any Purdue experiences?

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-Vincent

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

It all depends...

...on if you care how good your Football team is.

If you KNOW what you want to major in in College (few do, actually) then simply pick the school that you can afford with the best program.

I went to a smaller Liberal-Arts state school and really enjoyes the small-town atmosphere and the fact that you really get to know a lot of the people over the course of 4 years (or, in my case, 6 years).

That said, I had a hell of a lot of fun visiting friends at the U of MN and U of W Madison.

Actually, in hindsight, pick the U that you will have the most fun at. These days, everyone goes back to college a second time anyways after they realize that they're up for a career change at 28.

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Registered: May 2001
Location: Chicago
Posts: 236

quote:

---

Originally posted by namja
I go to University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Don't know exactly how many students go here, but it's definitely more than 30,000. You don't really get that lost in the crowd, since most of your interaction is within your college/department.

---

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

Vinny,

One thing to think about too is how big was your high-school? I graduated in a class of 40 and then went to U of Michigan and felt fairly swamped. I got through fine but it's something to think about.

If you went to a "normal" or large high school, you should be fine.

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Jeff

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

My class has 180 people in it--so I go to a smaller school somewhat, although it's not extremely small.

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-Vincent

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: New Jersey, Exit 137
Posts: 52

I went to Michigan State University. Grew up in NYC so the population on campus was like my neighborhood.

I graduated in '76, but from all I read it's still a great place to get an education (and have fun)!!

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Location, location, location

I went to a small college (with a kick-ass basketball team) in downtown Charleston, SC...actually, when I started there were around 3k students and around 8k when I left.

I recommend you also like the surroundings/city (e.g. history, beach, etc.) when you pick a college.