Little white houses with red roofs of varying sizes and white college icons

Considering College Size: Which Is Right for You?

Campus size impacts not only classes and faculty ratios but also the social atmosphere of a college. Here's how to decide on a large or small school.

The size of a college campus impacts not only classes and student-faculty ratios but also the general social atmosphere of a college. It’s a story told over and over again: “I thought it was my dream college, but it just wasn’t the right size!” Anecdotes like this only need to be heard once to cause an astonishing amount of uneasiness in the college search process. 

Some people are naturally better fit for larger schools, while some are better fit for smaller ones. Ideal student populations are completely subjective—it all depends on what a student is or is not looking for in their college experience. Picking what campus size is the best for you can be difficult, but laying out certain aspects of college life and learning how they differ between campus sizes will make the process much easier. Here’s what you should consider in your college search.

Class size

For many students, this can be the biggest deciding factor. Depending on what type of learner you consider yourself to be, class size will be very influential on your learning experience. For those of us who consider ourselves to be kinesthetic learners (learning by touch and doing), smaller classes are likely the best option. Having the ability to directly participate in discussions will benefit you as a learner the most.

For visual and auditory learners, larger classes can be sufficient to supply you with the learning experience you desire. If you’re unsure what type of learner you are, there are a lot of tests on the internet that can help you find out!

Related: 7 Perks of Attending a Small College or University 

Student-faculty ratio

In addition, it’s important to consider the relationships you’ll make in the classroom. If teacher-student relationships are important to you, then small classes will give you a better chance of getting to know your professors. If you consider yourself a more individualized learner, a larger class will be perfect for you—and your professors will still have time for you to ask questions and get to know you if you put in the effort, so don’t worry too much about this aspect!

The campus community

The social and community experience of a school is one of the first things potential students notice about campuses. There is no “best” size college for this, but looking at the benefits and drawbacks held by different campus sizes in their community experience will help you choose what size is ideal for you.

College athletics

If you’re a sports fanatic and find yourself watching college athletics all the time, a big campus is the place to be! Larger colleges are more often going to have NCAA Division I teams, which are much more competitive and often have big, vibrant audiences. Other than varsity sports, larger colleges often offer more club opportunities and student teams. These can be fantastic ways to branch out, meet new people, and maximize your college experience. But it’s important to note that small colleges can offer all of this too, just not with the same magnitude as larger colleges.

Socializing

There’s one important point that small colleges meet unlike large colleges: smaller campuses allow students to become more familiar with one another, which is going to create a closer-knit community that you may not feel at a large college. Whether students like this closeness or not is an extremely common reason for transferring colleges. If you know that you thrive better within a close, bonded community, a smaller campus is going to fulfill this need for you. However, if you like meeting new people consistently while having your own place on campus, you might prefer a larger college.

Related: Finding a Diverse College Community in 3 Easy Steps

Generally, there are an unbelievable number of considerations you must make when choosing what college or university is best for you, including campus size. Using your social and learning lives as a guideline for making this very important decision can help ensure your happiness at the college where you ultimately decide to enroll. Good luck in your search!

Search for colleges based on your preferred campus size and student enrollment in our Lists & Rankings section!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Abigail Horwitz

Abigail Horwitz

Abigail Horwitz is a sophomore in high school. She is very passionate about learning, especially in the fields of history and mathematics, but she also loves to read and write. Outside of school, you can find her playing tennis or furthering her yoga practice.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

University of Akron

Akron, OH


Daniel Ogunlokun

Daniel Ogunlokun

High School Class of 2022

When I started looking at colleges in the beginning of my senior year, I was conflicted about which ones I wanted to attend based on safety, tuition costs, location, academic rigor, and prestige. Searching the internet and getting more questions than answers, I came across CollegeXpress, which made all the steps I had taken look like a minor issue. Everything was summarized and detailed, and I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative.

Kory Gilbertson

Kory Gilbertson

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has helped me explore my views on college in that "why do I wanna go to a certain school" way. It’s helped me explore the best fits in all of these outstanding choices. All these college admission counselors can access my accolades showing them how I could help their college. This source of information helps me show these admission directors who I am and what I'm interested in. Thanks to this platform, my experience for education will be better than most, and I'm so grateful for all that it has provided for me.

Cameron Lee

Cameron Lee

High School Class of 2022

I used CollegeXpress to search for colleges. It helped me narrow down the schools on the West Coast and which schools had Construction Engineering programs. I made my decision to go to OSU and I am so excited about it.

Lorena Bacallao

Lorena Bacallao

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress was the foundation of my college search process. Because of CollegeXpress, I was able to make a more informed and confident decision as to where it was best to pursue my higher education. I have recommended this website to fellow peers and for first-generation students like me. It’s a website I will continue to promote because of how simple it was to use and how many opportunities were offered to me at my fingertips!

Jada Bohanon

Jada Bohanon

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me find scholarships for the colleges I applied to. It was very hard for me to find scholarships in the beginning that I was qualified for. My teachers recommended this website to find some, and not only did I find some scholarships but I also got to look into some schools I hadn’t heard of before. I was very happy to have discovered this website, especially with the coronavirus spreading all over as I can’t really go visit many colleges.