When I first started to think about college in my junior year of high school, I thought of lecture halls with +300 people. I'm now in my third year of college and I am so glad that the only college I've gone to was my small college. Unless I decide I want to specialize in something as a nurse. Like specializing as a Nurse in the OR or the ICU. Knowing me, I will probably get my RN degree and eventually decide it's not enough and that will make me decide what I want to specialize in.
Whenever I have to give bad and good news, I always start with the bad so I can end the conversation on a high note. So let's start with the cons.
Cons-
There isn't always a variety of teachers to choose from.
Limited "college experience"
There isn't a lot of extracurricular activities. For sporting events, you will be lucky if there is more than 30 people there. While this may not be good for extroverts, it will be better for introverts for me. I like that the campus is always quiet. But it totally sucks that I won't be able to walk to my friends dorm in my pajamas. If I do go see a friend, then I need to be somewhat dressed. When you make friends in a small college, you will probanly spend a lot of nights in or making your own fun.
Limited academic choices
My college has a great Nursing program but when I decide what I want to specialize in, I will most likely have to move out of state. Right now, I'm not super open to the idea of moving out of state. I most likely will be when I decide my specialty.
Looked down on by students who went to big name colleges
People who went to big name colleges tend to look down on those who went to small colleges. Storytime again: Every year I go to an annual breakfast provided by the people who gave me a scholarship. I give them a small speech on my studies, we eat breakfast, and I meet the new people who won the scholarship for this year. Last year, I said that my studies were going great but that I was switching my major to Nursing. Another girl who is going to a big name college said she was switching her major to Nursing as well. One of the guests of the people who won the award, told the other girl that if she ever needs anything, to just give her a call. She didn't say anything to me but gave me major side eye. Joke is on both of them. I just got licensed to work as a Nurse Assistant and I've met one of the best open heart surgeons in the country. I also know a lot of people at hospitals and nursing homes and have connections because I did well during my clinical hours. I was talking to the charge nurse on the Medical/Oncology floor and she said the nurses that graduate from this college, love to remind people that they graduated from a big name college but if a patient needs to repositioned they'll call the Nurse assistant. Thank god I didn't decide to go to that college. I would hate to turn into that.
It's harder to avoid people.
When you sign up for classes when you've gone to the same school for a few years, there's a chance you already know some people. Especially since there's only so many teachers teaching a specific subject. I liked most of the people in my Nurse Assistant class. Clearly, I don't like the person who backstabbed me. There was another girl that would ask always questions to my teacher. As much as I love my teacher, she loves to talk. This student would ask questions that would result in the entire class having to stay another 15-20 minutes. She dropped the class because she hurt her foot. For legal purposes, she isn't allowed in the lab. I don't think I will see much of my backstabbing classmate since she is starting Nursing school two years before me. This is a small town so we will probably see each other.
Pros-
When you do meet a teacher you like, it's likely that you will stay in touch
I loved my Nursing Assistant teacher. She was a wound care specialist and she is a board member for the State Nursing Board. She loves Game of Thrones as much as I do, so that automatically makes her awesome. The best part about her is that she hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a Nurse assistant. When you're a Nurse assistant, you're at the bottom and you are under appreciated, and she fights for the little guy. A friend of mine might have to take the state board exams again because a very intimidating teacher unfortunately gave her emptying a drainage bag while wearing an isolation gown for her skills test. I think this teacher has forgotten what it's like to be at the bottom, because she was terrifying everybody. I passed my skills test but based on her body language, I was convinced I didn't do well. Anyways, back to the intimidating teacher, during my friends skills test, she told her to set up the isolation room by herself. Our teacher never taught us how to set up an isolation room, our teacher told us that the isolation room would already be set up. My friend had to admit she can't set up an isolation room by herself and she failed the skills. I texted her after the test and she told me that our teacher is going to fight for her at the State Board.
Strong sense of community
This can be agood or bad thing. Every time I sign up for a class, I don't have to worry about not knowing anyone. Even if you don't know anyone, people always acquainted really quickly. All my teachers, my classmates, and the Nursing and Allied Health Administrators call me by my first name. When the Nursing Board accidentally sent me a letter saying that I hadn't signed up for my board exams and that I had paperwork to get done when I know I did everything, I emailed the Administrative assistant freaking out and she got back to me right away. Compared to my English 102 teacher, that was like a breath of fresh air. She didn't even care that it wasn't a big deal because the letter was sent by accident.
Less focus on being competitive with your fellow classmates, more focus on doing well in your major
Let me dispute a myth. When you start working, no one cares where you went to school. The single most imprtant thing you can do in college is network yourself. Depending on what you're majoring in, there is competition. Everyone is fighting to get the highest test score and for a chance to meet important people. In college, you can backstab people all you want. But there will come a day where you will need someone you probably should've treated better because you can't be good at everything. No one will care where you went to school once you get your degree. People care how well you do your job though.
Smaller classroom size
In my Nursing assistant class there was 14 people. I would call this a pro because we got more one-on-one time with the teacher. It's much easier to build a relationship with teachers and classmates when the class is smaller. When you are applying for jobs, internships, or grad school, those relationships are important. I even still talk to my culinary teacher from high school.
Smaller campus
Smaller campus means less walking. I don't have to pay for parking plus it only takes me just a couple minutes to walk to my class. Walking is a breeze!
I definitely think that small colleges are perfect for students who very focused on their schoolwork and don't care whether they get the college experience or not. Extroverts would most likely want to leave after they get done with their basic classes. Good luck finding a wild party at a small college. Your best bet is crashing a frat party at a large university. Of course at a large college, it's a lot easier to get lost in the crowd if you don't speak up. The best choice is to play to your strengths and go from there.
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