Anonymous | Contributing Writers
Growing up in a small town, I was given the opportunity to attend a small elementary school, and a small middle/high school, and I currently attend a university with one of the smallest campuses in the state. Attending smaller-scale schools has greatly benefited my education and has allowed me to have a strong social connection with many of my peers throughout the years. I believe if I attended larger schools throughout my life, I would not be the same person I am today, as I would not have a lot of those advantages that come from attending a smaller school. There are many benefits from going to a small school, ranging from social to academic, that can greatly help you in various ways rather than what you get at a larger school.
The Social Benefits of a Small School
The aphorism quality over quantity is often used, but sometimes the allure of quantity supersedes the benefits of quality. I mean, if it really was about quality over quantity, most buffets would go out of business. Likewise, many people choose which schools to attend based on the student population. This isn’t without its reasons. On the surface, it would make sense that a larger school would have opportunities to meet more people and that by virtue of meeting more people, one would run into a handful of people that they really connect with. While this does happen occasionally, it is precisely this abundance of opportunities that prevents students from truly achieving the depth of social positives that smaller schools offer to their students.
See, no one is saying that larger schools don’t offer long-lasting social interactions or serve as institutions where people can find others who they fit in with. But rather, smaller schools offer a much greater degree of social benefits by virtue of the school community being closer. This was particularly noted in a California State University meta-analysis which said very similarly that larger schools function more like organizations and smaller schools like communities (Policy Brief…). This is often an under-told distinction between smaller schools and larger schools, and one that can really make a difference when high schoolers consider which kind of secondary education they want to pursue.
See, large schools are great at functioning. Like the organization analogy, they are often efficient, everyone plays their part, and the ID numbers — ahem, I mean students — that attend do their part in keeping the system running. In smaller schools, however, the community function serves to bond students together with the university campus as merely the place for it to happen. At these smaller schools, professors will often know students on a first-name basis. I know as an attendee of a smaller university, mine certainly do. Furthermore, when someone is a part of a program, be it a sports team, a club leader, or even a resident assistant, they are known by many other people around the campus. In this way, the students serve not as vessels to keep the university running, but as teammates that only get out what they put into the college experience — meaning a greater benefit to a deeper social landscape.
Furthermore, these social benefits are not only evident from outside factors like attendance rates and satisfaction with the university, but also with student mental health. I mean, this just makes sense, right? When we’re surrounded by our friends in shared spaces as part of a broader community, it stands to reason that those involved would report satisfaction with this. In environments like this, rates of mental health crises decrease, and there is a greater increase in reported mental well-being (Leurent). Part of this derives from the sense of belonging on campus that a smaller school’s tight-knit community brings to many of its students.
Another part of this derives from the idea at a smaller school, since there are less people, the bonds that are formed become deeper. At a larger school because there are so many people that are met, and bonds take time to form, when constantly surrounded by new people and meeting people, the depth of the relationships may not be as rich as the breadth. These two ideas coincide with the greater sense of well-being at smaller schools (Leurent). The idea of belonging and a sense of community increases the mental well-being of the students. Humans are social creatures, and while it may be counterintuitive to suggest that more people do not equal greater social benefits at a university, it is simply a case of diminishing returns.
The Academic Benefits of Small Schools
As someone who lives in a small state, attending a small school on top of that has been one of the best decisions in my academic career. Coming from Connecticut, many of my high school friends wanted to venture out, experience a bigger school, and ultimately get lost in a sea of students. I, however, chose to continue to be more than just a number in my classroom.
One of the things I love about being a part of a small school is the community and family vibes. I feel more appreciated when my professors know my name in every course I’m taking and I get to familiarize myself with most faces in the room. The student-to-faculty ratio is usually around 15:1 in small institutions. The typical lecture at UConn can range from 75 to 400 people (“Storrs Family Guide”). In a space that big, it would be incredibly difficult to focus. If the professor isn't walking around or trying to get participation from the room, I feel like I’m not being seen, which leads to disengagement.
Being at a small school like Eastern, there are increased collaboration opportunities with my peers and my professors (“3 Benefits of Attending a Small School and Community”). The professors at a small college are more accessible and have more time to carefully evaluate students' work as they have fewer students in the class. There are increased resources and career opportunities at a smaller school as well. You won’t just get resources your first year like some schools, you’ll have multiple resources and networks to reach out to for your entire college career. Especially as someone who is graduating this year, I feel like my career is at arms reach because of the amount of help I’ve gotten from my personalized education.
Overall, my academic achievement is arguably unmatched then any large school education I could’ve received. Developing a close relationship with my professors has made me not only understand the course content better, but I feel more inclined to reach out if I need help. I have been given many networking opportunities with alumni, internship opportunities centered around my specific major and academic support from my friends and professors in the class.
Eastern Connecticut State University VS UCONN
Okay, now that we’ve discussed the benefits of smaller schools in a general sense, I think it's time to move on to something more specific. How about we look at a real-world example, and where better to start than with schools we’re all familiar with? That’s right, I’m talking about the behemoth of a school that is UCONN, and our underdog, Eastern Connecticut State University. Now, you might be thinking, “How could Eastern, a tiny, local college, possibly compete with such an influential and well-known university?” But if you look a little deeper, you'll realize that the aspects that make Eastern Connecticut State University less renowned are the same things that create so many advantages when it comes to the overall experience.
Let's get this out of the way as soon as possible: If you’re looking for a big-name university with respected sports teams and a giant, city-like campus, Eastern is not for you. We don’t even have a football team to speak of, never mind a Division I team. If you’re a student-athlete looking to make it into the major leagues, you should really look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for a personal and impactful college experience that will help you grow as a person and a professional, then you might not want to count Eastern out so quickly.
First things first, at Eastern, you’re a person. That might sound obvious and basic, but trust me, UCONN is the complete opposite. With enrollment surpassing THIRTY THOUSAND STUDENTS, there is very little opportunity to stand out amongst your peers (University of Connecticut, “UCONN Fact Sheet”). Unless you make a serious effort to be noticed by the campus in a larger sense, you’ll spend your four years there blending into the crowd. Many of your professors won’t even know your name, you’ll just be one of the two hundred students in their lecture hall class. God forbid their office hours don't fit your schedule, because there's little chance they'll go out of their way to accommodate you if they don’t even know who you are. Not only that, but far too many UCONN professors work there to do research first, and to teach second. Some of them have no interest in teaching and only do it because they have to, and you can only imagine the quality of lectures you’ll receive if that's the case.
This couldn’t be further from the truth at Eastern. Here, professors will actually know who you are. You can easily strike up a conversation with them after class and get to know them better, something unheard of at UCONN. Moreover, if you try to schedule a meeting with them outside of their office hours, many of them will do what they can to accommodate you. Seeing as Eastern has just over three thousand students, about a tenth of UCONN’s student base, class sizes will be significantly smaller, most of them hovering around twenty students (Eastern Connecticut State University, "About Eastern"). If you so much as show up to class, your professors will remember you and be available in the future for advice, opportunities, and letters of recommendation. You’re not just attending a class to learn, you’re also building connections and relationships that will likely help you going forward. Given that the university isn't as prestigious or focused on research, most professors are primarily there because they love teaching. If they didn’t, they would be at another college like UCONN which focuses more on the research aspect of the job. This means they will care about you and your success a lot more, leading to a better academic experience despite the less renowned status of the school.
Some people go off to college wanting to live on a big, bustling campus that's more of a city than anything else. If that sounds like you, then UCONN’s campus would absolutely fulfill your desire. However, not everyone wants such a college experience. Some people want to attend a close-knit school where the campus feels like more of a community, a mold that Eastern fits perfectly. While its size is nowhere near small, it's far from the vastness of even just one of UCONN’s five separate campuses. Just the Storrs campus is over 4,000 acres, while Eastern’s sole campus doesn’t even surpass 200 acres (U.S. News & World Report, "University of Connecticut"; U.S. News & World Report, "Eastern Connecticut State University”). However, this isn’t necessarily a downside. Covering a much smaller area increases the likelihood of students running into the same people over and over, fostering relationships in a way you couldn’t at UCONN. Not only that, but Eastern’s campus will routinely be less busy than UCONN’s, making it easier to find a quiet place to study or a place to sit in the dining hall. When I toured UCONN’s campus, my tour guide basically bragged about how busy the food courts were, saying you could barely find a place to sit most of the time. Now, I’m not sure how that’s a positive thing, but that’s something you’ll never come across at Eastern.
“Benefits” of Uconn
Now, let's talk about one of the main supposed benefits of a larger school like UCONN: opportunities. A bigger campus almost always means more resources, more internships, and more big-name connections. However, while there is a chance for every student to receive these benefits, the sheer amount of competition makes it almost impossible to take advantage of everything UCONN offers. Unless you’re at the top of your class, outgoing, and very lucky, you’re not likely to land that important internship or get that highly sought-after on-campus position. At Eastern, while the opportunities may be less grand, they also come with less competition. It’s a lot more likely that you’ll land the position or internship you want, so it's much easier to leave your mark when compared to a bigger school. Think about it this way: Would you rather have a one-in-a-thousand chance of landing a really good internship that would almost solidify your career in the future or a one-in-ten chance of landing a pretty solid internship that will help you make useful connections? If you’re willing to take that risk, then by all means, attend UCONN, but I can assure you that Eastern’s odds are far better when it comes to actually setting up your future.
While UCONN may come with lots of prestige, it also brings with it a lot of chaos.
At Eastern, you’ll receive a comparable education without all of the stress and anxiety that a large university comes with. Let’s be real: Do you really need a football stadium that seats 38,000 people to receive a good education (University of Connecticut, “Pratt & Whitney Stadium”)? Or would you rather have smaller classes, more personable professors, and deeper connections with your peers? All of this is not to mention the massive difference in tuition costs, with UCONN’s being far higher than Eastern’s due solely to the status of the school. Eastern isn’t trying to be UCONN. It knows what it is: a place where students can grow, form important bonds, and set up their future. If you’re looking for a big-name, big-campus experience, by all means, go for UCONN. But just know that smaller schools like Eastern have something that larger universities can’t offer: a genuine feeling of connectivity and a personalized experience. At the end of the day, it’s not about the name of the university on your diploma, it's about the experience you had there.
Wrap Up
Going to a smaller school for any education is beneficial in various ways that can greatly benefit you. Ranging from academic benefits to social/psychological benefits, schools that are larger scale would not give you those opportunities or experiences that smaller schools will offer you. If you ever get the opportunity to go to a smaller school, I would take that opportunity as it might be one of the best choices you make for the rest of your life.
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