Joni Bratcher, a junior at Indiana University (IU), Bloomington, IN, recently attended a basketball game with a crowd of 17,256 people. It's no wonder that, when she tripped up the steps of IU's massive Assembly Hall at halftime, spilling soda all over herself, she had quite an audience. "I was standing there in that sort of slow-motion mode, like, 'Please tell me that did not just happen,'" Joni recalls. "When I looked up, all embarrassed, there were all these people looking at me." Joni's roommate, Sarah Emer, tried to console her. "Come on, like you're ever going to see any of these people again," she said as Joni wiped Coke from her sweater. Good point.

Welcome to Indiana University, student population 37,076. As Joni's soda misfortune demonstrates, there are advantages and disadvantages to being one in a very large crowd. Between big parties or tight social circles, enormous lecture halls or round-table discussions, every student has social and academic preferences. As any current college student can tell you, size does matter. And a wrong decision can result in small-school suffocation or large-school 'lost-in-the-crowd' syndrome.

Not Convinced? Consider Your Options
"Size wasn't really an issue for me," says Lauren Thompson, an IU sophomore. "I filled out the application in study hall one day - it was one page long, and my boyfriend was coming here. I was sold." Now, however, Lauren is working on another application. She's transferring to Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, a small Christian school with a student population of 2,300. "I need people to know who I am, what's important to me, and vice versa." Lauren looks around IU's crowded student union and laughs sarcastically. "I don't recognize a single face in here."

When choosing a college, many students like Lauren check out how cool the dorms are, how gross the food is, or how impressive the school's name will look on paper. Once they go through the harrowing process of finding a school to fit all their other requirements, deciding whether or not it's the right size may seem irrelevant.

Although some smaller schools are private and more costly than larger ones, you can still find a state school that suits you. The school I attend, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, for example, has a student population of 5,500, costs far less than a private school, and is widely known for its teaching prowess.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name - and Your Business
"Some people are totally suited for a small school; others do better at a large one," says Chris Vespi, a junior at Messiah College, Grantham, PA. Chris played the number game and won big time. That's because Messiah College has only 2,700 students. "I didn't want to be a number," he says.

And this went for teacher totals, too, which worked to Chris' advantage with his individualized major. When a school doesn't have exactly the subject students want to study - the influence of music on children, for example - administrators will often allow them to "build" a major. It's like an academic smorgasbord. In many schools, this involves a complicated process of petitions and appearing before committees, but Chris had the advantage of personal contact with the heads of all Messiah's academic departments. In one day he was able to speak to all the necessary professors, without slogging through tons of big school-type red tape. "Something like this [putting together an individualized major] is going to be a pain no matter what, but at least I didn't have to wait a month to talk to bigwigs I'd never met," Chris adds.

Sarah, on the other hand, is quick to point out the downside of attending a smaller school. "I just had a really bad experience with one of my professors, and I was thinking about how lucky I am to be at a big school. Otherwise I'd be in constant fear of faculty-room gossip."

Many students don't care to continue living with that familiar high school feeling. "One time I asked my 10th grade English teacher what everyone talked about in the teachers' room; he looked at me and said, 'You guys.' "Ugh," Sarah shudders. Many students appreciate their academic and social anonymity.

Wall Flower or Bush Jumper?
Think about the last time you were at a party with a room full of strangers. How many people did you introduce yourself to? If the answer is one or none, you might not be comfortable at a large school, say Sarah and Joni.

In order to meet people and make friends, students at large schools will be faced with countless parties, clubs, and classes filled with new people, and will have to take the initiative to walk up to a few of them and say hello. If this scenario ranks up there with that nightmare of you showing up at school in your underwear, you might want to rule out the big schools.

Jimmy Croswell, one of 7,000 students at the University of Maine, Orono, MN, however, isn't bothered by large crowds of unfamiliar faces. This senior is the kind of guy who thinks of the world as his playground. Says a friend, "You could lock Jimmy in the trunk of a car with a roll of toilet paper and he'd have the time of his life."

"I love hanging out with all sorts of people," Jimmy explains. And doing all sorts of things, too. After his last party, he and his new friends decided to go bush-jumping. "We found the biggest, fattest bushes on campus, and jumped right into them," he says.

Go ahead and indulge your need to befriend everyone you meet, because at a big school, you'll never run out of people to hang out with, says Jimmy. In his opinion, if life is a playground, the bigger the better.

Raise Your Hand (If You Dare)
For those of you who are more concerned with a school's academic accolades, class size and availability of resources are the main factors to mull over.

"I think one of the biggest problems students have adjusting to a large school is trying to find their niche," says Marcia Debnam, placement director at IU's School of Journalism. "The niche includes friends, but also academic support when needed."

Jimmy, however, feels he has more opportunities at the University of Maine than he would at a smaller school. He's met a lot of different students, has learned tons of new hobbies, and can study just about any subject he dreams up (well, except maybe bush-jumping), he explains. Chris agrees. "With a smaller population, there will naturally be fewer students and less diversity, but all areas of day-to-day life simply take place on a smaller scale," he explains. The larger the student pool, the greater your chances of finding someone who shares your offbeat academic and recreational interests - and a club or class to explore them.

On the other hand, if your need to debate with your peers about the hidden meaning of a literary work outweighs your interest in some obscure subject, you might feel lost in the lecture halls of a large university. That's why Miranda Paris, a sophomore who recently transferred to Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, thrives in the school's atmosphere, in which the average class size is 18. "All of my expectations have been met and exceeded," Miranda says. "Here you are a name with specific abilities and talents."

Some of you may be put off by the 'in-your-face' feel of small classes. In that case, large lecture learning may be best for you. But if you enjoy interaction and verbal face-offs to keep your adrenaline pumping, you'll be hard-pressed to find that kind of stimulation in a class of 300.

Lauren has found the best of both worlds at her new, smaller U by employing some of Jimmy's methods. She grabbed the bull by the horns in her classes. "I sit up front and ask questions ... the class is only as big as what you can see in front of you," she says.

Before you lick that envelope and drop your college admission deposit in the mailbox, think one last time about what you need. If you are self-assured and brave enough to conquer a large campus and use its resources to your benefit, then go ahead and join the ranks. But if you'd rather skydive naked than introduce yourself to a stranger, perhaps you should consider a smaller alternative.

Sound Off! Post Your Comments