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I'm a sophmore in high school and really want to get ahead in the college search. I have a 4.0, am a candidate for NHS next year, headed many fundraisers for the Red Cross at our school, am in drama and Forensics. I am a drum major in marching band, VP of Key Club, HOBY candidate for the summer of '02. I volunteer at the Humane Society and Comm. Memorial Hospital in the summers. I dance at a local studio and I love to write my own songs. I have many questions:
All the colleges that seem like my cup of tea (Vassar, Brown, Swarthmore, etc.) are so small! I want to get lost. What do you think about UW-Madison?
Are there any other colleges you could recommend for me based on my activities and grade point?
I am looking at: Photo Journalism, English Major, and Zoology with an emphasis in evolution and animal behavior.
Any help about anything would be appreciated. Thanks!

By AFL on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 11:56 am: Edit

My friend Sid always says, "It's easier to make a big college small than a small college big," and, if you really think you want a place that's large enough to get lost in, then you're probably wise to consider huge universities like UW-Madison.

Many strong students like you find the best of both worlds in the honors programs at state U's. (If you visit the UW-Madison Web site, you can follow the links from admission to undergraduate academic programs to honors programs to see what's available.) Another large school to consider is the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. That college has a good reputation when it comes to personal attention despite its size.

You would be wise, however, to plan overnight visits to several large schools as well as to some of the small ones you mentioned above to see if bigger really feels better.

By Roger (Roger) on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 01:39 pm: Edit

One other aspect to consider is the location, Erica. A small town might make the school itself seem smaller, while an urban location might widen its feel. For example, a big-city school may have a modest class size, but seem larger due to the teeming metropolis outside its gates. In that kind of environment, you can get to know many of your classmates, but if you want to vanish into the city you can certainly do that, too. (Not permanently, one hopes!)

Conversely, in a large college/small town environment, you may well be able to disappear in large lectures, etc., but may find yourself meeting the same people off-campus. It all depends on what environment you like and what kind of anonymity you are seeking. As AFL wisely suggested, do overnight visits to different schools to get a first-hand feel for what they are like.

Congrats on a nice set of accomplishments, Erica. If your standardized tests keep pace with the rest of your info, you should have lots of great options, not to mention some solid merit awards at schools that give them. Good luck!

By Lauren on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 07:21 pm: Edit

Penn State and Cornell are large schools where you can get a good education

By Ad Infinitum on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 12:06 am: Edit

Remember that Swarthmore cooperates with Haverford and Bryn Mawr and allows cross-registration with Penn. Perhaps with this pespective it won't seem so small.

By Erica Van Steen on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 12:39 am: Edit

thanks for all the advice so far. i'm getting an interesting and refreshed perspective on some colleges. i have a new question: how easy is it to get completely lost at a college as large as Madison? if i didn't want anyone (high school friends) to find me, is that possible?
also, if any of you have gone to a school similar to Swarthmore, Brown, or Vassar,is there any advice you have to give regarding it's size?

By Shennie (Shennie) on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 12:40 pm: Edit

I think it is very easy to get lost at UW. There are 40,000 students there and lots of dorms. I went to a small college of 1800 and rarely saw the students that I went to high school with (accept for my boyfriend ) so being at a smaller place does not necessarily mean you can't avoid people you don't want to.

By Wunderkind on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 01:09 pm: Edit

Define getting completely lost. Most schools publish directories which would make it fairly easy for your high school friends to find you.

By Dave Berry on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 01:23 pm: Edit

Erica, I went to Penn State (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), which boasts about 35,000 UG students, my daughter went to Dickinson College (~2,100), and my son went to Princeton (~4,500). So, I've had first-hand exposure to small, medium, and large schools. IMO, Brown (~6,000 UGs) isn't in the same category as Swat (~1,500) and Vassar (~2,400). The Swat-Vassar experience is much different because of the sheer intimacy of the student body, physical campus, and social scene.

I believe you could easily get lost at UWM. There's always the chance that someone you know might track you down, but among that many students (~30,000), it's unlikely. Bottom line: For a much more personal experience with professors and fellow students, seek the smaller colleges (granted, that seems obvious). However, if you want to be left alone, I recommend that you avoid smaller schools, because you may be tagged as a "loner" (with all the attending negative fallout).

The larger universities can provide the best of both worlds, however. You can fade into the wall in the general population, or be part of a rather well-acquainted smaller community if you choose the highly selective university scholars program. The choice is yours, if you have the credentials to get in.

By TessaDale on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 04:13 pm: Edit

HI, my name is Tessa and i am a senior in high school debating over where to attend college. RIght now it is between St.Cloud State in MN or Anoka Ramsey community college in MN. I am worried about transfering credits eventually, which i plan to do in a year. I want to go to california for school, so i am going to attend a community college out there after a yr here. What would be the best for me now? Would either school tranfer the credits?

By Dadster on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 04:21 pm: Edit

Hi, Tessa, you should check with the school (or schools) that you might transfer to in California to see what they will (or won't) accept. Every college has its own rules for this sort of thing. Also, will the community college in California be your "final" school, or are you considering transfering again, say, to a UC school. If so, your final destination school may have a different set of rules, too. Try to plan as far ahead as you can - you don't want to take a bunch of courses and find out you can't use the credit from them later. Good luck!

By Erica Van Steen on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 01:26 pm: Edit

as for me getting completely lost, I don't want to run into anyone from my old high school and i don't want to be tracked down. I want it to be like a fresh start. That is actually one of my main incentives for leaving the state since I live in Wisconsin.

By jonowen on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 02:05 pm: Edit

if you're worried about size, why don't you ask the students of small schools whether or not they like their school. overwhelmingly, you will find they do. schools like swarthmore aren't small; their just not huge. iow, they're only considered small because theyre not huge.

By Kathy Hearne on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 12:46 pm: Edit

What about the Southeast, especially smaller schools? I am interested in smaller schools (1,000 - 3,000) liberal arts.