Welcome to my (and 3943 other students’) campus! Coming from a small, tight-knit high school in a small town/city area, a small college was exactly what I was looking for, but I know it is not for most people. From my time in the smaller crowd, I’ve learned a lot about why I love it, and I’ve also realized a lot of things that I absolutely despise about it, so let me give you the rundown.
Probably the most confusing is the amount of people, this is a blessing and a curse. First, everyone knows everyone – yay! Second, everyone knows everyone, which means they probably know about all your business too – boo! This followed through my small high school and is painfully real in college as well, when they say it gets better, this is definitely not one of those times. With small campuses, people can be quick to make assumptions based on what they’ve heard from the grapevine, most won’t even verify, they’ll just take information at face value. Additionally, small campuses can be very cliquey, like to the max. I found that within the first week or so of college, many people had already begun to cling to those they’d seen or remembered from orientation, this became somewhat difficult as the clean slate of people to be friends with was quickly doodled over with little “X’s” and “taken!” Also, the one that really gets under my skin – small campuses are ignored, this is a major dump on the experience. Larger campuses get the events, the food, the clubs/extracurriculars, and classes – sigh – and I also know our little old Saint Pete could never. Even so, our campus excels in things that some of the larger campuses could never do – victory for the tiny campus!
Phew, now that the bad news semi-rant is pushed out of the way, I can talk about the flowers, sparkles, and rainbows of small campus life. I should first mention, I absolutely love it here, contrary to what may be taken away from my prior ramble. Smaller campus = smaller class sizes = jackpot. Small classes are great if you need that more in-depth, not as overbearing/overstimulating class experience (like yours truly). Since enrolling in these small classes, I have met amazing teachers and people, granting me opportunities to connect with people I know I never would have gotten the chance to if I had been at a big campus. For my internship, job, and thesis-writing students, the small campus may pose another strength. With a small campus and tight-knit community, finding mentors, internships, etc. can be a lot smoother of a process thanks to those small classes and meeting those professors and connections! As you get a closer relationship with college professionals, you are granted an automatic support system into the confusing and hustle-bustle world of academia. Also, for an outdoor, laid-back person, the small campus life is a godsend. Smaller campuses are much more relaxed from what I’ve seen, people are more likely to use the rec centers and interact around town than their big campus counterparts. Specifically, to my love St. Pete, our campus mends into the city almost seamlessly. I can walk to my class in 10 minutes and to the pier within 15 and then I can be on Central Street shopping with a boba tea in hand within another 15 minutes. Absolutely wild.
(Not a pro) Pro-tip, when looking for a college, it’s alright to see and acknowledge that a small campus may not be your cup of tea, and vice versa for large campuses. However, from my entirely biased perspective, the smaller campuses are like a fine fungus, they really do grow on you. Yes, there are the annoying aspects of missing out on events and clubs, but there is also the positive that a small campus could allow you to form your own super special, flamboyant, and unique club with equally superb events. I.E. Don’t judge a campus by its size, from one small campus resident to (maybe?) another.