Hi! I've heard a lot about the benefits of attending a small college, but I'm not really sure what is considered small. Is it based on the number of students, the campus size, or something else? Input would be appreciated!
In most discussions about college size, people usually refer to the total number of students, not the physical size of the campus.
There's no universal rule for what constitutes a "small" college, but in general, institutions with fewer than 5,000 students are often categorized as small colleges. This includes both undergraduate and graduate students. The focus is on the overall student population because that can significantly affect your experience. For example, at small colleges, classes are typically smaller which enables more opportunities for individual attention from professors and close-knit community interactions.
Remember, though, that everyone's definition of small might vary. Some people might only consider institutions with fewer than 2,000 students as small colleges. It's really about the environment and the student experience that you're after, which can be impacted by many factors—a small student population is just one of those factors.
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