The decision of whether to attend a big school or a small school is always one of the toughest for thousands of girls who are deciding where they want to attend college. Even after choosing one or the other, many still wonder whether they made the right decision once they’ve gotten to college. I, having chosen SLU (with a population of 2,464), obviously took the route of a smaller liberal arts school. I interviewed my best friend from high school, who attends Ohio State University (with a population of about 66,000), to get some perspective on what it’s like to attend a big school compared to a small one like SLU. Enjoy!
1. How important is joining a sorority when it comes to social life?
OSU: At Ohio State, joining a sorority is not important at all, it’s just personal preference. Here, only 11% of the population rush. Everyone still goes to all the same bars, goes to the same tailgates, and is engaged just the same. I believe that rushing can make a huge community like OSU seem more like a high school environment where you know everyone. So at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. But is it life or death? No.
SLU: At SLU, I would say that joining a sorority is not a major factor in having a social life. Here, only 18% of undergraduate females are involved in Greek life, so actually a higher percentage than OSU, but still a relatively low number. I would say that here it is also a personal preference because even if you don’t join a sorority there are so many other clubs to join, as well as off campus houses that are just as suitable for some girls as sororities are (for example: Commons College and the Outing Club). It all comes down to the kind of person you are and the kind of people you enjoy hanging out with.
2) What is the party scene like? (house parties vs. bars)
OSU: We go out Thursdays and Fridays. There are also Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tuesday’s we have country night at a bar called Threes and Wednesday’s are karaoke night at a bar called Fourth Street. To begin the night, my friends and I usually pregame in our dorm for about 2 hours. We then head to Midway (our main bar to start the night) that is, if we aren’t going to a frat. Frat parties are extremely difficult to get into for guys. They start earlier, usually around 10 and so if we go to a frat that night, we will start there, then everyone ends up at our 3 main bars: Midway, Bulls, or Trism. The bars are usually packed, and it’s hard to walk, but you usually see a lot of people you know. House parties (frats) have a way different dynamic than bars. At frats, everyone is in different parts of the house, mingling and what not and listening to music. At bars, everyone is usually just dancing and buying drinks. Usually you just decide what kind of vibe you want that night, then decide if you’re gonna spend the majority of your night at the frats or bars. Even tailgates are at frats. You go to a frat 3 hours prior to the game. Here, they give out free beer, lokos, and liquor. Frats are usually a better alternative to bars just because the booze is free. This is the same for both tailgates and regular parties on the weekend.
SLU: At SLU, the party scene really depends on what night of the week it is. For upperclassmen, Tuesday Blues at the Hoot Owl are always a thing and of course there is the occasional party on a weekday (Twisted Tuesday’s and Wine Wednesday’s), but for the most part, the party life is usually most alive on Thursday’s and Saturday’s. The typical night out at SLU for me usually goes like this: We pregame together with either a small friend group or sometimes a group from my dorm. Most pregame parties are typically thrown by sports teams and we’ll go to either the Suites, the Townhouses, or off campus house parties. Then, sometime close to midnight, pretty much everyone makes their way to the Ticker. For us, bars really aren’t a thing unless you’re 21 and you go to the Hoot or can drink inside the Ticker. For the rest of us, the Ticker is always an awesome alternative (even though the underage $10 entry fee is a little steep) and a great place to dance and mingle with everyone. Around 2am, the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic is almost always played as the Ticker closes and everyone makes their way home.
3) What is the classroom setting like? Faculty to student ratio wise, how engaged do the classes feel?
OSU: Classes here run just like they would at a small school so I always feel very connected. Our student to faculty ratio is 19:1. We have large lectures varying from about 100-600 people depending on the class. I never feel disconnected in lectures because the professors still ask questions and almost always expect answers. We then have a recitation class that consists of about 20-30. Here, you take your quizzes, review what you learned in lecture, ask questions and practice. So basically, you go to 2 classes for one subject. It’s a lot of exposure to the material. I like large lectures because I think it’s not as intimidating. However, the recitations are very helpful and I usually create a good relationship with my TA because they are usually super helpful.
SLU: Here at SLU, we have an 11:1 student to faculty ratio, so our ability to communicate directly with the professors is very easily accessible. The largest class I have ever been in was Biology 101 which was a lecture that consisted of about 100 students. In general, most of my classes are occupied by about 20-25 students max. I enjoy having such small classes because it forces me to engage in classroom activities whereas in bigger lectures I would never speak up. Smaller classes also provide room for more discussion, tangents, and questions because it’s easier to get back on track and everything is much more intimate. One of my favorite things about SLU is that almost all professors are willing to do anything that will help make your education easier. For example, most of my professors emphasize how much they want us to come to office hours and schedule appointments and ask questions. I truly feel that the professors want the best for all of their students and will do anything to make it happen.
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So, ack to the question of whether a big school or a small school is the way to go. Here’s my biggest piece of advice: Your college life (social and education wise) is all what you make it. I was genuinely surprised to see how much my friend and I agreed on regardless of the fact that we attend such drastically different schools. College is about finding out what kind of a person you are and learning how to adapt in your environment. Of course there are pros and cons to both but you just have to decide which is best for you. Know it’s up to you to make your college experience as amazing for yourself as you can!