Before beginning my freshman year at UMass Amherst, I was worried about attending such a big school. Despite my concerns, I eventually grew accustomed to its large size within a couple weeks — I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. Fast forward two and a half years, and I’m studying abroad at the Lorenzo de ‘Medici Institute in Rome, Italy. Compared to UMass, it’s a tiny school. It’s quite the adjustment. Going from a flagship state university composed of over 20,000 undergraduate students to an institution overseas with a mere 50 is a huge change, so here are the best — and worst — things about it so far.
Class Size
I’ll admit, small classes have their pros and cons. Being a psychology and English double major at UMass, I’ve sat in psych lectures as big as 300 students, and I’ve sat in English classes as small as 25 students. I get it — sitting in the back of a lecture hall can be nice on those days you haven’t slept and have no desire for human interaction. But there’s also something to be said about small classes.
Here in Rome, my classes range from 8 to 12 people. Although such small classes can be daunting, they’re useful: they force me to pay attention and participate. I know I’m better off in my Italian language class with seven other people because there are plenty more opportunities for me to speak. Even compared to a class of 30 people at UMass, the small classes here are way more beneficial to my learning.
Relationships With Professors
On a similar note, having such small classes allows me to form relationships with my professors. At UMass, I have to compete with hundreds of other students for a professor’s attention. Here, on the other hand, professors have few enough students that they don’t need to stretch themselves thin. I can tell that by the end of the semester, I’ll have some sort of relationship with my professors that will extend beyond them knowing my name.
Program Size
UMass Amherst’s giant undergrad population and vast campus make it impossible to meet everyone there. The nice thing about having so few people in my program here is that I’m able to meet everyone and get to know them, even just a little bit. Not only do we see one another at school, but we live close by and even travel together on school-sponsored trips. Although everyone still forms their own friend groups, it’s cool being able to recognize everyone in my program. Rome is huge, but I always manage to run into people from my program at the grocery store or riding the tram. Being part of such a small community can be nice compared to the anonymity of UMass.
Campus
UMass has a pretty huge campus. Sometimes, the allotted 15 minutes is barely enough time to get from one class to the next. Here in Rome, my school is tiny. My “campus” consists of one floor of an apartment-style building, with 5 classrooms, a couple of offices and a little library. The plus side to this is that I don’t have to run around trying to make it to my next class on time. Anywhere I need to be is literally steps away. On the other hand, being in such a small space doesn’t give me a wide range of places to hang out in between classes. At UMass, the library alone has 30 floors, and that’s only one of many buildings that I can choose from. Additionally, the fact that Lorenzo de Medici has a tiny campus doesn’t mean that I live close to the school. The downside of going to school in the middle of a city is that my apartment is a 20-minute bus ride, or a 45-minute walk. Then again, I do get to see the Colosseum on my way to class, so I guess I really can’t complain that much.
So far, I’m loving Lorenzo de Medici Institute, and I’m so thankful I have the opportunity to be attending. I know the school’s small size is one of value, and it’s a nice break from UMass’s enormity. Still, I don’t think I would have been happy attending a small school for all of undergrad, and I can’t wait to be back in a giant UMass lecture hall come September.
Images courtesy of author.