In life, we are faced with a myriad of pivotal life decisions. Deciding on where to attend college is certainly one of them. For the next four years, this place will be where you meet lifelong friends and grow into adulthood.
Perhaps, the university’s proximity to your home, campus, class sizes, or majors offered were factors in your decision-making process. Many of us that chose Monmouth can agree that the class sizes, location, and beautiful campus attracted us to the small university.
Of course, when we make a decision we sometimes wonder if would have been happy with the alternative. In our cases the alternative would be universities that are similar to Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State and the list goes on. We all have a friend that attends one of these larger universities and boasts with school spirit causing you to become a little envious from time to time. But I assure you we are not missing out.
Let’s start with the class sizes. At Monmouth, most classes cap at about 35 students compared to larger universities where there may be over 200 students in a lecture. Smaller classes allow you to engage in the lecture and actually show up to class.
Nicole Gallagher, a sophomore psychology student shared her thoughts on lecture halls with me, “Honestly I would probably skip class a lot at a big school. Many professors take attendance at Monmouth reinforcing the importance of attending each and every class.”
A small classroom environment allows professors to actually get to know their students and at the end of the semester, they will know you by your name and not as a number.
The professors really care about your success. They are always willing to speak to you after class to answer any of your questions. Monmouth’s professors are committed to seeing their students do well in their courses. Professor Warren Epstein, an adjunct math lecturer feels that Monmouth provides students with a one-on-one learning experience. “Professors have more time for you because there is a smaller student body compared to larger universities,” said Epstein. Professors give you extensive feedback on papers and assignments to let you know exactly which areas you need improvement in.
Once in a while we all schedule an appointment to meet with our advisors. We sit down with them face-to-face and discuss our schedules and future plans. Many of us students may not feel that this is a big deal, but at large universities appointments with your advisors simply do not exist. There are too many students and not enough enough faculty members to meet with each individual student. It’s up to you to figure out which courses you need to take in order to graduate on time without any guidance.
At large universities every department has its own office. If you need to pay your bill, go to student billing. Find out your financial aid award, wait 40 minutes to speak to someone on the phone that will tell you to call the student billing office with your question. Sounds frustrating, right? At Monmouth we are not given the run around and we get our questions answered thoroughly and timely.
Another perk to small schools is class convenience. Compared to a big school, Monmouth’s campus is a lot smaller. There is no need to hop on a shuttle bus to get to class because everything is walking distance. Grab your Dunkin’ Donuts coffee at the student center five minutes before class and I guarantee that you’ll make it to your lecture in Howard Hall on time. At a big school, make sure you leave an hour to get class because you never know how long it will take you to walk to class or if the buses are running on a different schedule.
Not to put down any other college campuses, but Monmouth is picturesque. Recently, Best Value Schools named our campus one of the “Most beautiful coastal college campuses.” I mean who else can say that there is a chandelier in their English class? For those of you have not had a class in Wilson yet, prepared to be stunned. From our perfectly manicured gardens, high-quality facilities, and proximity to the beach Monmouth is a breathtaking school.
Sure, we may miss out on those huge football games and tailgates, but I assure you we are at an advantage in certain areas when compared to those other schools. When walking around campus you are guaranteed to see a familiar face. At large universities almost everyone is a stranger. “I love running into friends when going to class. Chances are that you’ll see someone you know when on campus just because Monmouth is so small,” said Tierney Rosen, a sophomore psychology student.
By the time you graduate you’ll probably know almost all the professors in your major and will leave with life-long friends.
IMAGE TAKEN from wikipedia.com
