no, it's not what you think, it's about making a choice about the uni i want to go to. one problem, they have 2 campuses. One is by the beach, new, really nice, my career oriented classes but is small. The other is huge(pple wise), has a variety of classes, and more people/possibly more gays. i don't know which one to chose. should i go with the one with more people in the chance i can explore my sexuality or the small one? besides, the bigger campus is sort of near some gay bars. help, i don't know what to choose. thx
but what if there's no one there for me ( about 500 ppl) ? thanks for the advise im just scared that i won't have a gf until im 30 or something:3
Edit: Are you going for an undergraduate or a graduate degree? (below only matters if its for an undergrad) I'd personally pick the smaller one because of class sizes. However, in your case I would probably choose the bigger one unless your absolutely dead set on your major. The first year of college is really good for exploration. In your case, you'll have the benefit of having a larger gay community as well as probably having the opportunity to explore different fields. Many of my close friends went to college with one career in mind and switched after taking a class in a different field. Personally, social work wasn't all that high on my radar until I took a Social Problems class. Prior to that I was looking more heavily into Religion/Christian Ministries or even Psychology. After the first year, if your still set on your career choice then you can just transfer. Of course, if your dead set on your major then attending the university that best suits that major is the best decision IMHO.
There's more than just school to find people. Plus, if it's near a beach, it must be nice, and nice places attract people. You won't be single till your 30, I promise you. xD
The small college sounds great. If all you care about is meeting gay people, skip college and go move to New York or San Francisco. Lex
If you're doing an undergrad and you're aiming for a career that will require further schooling (i.e. you'll need a grad degree or a law degree or a MBA after), I'd go for the big one because in most cases, you don't need to worry so much about specialization in that type of undergrad (as long as the bigger campus has classes you are actually interested in taking). If you're doing a grad degree or a degree where you're going to be going right into a career after it, you need to think about where you will find the right classes and the right people to make connections with. Of course, it would help to know the two settings to give you better advice. Also, it depends on your personal preferences. I mean, beaches are generally nice but personally I think they're highly overrated. Also, do you like large places which are busy with people or do you prefer more intimate settings? If you have no preference or you are into socially active places, go for the bigger campus. If you prefer more calm in terms of people, don't force yourself into an environment you are not going to be comfortable in.
Here's something that a lot of people don't realize when selecting schools: When you go to a large university, you'll have a bunch of lecture classes (100-200 people or more) and a bunch of classes taught by grad students. The "name professors" at the big schools rarely, if ever, teach undergrad classes, and if they do, they are not very accessible. When you go to a smaller (4 year) college, there are no grad students, so the professors are all teaching their classes, and because they are usually also doing research in their chosen field, the quality and depth of the education is often better. And it is much easier to interact with your professors; at Oberlin, there's a formal "invite your professor for a beer" day every week and lots of other opportunities for informal interaction that tends to be a lot harder to come by at schools where professors have grad students who are teaching most of the undergrad classes. Joey also makes some great points about bigger schools; there tends to be more diversity in programs, and more depth in faculty in each department, so greater resources all around for learning... but the downside is that most undergrads don't get to make use of much of that. I'd also add that, for me at least, being in a small school is amazing because you do get a chance to get to know pretty much everyone on campus, and there tends to be a very rich interaction that comes of having that sort of closeness. But some people can find it stifling and constricting as well. It really boils down to what's most important to you. I'd personally go for the best academic experience and the clise-knit social environment, but that's my personal choice and your interests and desires may be different.
>>>I'd also add that, for me at least, being in a small school is amazing because you do get a chance to get to know pretty much everyone on campus, and there tends to be a very rich interaction that comes of having that sort of closeness. But some people can find it stifling and constricting as well. I'll second this. I went to a smallish school in southern CA, and it was great. The school - and specifically the friends I made there - were instrumental in molding me into the smart-but-smart-assy gargoyle you see before you. I'm still in regular contact with a good handful of those friends today, nearly two decades after graduation. Lex
The two universities I have experience with are among the biggest in Canada... the trick to making that work in an undergraduate program is that yeah, in 1st or 2nd year your classes are generally pretty big (but you can take honours classes or specialised ones or summer ones that are smaller) but usually by 3rd or 4th year class sizes start coming down. In that kind of situation, how much interaction you have with professors and instructors is up to how much effort you make to make yourself known. I was very well-known in my department by the time I finished and several profs knew exactly who I was--so it is definitely possible. Also, some grad students are FAR better teachers than any university profs I've ever had because they're actually still very enthused about the excitement of academia, so having grad students or sessional instructors teach you is not in and of itself a bad thing. Some profs with tenure are absolutely appalling teachers because all they care about is their research and reputations.
Umm I'm at a school of more than 20000 people. I haven't found a single boyfriend from this school. All the guys I've dated I found outside the school. So I think you should go to a school that is for YOU not for your love life. You'll find a girlfriend eventually just let it happen, don't just go to some school where you won't enjoy your school life because it won't have what you're looking for. Go to the school that meets your needs, and then worry about love life. Because girllove, what you do with your life comes first. Relationships should come second. You have tons of time to find a girlfriend, but it's better to get ur education now than in ten or twenty years.
>>>Some profs with tenure are absolutely appalling teachers because all they care about is their research and reputations. I found this much less a problem at my small school, at least when it comes to "reputation". Most of my professors were doing this because they loved the work. If anything, they felt the research to be an intrusion on what they felt they should be focusing on - teaching classes. Lex
