Now one of the main reasons I came to FGCU is because of how close-knit everything seemed. It wasn’t a super large campus, it was close to home and they had some really strong programs. Not to mention this campus is beautiful. Most people could only dream of having a waterfront right in their backyard. There are a lot of benefits to coming here, but there are also some downfalls to going to a small school.

For one, classes can be difficult to choose. As a journalism major with a theater minor, there are not enough professors to take on all the classes FGCU wants to offer. It’s great when they add a class and when I can take a course for my field like Musical Theater, but it’s not so great when a class gets dropped because they can’t find someone to teach it.

Something that also isn’t the best is when they don’t tell you the classes are dropped. You sometimes have to figure things out on your own and hope it doesn’t interfere with your graduation plans. When it comes to smaller campuses you may have to take a class that only has one professor teaching it and only at one set time. There are not many options as to what classes you can take and when you can take them.

I can’t tell you the number of things I have to miss out on because I have a required class to take and it’s only offered at 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday. Sometimes even the classes I want to take conflict and then I’m at a crossroads as to what I should do. Being at a small school is nice because you can gain personal connections with your professors which I love, but when those professors leave then the school has to figure out what to do next.

Another complication with smaller universities is that there may not be as many opportunities available. It can sometimes feel like people are vying for the same thing because of limited resources or positions. Smaller schools’ limited resources might often make some subject offerings impossible. It can also mean that there may not be enough students to fill a class, so the course can’t go forward. A lot of times classes are dropped because there aren’t enough students to take them, but sometimes the repercussions it has are worse. If you are a graduating senior and need to take a class that gets dropped, problems may arise.

For some, education isn’t the issue, but the difference in social life is. We may not have the “usual” tailgating events that most schools have before a big football game, and there may also be less variety in social life. You may also see the same people all the time if they have the same major as you. That can be either a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. There are usually fewer sports programs and extracurricular activities. Overall, it can sometimes feel like you have a limited campus experience.

I do love my smaller university, but sometimes I feel a bit lost with the lack of resources available. For some, a small university is the greatest thing in the world and for others, it’s the opposite. Work with what you have and do what’s right for you.