Anyone here go to a LARGE University?

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MyBoyHarper

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How do you handle it!!!

I start LSU in 2 weeks here. Everything in this state is LSU. Parents have dreams of their kids going to LSU. That is why the freakin' student body is just under 40,000 students!!

Anyways, I hate it. I don't want to go because it's so ginormous! Anyone else here go to college at a University that is freakin' massive?

One of my classes is just over a mile from the other one, and that is a lot of walking or bike riding everyday. I see myself getting burnt out very quickly. And, of course, the classes are huge. My english class has just over 500 students, my biology class is going to have just over 800 students, and is held in an arena. One of the math classes has over 1,000 students, and is held in Tiger Stadium, the gigantic football field! I think this is a littttlllee (okay, a LOT) too big for me. I'm worried about the constant walking, constant bike riding, everything is so big, it's going to drive me banana's!

Anyone else here have this experience?

Not to mention, everything fills up too dang quick! I didn't get any of the classes I wanted. I'm going for Veterinarian, and I'm taking Chinese and Archeology classes! At least they fill the Gen. Education Requirements, but still... jeesh!

 
My best friend's cousin is starting LSU in the fall as well! And you're right, many parents dream of there kids going there. As for how big the school is, I know it's intimidating. My high school was large and it took me about 3/4 of a mile to get from my art classes to my marine biology class on the other side of campus (I went to high school in Florida). My high school had about 5,000 students (even more now...I graduated in 2001). Because of the large school, I chose to go to a small college. It was smaller than my high school; 2,000 students. The class size was great. I think the biggest class had 25/30 students and the smallest had 6 (it was an art class).

If you are all set up for LSU in the fall (starts in September right) might was well go for the first semester and see how it goes. I wish my campus was big so I could have exercised going to class! My campus had underground hallways that went from the dorms to the academic building so that you never had to go outside (which was great in the winter in Illinois)...so I usually went in my PJs! Anyway, if you don't like it by November, think about transferring to a smaller school the next semster or fall. Ever heard of Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL? It's a very small school and is really great. However, you may want to stay at a school with a name that's more recognizable if you are going to be a vet or anything in any medical profession. As bad as this sounds, that school'sname on your diploma counts when it comes to that.

I will say, the one really big upside about it big school is if you are sick and don't show up, it's not a problem. You are given a syllabus for each class on the first day, outlining the entire semester. If you get everything in on time and don't miss really important lectures, sometimes you don't have to show up at all! If you go to a smaller school like I did, the teachers CALL you if you miss a day! In a large school, you get about 8 days you can take off a semester...in a small school, you get anywhere from 1-4 days and that's it. And they will still call your dorm! It was crazy!

Good luck at LSU and congratulations!
 
I don't know how many students are in the school I'm going to but my guess is a lot.

I went to a school with 1300 people (in a school built for 800) so it wasn't that bad but I'm starting in the University of Alberta which is a very well respected school in the fall so I imagine there are a lot of people. Some of my classes have almost as many people as there were in my graduating class.

I'm so nervous! Especially since I'm entering a course still very much dominated by men -- Engineering. Luckily I have a good friend with the same time table that will be a life saver I think! It's hard going to a new, large school when you're as shy as I am, so luckily I have someone there I can count on.
 
MyBabyBunnies, I was REALLY shy too when I went to college. I found though that, they have lots of fun stuff the first week of school (pizza parties, movied nights, hawaiian themed parties, etc) where you can go and meet people who are either (1) having fun participating in the fun or (2) laughed at all the people who were participating...which is how I met most of my friends :D. Just be open to meeting new people. And I'm sure knowing someone who is also going there will be cool! I went to a school 1,200 miles away from home and didn't know anyone at my school. But once I opened up, I met some of my closest friends there! I'm marrying one of them and the rest are participating in the wedding!

Good luck!
 
Hey guys, I am going to give it a try, however I am definitely getting a bicycle to go from class to class! Luckily I will be living at home, and about an hour from the school. I wanted to go to UMaine, and still plan to transfer in a year or two. It's been my dream college for years!

Things are looking a bit better, I just went and transferred some of my classes around, and they ended up having an opening to one of the classes I wanted. Plus, Biology is packed, and my class was at 7:30, but I dropped it and got into a 9:30 class that is a smaller size. Whew! I feel a good bit better now. The classes are a bit closer together now too.

Classes start on August 28th, and we're moving on the 18th, and my birthday is on the 14th. This month is so packed, my brain is in jammed mode!

I do like the idea that LSU has a lot of organizations to join, and lots of extra-curricular things to do that will keep it interesting. Fall and winter are also coming up, so that's a plus! The heat will be over soon, whew!

I'm also really shy MBB. Painfully shy! At Orientation I went to for 2 whole days, I seen crowds of people leave with all kinds of new friends. I felt kind of bad that I didn't even meet anyone, but I was just too shy to participate much. I think once I start, the shyness will get better. I was homeschooled, so I need to get used to a school as big as this one!


 
Hey there - I went to the University of Toronto - the school population was over 60,000 when I was there a couple years ago, so I know exactly what you are talking about. My Sociology class in 1st year had 2,000 students!! I had to walk 2km (a mile or so) between some of my classes too- it totally helped me stay in shape during school. I didn't mind the walking between classes - except in the winter, that was a pain in the butt, but in summer, it wasn't bad.

Hmm.. I think the key was the find smaller groups to be a part of. A club or association that you become a member of and participate in. I was in a program (Computer Science)that had a smaller community within the university - we had our own student association that organized events and thinks like that. And make time to find and hang out with friends. You'll find that you havedifferent people in every class, so having a buddy in each class is nice, but the key was finding people outside of just classmates to be friends with.

Will you be living on campus or have roommates? That helps a lot.

Edit: posted at the same time :)

__________
Nadia

 
I go to the University of British Columbia. It's practically it's own city. Everything you could need, including a hospital, is on campus.

I'm not sure how many students go there, but I know the first year courses are huge!

I'm in third year integrated engineering, and went to a smaller college for all my first year courses. My program only has 30 spots per year, so we are a very small, tight knit group, which I love.

MBB: Don't worry about the whole 90% male population in the engineering faculties, take advantage of it! I have so many good male friends now that would stick up for me if anything happened. I really enjoyed being a minority, as long as you don't expect special treatment, or take bad treatment, you'll be okay.

If you ever want to talk to some one about it, or ask for advice, feel free to PM me. I've been in this situation for 3 years now.

--Dawn
 
I went for a community college because I know Icouldn't handle universities!

I spent majority of my life living in big populated areas (Anchorage, Alaska and a suburb of Washington DC in Virginia) and then moved to a small town. Once I arrived in the small town/country enviornment I gained a big fear of cities. There's too many cars and people running around in cities for my tastes.

I started going to the community college at the main campus which is an hour away (closest college of any kind). My first quarters down there I was always looking around me in fear of someone sneaking up on me. It's not that it was in a seriously bad town it's just the fact that I graduated high school with a class of 80 students. That's huge for around here as graduation classes are in the 50's to 60's. So I decided to try online classes and have done them for a year. Not only does it savegas but also my sanitity! Well this summer I tried out a satalite from the campus by doing one class and love the little atomsphere.The classes are held in an addition to a YMCA and has about 12 rooms including the office, computer lab, school gearstore and bathrooms. My class has about 20 registered but on an average8 to 10 showup on theonly day we meet.

Some people aren't cut out for the populated world and I'm surely one of them. I know I wouldfreak out having a class with even50 people let alone 1,000 (that's bigger then my whole school district from which I graduated from)! 40,000 people is bigger then the population of my county. :shock:

I applaud you all that live in the big communities and attend the big colleges/universities!
 
I'm not overly worried about going to a new, big school. I mean, I may be VERY shy but I've found that in situations where I have no choice (like at work) that shyness disappears in an instant.

I found some numbers online saying the school population is about 40 000 but I'm not sure how old it is. That is still huge for us though, that's 4 times as big as my town and like 40 times as big as my school! The main campus is just HUGE. But that's to be expected, the U of A is one of the top 5 universities in Canada and one of the best for Engineering.
 
My university was about 30,000. I NEVER had a class of 1000!! 300 was probably my largest class.

I promise though...the crowds WILL lessen after about a month or so. Every year there would be people everywhere the first few weeks and then they would mysteriously dissapear.

Get to know the bus routes. There should be buses that arrive every 10-5 minutes that take you to different parts of the campus. Don't worry about the crowds at the bus-stops. Like I said, eventually they won't be a problem.

Even with buses though, you do have to walk a lot in college. I used to do 20 flights of stairs and not bat an eye-lash. My college also had massive hills. Leave early for classes and take it slow. It should get easier.

There are 2 kinds of colleges. There are "research" colleges and "teaching" colleges. My college was a "teaching" college. That means that its primarily purpose is to educate its students and nothing should take away from that purpose. At this type of college, you will have smaller classes and are more likely to have professors teach your classes and you even get to know them!! I went to a very large college and most of my freshman classes had no more than 30 students!!!

Then there are "research" colleges that are usually more prestigious. The professors are usually more interested in projects and writing books and journal articles. The classes tend to be bigger and you are more likely to have a TA instead of a prof.

Also, a good way to meet people is to join an organization. If you have a religious affiliation (or aren't opposed to getting one) that is great. I went to the Baptist Student Union, even though I am Episcopalian. They had a Freshman Survival Weekend right before school started that matched you up with a group of freshman and upperclassmen. It was great!! And even though I didn't make any long lasting friendships that way, it got me through the first semester until I was able to find a niche.

I am so sorry for a long post. I hope I can help. I teach high school seniors so I've had a lot of these types of conversations. Whatever you do, don't give up on college!! It is so worth it. Even if you transfer, find a place that you love. But in any college, there will be some adjustment. College is one of the best times of your life--really!!

 
Hi guys!

I went to Michigan State and it seemed soo huge when I first got there..by the time graduation came around I couldnt believe I had ever actually gotten lost on campus!

Some quick tips: Bikes are definitely good..just make sure you get a lock. Also, sit in the front of those huge lecture classes, you feel like its just you and the prof and that way he knows your face (especially when its a class of 300 and only 30 of you show up for every day class)..you'll be amazed at how your class size multiplies ten fold on exam days :)

Good Luck and remember that everyone there feels the same way you do!

-Haley

PS...our bunnies are great study-buddies, stress-relieversandsometimes try to be helpful page turners!


 
Haley wrote:
PS...our bunnies are great study-buddies, stress-relieversandsometimes try to be helpful page turners!
Click to expand...
Or helpful homework shredders... :XI made "my dog ate it" believable.
 
Wow, I'm a high-school junior, just starting my own college search, though my brother is starting UCSD next month. My school is 400 girls, so I can't imagine being in one class with 2x as many of us. I'm in classes of 7-25 girls, though there are classes with as few as 3 here. I definately can't imagine going from being homeschooled to such a large school, I would go crazy, oh wait, I already am.
 
Don't be scared of getting lost on campus it aculy kidna helps you find your way around just make sure you have a map on you.



Hey Haly Icurently go to MSU. (just moved back in today) Were did you live. Im in Mcdonel.

Your right campus dose look big at first but you learn your way aroundprittyfast. Most of the times i have goten lost itwas becuse I was over confident in my abblites to findng short cuts. Igess i wasent rely lost then i was just taking the senic rout.
 
Hey..another Michigan member!

I lived in Hubbard actually..but that was (yikes) 6 years ago!Ilived inan apartment my other three years so I wasable to have my bunnies! I lived in a house in downtown lansing lastyear, and this year I moved away..I miss lansing so much!

Do you have any bunnies right now?
 
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