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Small vs. Large Education Facilities: Advantages and Disadvantages

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The size of a college is an important consideration when choosing an institution of higher learning. Small and large schools each offer advantages and disadvantages. The right size campus is subjective and depends on the wants and needs of the individual attending the school. ACT, maker of the college entrance exam of the same name, lists ten factors for students to consider in addition to size when choosing a college. These include programs and majors offered by the school, admission requirements, costs, financial aid, environment, activities such as sports and clubs, location, housing, facilities, and campus tours ("College: How to choose, 2009, p. 17).
The size of the college can affect some of these factors. "Small" and "large" are subjective terms, but for the purpose of this paper, a "small" college campus will be defined as one that has 5,000 students or less. (The website InsideCollege.com actually lists eighty-five schools with enrollments of under 1,000!).
Small colleges have limited course offerings. The smallest colleges may have a single focus; art schools and bible colleges fit into this category. Large colleges have the physical space and financial resources to offer a wider range of majors and courses. For example, a small college may offer only French and Spanish as options for foreign language study and may not even offer a major in either one. By contrast, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has several language departments, including East

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