In the UK we are lucky enough to have a wide variety of universities to choose from. Whether it be a specialist institution, small campus, big campus or even an urban-based uni, there are plenty of different types for students to pick from. I wanted to perhaps shed light on what it is like attending just one of these types of university. The Big Campus university, which is a type of institution I currently attend myself in Birmingham.
I will just say from the outset that I understand every student experience will be different at different universities. What I will say, though, is that universities that operate on a big campus certainly have unique traits. The large number of students leading to a large number of societies and student groups as well a huge number of study spaces, sports opportunities and places of entertainment required to keep students satisfied. Big Campus universities will not have the same community feel of a small campus institution and therefore need to create tight knit communities which unite people with common interests.
Big advantages
While a lack of community on campus may be a disadvantage of big campus universities, there are some significant advantages. The sheer size of the student base means that there is likely to be a group of friends for everyone. Often at smaller universities or specialist institutions students may not be able to find a really strong core group of friends that they associate with and can often feel like they have to adapt to fit in. There is very little risk of that in a big university containing thousands of students as the universities strive to make sure there is something for everyone. Even if this isn’t an involvement with a student group and just making friends out and about, big campus universities are perfect for finding a great group of friends.
Significant status
My final point about big campus universities is something that students may feel very differently about. Big campus universities tend to carry a certain amount of status. Sure there are still small institutions which carry a significant status in the UK, but the larger institutions tend to carry more of the history and standing than the smaller ones. With this, I think when making a choice about which type of university a student prefers this is an important factor. For students who relish the opportunity to attend a high standing institution then big campus universities can be brilliant. For those who feel that status and historical standing aren’t as important or even negative to an individual’s university education then maybe a different type of institution would suit.
Like I say there really is no right or wrong answer as to whether students should aspire to attend a big campus university. And in a way, I don’t feel like there should be. Students make different choices about where they wish to continue their education for a variety of different reasons. As long as universities strive to ensure that their student body is happy and secure then really the answer in this case may be that size doesn’t matter!