With roughly just over 8,700 students, Salisbury University is on the smaller size in terms of colleges. A smaller school does not mean smaller opportunities or experiences, however. Many students at Salisbury University chose the school partly for its size. Smaller schools offer numerous benefits both in and out of the classroom.
“I think you have more opportunities to do more things that you wouldn’t be able to do at a large school, and the teachers know your name more here … I had the opportunity to be an SI [supplemental instructor], and I don’t think I’d have had the opportunity to do that at a larger school,” SU junior Jade Miller said.
Miller’s sister who attended Salisbury also saw the opportunities that can be present at a smaller school.
“My sister went here too, and she was able to do a lot of research with her professor, like she actually published a research article with her professor, and I know at a large school, people don’t have an opportunity to do stuff like that,” Miller stated.
Another benefit of a smaller school is the class size. Salisbury’s average undergraduate class size is 24 students and is sometimes even lower in classes that are required for one’s major. Junior Juan Arango appreciates the smaller class sizes, especially after transferring from a much larger school.
“At the University of Maryland, I had a class with, like, three hundred people, and that wasn’t even a gen-ed class, it was a class for my major. It’s way better to not be a number but to actually be your name,” Arango said.
Smaller class size also allows for students to get to know their professors and professors to know the names of and more closely interact with their students. Camille Grey, a junior, stated that her professor works with students one on one, something that may not be seen in a larger school.
“My statistics teacher, Professor Short, she stays after [class] for an hour, and she helps us with our paper assignments or with any other homework assignments,” Grey stated.
Arango has also been able to foster a relationship with his professors and receive guidance and help from them whenever it is needed.
“I’m a Spanish major and an international relations major, and my professor, Dr. Pubill, she’s really close to me. She mentors me a lot and helps me a lot as soon as I got here, as soon as I met her,” Arango said.
Just as students like being able to get to know their professors on a personal level, professors at Salisbury enjoy being able to get to know their students on a first-name basis.
“I think we get to know the students better, and I think students like that too. I’ve noticed that some students [are] intimidated at first when they come to any unfamiliar setting, so it’s always nice to kind of know your professor, be able to say hi to them and feel comfortable coming in and asking whatever [question they have],” geography professor Keota Silaphone stated.
Students also may value Salisbury’s small size due to the convenience of going from place to place on campus. Most buildings at Salisbury are less than a 10-minute walk from each other, which allows students to get from class to class without being late.
“[When] I used to go to University of Maryland, and it was awful because I had to take, like, 30-minute walks, like sprinting, to get to class [on time],” Arango stated.
Small colleges certainly don’t mean small benefits. Often, they offer numerous opportunities, some being opportunities that are not as easily found at a larger school. Students are able to create relationships with faculty, the students around them and even the community.
By LAURA AMRHEIN
Staff writer
Featured photo from Salisbury University.