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It would seem that small colleges do face difficulties that larger schools do not have to worry about because of their size.  Issues of finding funding (or needing more from unwilling donors), providing social and extra-curricular activities, and making attendance more affordable for the student body plague small colleges annually.  However, there are strengths in the smaller sized schools, such as strong teacher-to-student bonds, and greater academic flexibility. I believe that the best piece of advice comes from Peterson’s: schools that fall between a student body size of 1,000 to 3,000 students allow for the benefits of a smaller school’s academics, while also providing more social life typically attributed to large schools.

"Sizing Up Colleges: Big vs. Small." Find a College. 2009. Collegeboard, Web. 13 Nov 2009. <http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/campus-life/37003.html>.

Collegeboard.com takes an even look at what both kinds of schools—small colleges and large universities—have and lack, and how that might determine the student’s experience at that type of school.  For small colleges, they highlight the strong teacher-to-student connection, the flexibility in designing a major, and the strong sense of community among the student body. However, Collegeboard notes the lack of well-known sports programs, the stifling social environment, and limited housing options. For large schools, they highlight the variety of majors/minors, distinguished faculty, and the range of academic and social opportunities. Large schools tend not to have faculty, but rather TAs teach classes. Also, there is less flexibility in the curriculum of a large university, as well as large, impersonal classes.

Petersons. "Big Colleges vs. Small." Ask the Dean. 2009. College Confidential, Web. 13 Nov 2009. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000217.htm>

In Peterson’s article, he draws an important point that students often misjudge their preferences for school size and transfers are common if the size of the school is undesirable.  He notes that while small schools offer more personal attention to students who lack self-motivation or extroversion, they can be “stifling” and offer little in the way of a social life.  Schools in urban environments are the same: while they are situated in an urban setting, the school itself provides little in the way of extra-curricular activities or entertainment. This can get expensive for students.  Larger colleges make up for the pitfalls of smaller schools, but tend to lose sight of students who are not self-directed. Peterson’s final piece of advice is that students do the best at medium sized schools (meaning a student body of anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 students).

Selingo, Jeffry. "At Meeting of Small Private Colleges, Presidents Don't Worry Too Much About Economy." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 05 Jan 2009. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Web. 13 Nov 2009. <http://chronicle.com/article/At-Meeting-of-Small-Private/42191>.

In Jeffry Selingo’s article, he addresses a curious issue that surrounds small colleges during times of economic upheaval: how do we continue functioning with limited funds and a student body feeling the crunch of the recession?  Philanthropic foundations begin to pull out of supporting small colleges with money; colleges must make the embarrassing move to ask alumni and living donors to scholarships to contribute additional, annual gifts; the college does not get as much revenue because students opt for non-residential living arrangements. To make things a little more complicated, faculty has never been more bountiful than during times of recession. While this is good for the college academically, the hiring of new or additional faculty puts another financial burden on the small school.  Some colleges have adjusted their budget plans in order to asses how many accepted applicants will attend, which allows the school some flexibility in knowing how much to ask for from the students.  In all, although there are tough problems facing schools of a small size, it seems that because of the nature of their school they are able to be flexible and depend on their alumni for further financial assistance.