Choosing between a liberal arts college and a research university can be difficult. Both offer advantages and disadvantages. Which one is better for you depends on your personality and what kind of college experience you’re looking for.
Some students prefer the smaller class sizes and close relationships with professors you get at a liberal arts college. Other students prefer the research opportunities and greater diversity offered at a research university. This guide breaks down the pros and cons of attending a liberal arts college vs. a research university.
Table of Contents
- Liberal Arts College Pros
- Liberal Arts College Cons
- Research University Pros
- Research University Cons
- Liberal Arts College vs. Research University: The Bottom Line
Liberal Arts College Pros
A Small Student Body and Close-Knit Campus
Liberal arts colleges typically have small student bodies and close-knit campuses. Students get more attention from professors and have easier access to campus resources.
For shy or introverted students, it can be easier to make friends and find your “tribe” at a small liberal arts college as opposed to a massive university. With 20 people in your intro classes instead of 200 and small, cozy dorms as opposed to gigantic high-rises, you can meet people organically just by living near them and going to class with them.
A Broad, Well-Rounded Education
Liberal arts colleges are not just one-trick ponies. They offer a wide range of classes in many disciplines, and students can often design their own majors or courses of study.
At a liberal arts college, you often have the opportunity to take a diverse range of classes outside your major. If you’re a computer science major but also have an interest in classic literature, a liberal arts college gives you the opportunity to take courses in Shakespeare and Chaucer while also meeting your CS requirements.
Some LACs, such as Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, even require you to minor in something completely different from your major. They call it their “unusual combinations” program. Employers and grad schools love it because it produces curious students with strong critical thinking skills, not robots trained to do a single job.
Close Relationships With Professors
Because liberal arts colleges are so small and intimate, professors develop actual relationships with their students. They’re often available to meet outside of class. Many LAC professors are even known for hosting students in their homes for dinner or game nights.
The close relationships that professors have with their students is one of the defining features of a liberal arts education. Professors at quality LACs don’t just serve as instructors inside the classroom but as mentors outside it.
Most liberal arts college professors have open-door policies. They’re always available to meet with students, whether it’s to discuss an upcoming project or exam or just to chat.
Lack of Anonymity
You won’t be anonymous at a liberal arts college. The class sizes are small, and the student-to-faculty ratio is low. That means you’ll get to know your professors, and they’ll get to know you.
You’ll also get to know your classmates since you’ll see them every day in your classes and around campus. Naturally, you’ll make friends with some of them as long as you put yourself out there and are open to new friendships.
As long as you’re open-minded and approachable, you’ll never be just a number or a face in the crowd at a liberal arts college.
Liberal Arts College Cons
Small, Confining Campus and Student Body
Small liberal arts colleges can be confining. The student population is usually small, which means you’ll see the same people day in and day out, similar to high school. After a few years, it can start to feel insular, as there simply aren’t any more new people to meet.
Liberal arts colleges also offer fewer extracurricular activities and clubs than larger schools. This can make it hard to find things to do outside of class. If the campus is located far from a big city or population center, a “bubble” environment can take hold, making it feel like you’re sealed off from the rest of the world.
Fewer Research Opportunities
Liberal arts colleges typically don’t have the same caliber of research facilities as larger universities, so there are fewer opportunities for students to get involved in research projects. This can be a disadvantage in certain fields — particularly the sciences — where getting involved in research can give you a leg up in the job market and grad school admissions.
On the flip side, since LACs typically have no grad students, the research opportunities that do exist are almost always available to undergraduates. At a larger university, there might be more opportunities available, but you might also have to compete with grad students for many of them.
Lack of Name Recognition
Because they tend to be small and lack big-time sports programs, liberal arts colleges don’t have as much name recognition as big state research universities. As a result, many employers are more familiar with large schools than with small LACs.
For this reason, LACs tend to be most popular with students who know — or at least strongly suspect — that they’ll be continuing their education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
While CEOs and hiring managers might not be as familiar with small liberal arts colleges, grad school admissions officers definitely know about them and respect the rigorous education they provide.
Research University Pros
Something for Everyone
Large research universities have something for everyone. With a large campus and a variety of majors and extracurricular activities, big schools offer a well-rounded college experience.
Want to nerd out and join a quidditch team? You can find one at most big schools. Love to sling iron and want to be part of a college powerlifting program? Most large research universities have one.
The point is, no matter how esoteric your hobbies or interests, research universities are so big that you can always find others who share them with you.
Unlimited People to Meet
At a big research university, you won’t see the same people every day. There are literally tens of thousands of students and hundreds of faculty members. You’ll never run out of new people to meet.
At a small college, on the other hand, it can start to feel like you know everybody on campus after a year or two. This can be comforting during those early days when you’re adjusting to college life. But as you get to be an upperclassman, it can start to feel limiting.
If you want to meet new people every day from all walks of life, a research university is the place to be.
Research Opportunities
If you’re interested in research opportunities, a big research university is the way to go. After all, they’re called that for a reason.
At a big research university, you’ll have access to world-class research facilities and faculty. You’ll be able to work on cutting-edge research projects in your field of interest.
But those opportunities won’t fall into your lap. You have to be proactive in seeking them out and convincing your professor or advisor that you’re the right person for the job.
Name Recognition
Another major advantage that large research universities have over small liberal arts colleges is name recognition.
When employers are looking at resumes, they often give preference to applicants who attended well-known schools.
If a recruiter or hiring manager is looking at a resume and sees a college or university they’ve never heard of, they might take the time to do a little research and learn that it’s actually a highly regarded, rigorous, elite institution.
Or they might be busy dealing with a stack of 100 applicants and pass on it, assuming it’s some for-profit diploma mill.
As a result, graduates from “name brand” schools tend to have a leg up in the job market right out of college.
Research University Cons
Lack of Personal Attention
It’s easy to get lost in the crowd at a big research university. With so many students and so much going on, it can be hard to stand out. At a smaller school, you’re more likely to get attention from your professors and to have more opportunities to get involved in activities and organizations.
For this reason, students who are “go-getters” and have naturally aggressive (or at least assertive) personalities tend to be the ones who thrive at big schools. Timid students are more likely to float through in anonymity while their more gregarious peers snag all the academic and social opportunities.
Lack of Focus on Undergraduates
Big schools are often chiefly focused on research, not teaching. That means that professors often have large class sizes and aren’t able to give students the individual attention they need. Many of them openly despise having to teach undergraduates and treat it like a chore rather than as a passion.
At many research universities, graduate students not only land all the best research opportunities, but many of them will be the ones teaching your intro classes. At top liberal arts colleges, on the other hand, nearly all classes are taught by tenured professors with Ph.D.’s in their field.
Massive, 300-Person Intro Classes
At a big research university, most of your intro classes won’t be taught in typical classrooms with 20 to 25 students but in giant auditoriums with 300 students. You’ll walk in, sit down, pull out your notebook or laptop, and furiously take notes for 50 minutes. Your grade will have two components: the midterm and the final.
This academic model works for some students but is an absolute disaster for others. It might sound great that attendance isn’t checked and that no one will care (or even know) if you aren’t in class. But that freedom ends up biting many freshmen in the rear when they sit down for that first midterm and have no idea what the answers are to the questions being asked.
Only you know whether you can thrive in a system where all of the initiative to go to class and keep up with the material has to come from you.
Liberal Arts College vs. Research University: The Bottom Line
There are pros and cons to both a liberal arts college and a research university. We outlined many of the biggest ones above. Which option is a better fit depends on what it is you want out of your college experience.
If you still can’t decide even after weighing all the pros and cons, consider spending a day or two at both a big research university and a small liberal arts college. See which campus feels more like “home” to you. Where would you rather spend the next four years of your life?
Above all, know that you can get a fantastic education at either type of school. College is what you make of it. Your experience depends far less on where you choose to go to school than what you choose to do when you get there.
