I've been attending Michigan State University for the past 4 years, and have 1 year left. These last 4 years have been the best of my life so far, and I know I'm going to miss it when it's over. Going to a large university or college, like MSU, can be one of the most memorable parts of a person's life. Here's why.

Other Students
When you're on a campus with 40,000+ other students, it's impossible not to find people that you share similar interests with. Chances are you'll make many friends right away, living in the dorms, since dorm residence is mandatory for freshman non-commuters.

College is also a great place to meet people of the opposite sex. In the time I've been at MSU, I've had 3 girlfriends that I met here. Relationships aside, I also have several really good female friends. And if you're just looking for a good time, you can generally find it at college, if you're into that kind of thing.

The Dorms
Some people rip on the dorms, for various reasons. They think they're not cool, they want a place of their own, they had a bad experience with a past roommate, or whatever. But I feel that the dorms have been one of the biggest reasons I've been enjoying college so much.

One reason is distance to friends. It's very nice to be able to walk down the hall to hang out with your friends, not really having to have any prior plans to get together. And if one friend isn't home, just try someone else.

Another reason is distance to class. Living on-campus, it's almost always reasonable to walk, ride your bike, rollerblade, or skateboard to class. And for the lazy man, there's always the bus. If you live a non-walkable distance from campus, you either have to get a bus pass (not so bad) or drive (don't ever do this - parking is a migraine) to class.

Then there's always the break-between-classes. If you don't drop out of college immediately, you will have some semesters where you can't schedule every class in blocks. If you lived off-campus, what would you do? You could always go study somewhere, or just walk around. But living on campus, you have the option of going back to your room.

One other great thing about the dorms is the cafeteria. Quell the urge to discharge the bile rising in your throat -- the cafeteria is awesome. Sure, the food might not always taste the best, but you can't beat the variety, and you don't have to cook or clean up.

The dorms do have their down-sides. You're not guaranteed to get a compatible roommate, you might not get along with the other kids on your floor, you may have to go to a study lounge or even the library to study, and there will inevitably be those kids that think their sub-woofers are the greatest thing in the world, and want to share the wealth with everyone else. But for most people, I think the pros of dorm life definitely outweigh the cons.

Clubs and Organizations
Almost any extracurricular activity you can think of will be found at a large enough school. Whether you like something as common as basketball, or something a little more out there, like poultry clubs (no joke), chances are you can find an organization for it. And if not, most universities have an extensive support structure for starting your own club.

Parties
What can I say? I am a college student, and partying and relaxing are important parts of most college students' lives. We'd go crazy otherwise. Having been here for 4 years, however, my preference for party types has changed. The first 2 years, it was fun to go to party-parties, those being the kind at a fraternity, house, or apartment. Over time though, I got sick of the over-crowdedness, the smoke, and having beer sloshed on me. Nowadays, I find it more fun to just hang out with my friends (the guys and sometimes our girls) and tip a few back (whether or not we get drunk), and watch movies or play video games. If that doesn't sound like much of a party, I understand. My freshman year, I would have laughed at someone who called that sort of gathering a party. But it's funny how a person changes over time.

Education
The quality of your education depends on the school, your major at that school, and how much effort you put into it (don't worry, I'm not going to preach here). This should obviously be a large deciding factor in where you go to college. If you know what you want to do, shop around for the schools with the best reputation in the program you want. If you're clueless, you can choose a school based on overall reputation, and figure it out after a year or two.

If you go to a larger school, chances are the education you receive will be better. Sure, you will have to take university requirement classes to make you more "well-rounded", but employers like that kind of thing.

One bad thing about large schools is that your classes will have many more students in them, which minimizes your one-on-one interaction with the prof or TA. But even then, the classes generally get smaller in size as you advance to the higher-level classes of your major.

Work
Working for your college. Most people cringe at the thought of on-campus jobs, but some of them are pretty sweet. Take for instance desk receptionist. You sit behind the front desk of a dorm, and answer people's questions. A lot of the time, you will be able to read, work on stuff for class, or do whatever else you want.

An even better job to have is in the computer labs (I speak from personal experience). You sit behind a desk, answer people's questions, help them if they're stuck with something, and occasionally clean the lab. 95% of the time will be your own, however. So there you are, sitting at a desk with a computer, getting paid to do pretty much whatever you want. Even if you only get minimum wage, it's nearly free money. And if you're at a large school, there will be more job openings, more computer labs, and more shifts to fill.

The Bottom Line
You've heard the term "poor college student", and it's no joke. Unless daddy is a CEO and gave you a car for graduation, chances are you will be paying for some or all of your college education yourself, through loans and working. Sure universities and big colleges are more expensive; but if you can afford it, the friends you meet and the memories you make will be more than worth it. If you have even the slightest notion of pursuing an education beyond high school, look into some larger schools. Attend one, and you won't be disappointed.

Recommended: Yes