The career benefits of small campuses where you’re not just a number

After mounds of crumpled up, tossed out attempts at “pros vs. cons” lists, hours of researching universities and their programs, and months of pondering, I can now decipher the logic resulting in the click of a mouse that enrolled me at a university.

Forced to choose between similar programs at four different universities, I knew another variable – a deciding factor – had to emerge.

"While discussing the scholarship with some friends who attend other universities, they laughed at the prospect of getting a professor to write them a reference letter."

Wilfrid Laurier’s small size of only 2,200 full-time students certainly differentiated it from the other campuses but, to be honest, I didn’t see this as an attractive quality at first. Worst-case scenarios from a small university’s limited choice of programs and course offerings, such as no flexibility and a carved-in-stone timetable, often ran through my mind.

To balance these fears and bring some symmetry back to the pros vs. cons list, I reconsidered the pro, “You’ll be more than just a number.” Originally, I thought this was just a phrase universities use to appeal to students who need to feel “special” by having their TAs or professors call them by name. I never needed that.

However, I now realize the valuable “academic networking” a small campus can provide.

In the first month or so of school, a professor outside of my faculty who had gotten to know which program his students were in, brought a relevant internship opportunity to my attention. The advertisement for this opportunity had found a resting place on a fax machine tucked away with faculty offices.

In the last week of the term, the same professor encouraged me to submit a paper to an essay contest. This was the first time I had heard of the contest, but luckily I found out about it just in time to enter a winning submission. I made an addition to my resume and a deposit to my bank account!

More recently, I stumbled upon an extremely generous scholarship program. I was eligible and the application was short, but I needed a reference letter from a professor. I hate asking people to write me reference letters as it is and there was some added nervousness, since I had to ask a professor.

While discussing the scholarship with some friends who attend other universities, they laughed at the prospect of getting a professor – who wouldn’t know them from the hundreds of other students in their class – to write them a reference letter. However, I was able to get a letter from this professor who had led a tutorial of about 20 students.

In the case of this reference, Laurier’s “smallness” could mean the difference between $0 and $27,000. I will have to wait until August to find out.

Likewise, many opportunities have resulted from a second contact at school. It started when I contacted her about one of her research projects. It wasn’t too long before I was hired for a brief stint as a research assistant. I have since talked to a few friends who attend larger universities, where policies are in place that prevent students from doing this type of work prior to second year. As a first-year student at a small campus, I was fortunate enough to be considered on an individual basis, taking into account that I had taken some senior-level courses during my first year.

About a week ago, this professor directed my attention to a posting for summer employment. Given the hundreds of other postings (and that isn’t an exaggeration), I don’t think I would have seen this specific opportunity had I not received a “heads up.” I was ecstatic to hear that I will start this job Monday morning! I know I’m one of the lucky students to have found work in my field, thanks to a helpful contact.

I have made contacts at Laurier aside from the two described below, but these give you an idea of how being “more than just a number” could lead to internships, employment, references (for jobs, grad school, or even scholarships), etc. The smallness of the campus set it apart from the other three universities to which I applied and I hope the experiences I gain while at this small campus will help set me apart from thousands of other students, all graduating with BAs.

This article was written by Elizabeth Baisley

Elizabeth Baisley studies Human Rights & Human Diversity at Wilfrid Laurier University's Brantford campus. Outside of her studies, Elizabeth works on campus as a research assistant in the field of international human rights. She is also involved with campus clubs and community organizations.