After transferring from a big school to a small school two years ago, I have experienced the advantages and disadvantages of both school sizes. Both offer many opportunities to the students, however these opportunities may be offered in different ways.

The main differences that I have noticed have been class sizes, classes offered, relationships with people and sports teams.

Coming from a large high school with over 2,600 kids, the first thing that was brought to my attention was the class sizes. It was a culture shock walking into a classroom as small as 10 students, where at a large school my smallest class had 30.

I felt as though I was not going to be able to get away with anything now because everyone seemed to be looking at me, but it turns out that in a small school you are given the extra attention and help needed, and are not distracted by the many noises of 30 high school teenagers. I am not just a number in a small class, I actually have a name and a face I am recognized by.

On the other hand, small schools do not offer the same classes as big schools. At a big school they are able to offer all core classes and have many electives to choose from compared to a small school where there may not be enough teachers or students to provide a large variety of classes. Students are given the opportunity to fashion their education around their own interests and are offered more advanced classes in larger schools.

When I was attending a big school, I was able to take AG (agriculture) classes along with art and foreign languages while taking my core classes. This may benefit students when they are looking to impress colleges because they already know what they want to do and have been prepared with the variety of classes.

A major difference in small schools vs. big schools are the relationships you build with your classmates and teachers. At a big school you may never know your teachers name and you will definitely never be able to speak to them and have a personal relationship with them if you didn’t know them already.

At a big school you also may never talk to a quarter of the students at school, but at a small school, if you desire, the opportunity to befriend almost every student is given. After a year at FC, I believe I can say that I know almost every student that attends, however at a big school, I hardly knew anyone there.

Finally, my favorite change from a big school to a small school is the sports. I am able to play any sport I choose and don’t have to worry about upsetting any coaches or getting cut. All athletes are encouraged to play three sports and maybe even four if necessary.

On the other hand, a small schools athletes are not exposed to the high quality competition, and it may be hard for colleges to find the talent at a generally quiet small school. If athletes are not looking to play at the next level however, a small school is the perfect place to work on their game and enjoy varsity sports.

Students may vary on opinions about what kind of school they think is better depending on the situations they are in, but for me a small school like FC is a huge blessing. I highly recommend a small school due to its many advantages of class size, availability of teachers, relationships with students, sports teams and a close community.

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For more opinions, read the Oct. 29 article, Espanol en el lugar de trabajo.