The selection of a college has become more difficult for many students as they face the strain of leaving family and friends, getting the funds to pay for college, and finding work in their fields after graduation. So, a process that should be an exciting challenge, for many, turns into a burden. Often students and their families must make a life decision without enough information about all their alternatives. Information on large schools is readily available through word of mouth and media coverage. But, what can a small, independent college offer?

One solution is the specialty college. Small schools that offer liberal arts programs, talent programs such as art or design and business programs attract students with similar interests and encourage an atmosphere that is challenging, competitive and yet cooperative. Webber College, located in a rural community in central Florida, is a small independent four-year business college. It is an internationally known institution whose graduates are sought after in a variety of businesses and industries. The students often attribute employment and graduate studies successes to the internship programs and the special attentions of the faculty. Their parents often attribute the success to the career services office and the environment that encourages hard work and creativity. The faculty and staff often attribute the success to a strong curriculum and top-notch academic programs. In truth, the success is a result of all these and more.

Students from small and large high school environments are faced with many of the same problems. Despite the large numbers of students and the size of the facilities of the vast colleges and universities with numerous campuses, the ways students needs are met vary from school to school. Students and their families realize that modern transportation and communication make the world a small place. The small college can offer the student amenities that are seldom achievable at larger institutions. Knowing that, they are rightly concerned about selecting a college that will meet all their needs: academic, social, and career.

How do small, specialty colleges achieve this? It begins with the faculty. The faculty of small colleges tend to be a close knit group of professionals with experience in the field in which they teach. Frequently, they hold a practical expertise as well as academic training. They identify themselves as teachers, not researchers and they take pride in the important, practical, useable knowledge they impart to their students. The students who study in a small college get to know the professors in and out of the classroom. A low faculty to student ratio means that class size will be small and access to the professor after class will be easy. Students are very often invited to visit with professors during their office hours to learn more about their field of study and the opportunities available to them.

A side effect of this mentoring relationship is that students become satisfied and confident in their studies. Those who struggle are recognized quickly and professors can catch problems early on in the student’s academic progress. Students with learning problems, whether a disability, poor academic preparation for college, or inexperience in time management and self discipline in study, generally can seek help at a number of sources on the small college campus. The professionally staffed tutorial lab or peer mentoring program can offer assistance to students in specific academic areas, such as math and English, business studies or general studies. Many colleges present sessions on organization, time management and goal setting as part of a strong student development
department.

Most small colleges boast an excellent up-to-date Computer Resource Center that is open and available to students more than forty hours per week. At Webber College, international students from over forty countries are able to contact family and friends at any time of the day.

Professional and student assistance is available in the center. No matter what the specialty of the small college, courses and projects center heavily on computer usage and knowledge. Colleges eagerly acknowledge the absolute need for the modern businessperson, designer, artist, and teacher to be well versed in the use and capabilities of computers. The Learning Resource Center supplements the computer center with additional workstations, databases, and research facilities for student use. All in all, the environment encourages and enables the student to acquire expertise in this essential area of business or other specialty area of study.

The Career Development Center is an active hub for students from the beginning of their small college experience. From the freshman year, the colleges offer workshops on resume writing, interviewing skills, portfolio building and other preparations which make it easier to open the door to success in the business world. They maintain professional contacts among international corporations and local companies. The annual Career Day is a common event on most campuses. The advantage at a small college is the close personal ties that recruiters develop with faculty and the career services personnel. Students and their families are pleasantly surprised to learn of the participation of recruiters from some of the largest and best-known companies in the world. As a matter of fact, on some campuses, such as Webber College, Career Day is an opportunity to display accomplishments of its alumni.

So, what can a small college offer? Strong academics, personal attention, rewarding relationships with peers and faculty, easy access to facilities and staff people and high career placement success... a personal commitment to preparing business leaders, students entering professional and graduate programs, teachers, and creators with the training and skills that enable them to jump into jobs on the cutting edge of today’s business world... that’s what a small college can offer.

Contributed by:
Webber College