Nothing compares to the college experience. Yet, this experience is different for every single person. Some people’s college experience is getting wasted every night and waiting until the last minute to submit their assignments. Others’ experience involve participating in athletics or clubs, and waiting until the last minute to submit assignments. The one thing that is universal within the college community is the fact that everyone waits until the last minute to submit their assignments. It is the college way. However, private and public colleges both display a different type of college experience.

One of the biggest differences between a public and private college is the size of the student body. There are roughly three times more public college students compared to private college students. This difference can determine what type of college experience a student might have, and the experiences might be different than you would expect.

Skyler Cochran is a junior at the University of North Georgia, and also attended Piedmont College her freshman year. “Class sizes were a lot smaller [at Piedmont] which was nice, but I feel like [at a public college] you still get to know your professors the same way.”

“I feel like professors at UNG care about their students at the same level, and they don’t see you as a number here. It was like that at Piedmont too but because it was small classes professors would focus on specific students.”- Skylar Cochran

So while you would expect the smaller classes at a private college to be beneficial, that is not necessarily the case. It seems like a private college rewards longevity. A junior and senior will enjoy their time a lot more than a freshman or sophomore, because everyone on campus knows who they are. It creates a sense of superiority, whereas a public college does not have that issue because of the high number of students.

Something else that plays a large role in the college experience is the amount of friends people have throughout college. Cochran explained,  “At Piedmont you were always with students who were in the same department as you and had the same scholarships. For instance, I was in the theatre department and Piedmont singers, and you were always around the same students. So I like UNG better because I can meet new people.”

The college experience is going to be different for everyone. Some people will prefer the high population of a public college, and the ability to make as many new friends as they want! Likewise, others may enjoy going to a private college and having the opportunity to make themselves a big fish in a little pond. Either way, everyone has their perfect college to perfectly fit their needs and wants. While private and public college students may be different, they all still share that one simple thing; waiting until the last minute to submit an assignment. And with that, college students everywhere lift their glasses to a toast of procrastination.