Large class size vs small class size

[constantlyeating]

Hello! I am a first time applicant for the 2020-2021 cycle. As I am finalizing my list of schools I was wondering if I can get the pros and cons of attending a PA program with a class size of 100 students vs a class size as small as 30. It seems that on average, the programs have around 40 students, but coming from a large university, I always enjoyed attending a class with over 400 students..I was wondering if anyone has insight on this? Thank you in advance.

[UGoLong]

Hello! I am a first time applicant for the 2020-2021 cycle. As I am finalizing my list of schools I was wondering if I can get the pros and cons of attending a PA program with a class size of 100 students vs a class size as small as 30. It seems that on average, the programs have around 40 students, but coming from a large university, I always enjoyed attending a class with over 400 students..I was wondering if anyone has insight on this? Thank you in advance.

I suppose it’s personal preference. Your classes in PA school tend to be — at their best — more interactive and the bonding with the other students can be central to both your success and enjoyment.


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[MT2PA]

As above, personal preference.

Pros and cons to each.  Might be something I would consider when choosing where to apply, but not a deal breaker in accepting an offer.

[Janie55]

In general:

Large class: instructors don’t get to know you as well; it’s harder to connect with peers; possibly harder to get prof help; better collaborative ideas and diverse views; more people in a program could mean more opportunities to find people you connect with; less likely to get annoyed by others in the class with a more diverse group.

Small class: instructors will get to know you, your peers will all get to know you, could be easier to get prof help, less diverse ideas, if you don’t jive with peers you could feel isolated, your peers could get on your nerves more.

I know there are exceptions to everything I mentioned.

[coffee]

I graduated from a large university and was comfortable entering a PA program that had ~100 people .  I had a perfectly fine experience; it didn't affect my learning in any way (we had 98% PANCE pass rate) and in fact I appreciated the diversity of personalities within our group. Multiple cliques formed as expected but that's normal and not a problem.  We had a class Google Drive where people were encouraged to upload and share their notes - it turned out to be an awesome collaborative effort to help each other get through the program. Out of our ~10 professors probably only 4 of them knew my name by the end of the program, but I didn't make any attempt to be buddy-buddy with my professors and it's not like they weren't willing/available to talk to us one-on-one if we needed help or wanted to talk to them casually.