One supplemental note. I've known a number of people who have flourished in impersonal megaversities. They mostly had a common approach: get "adopted" by some academic department ASAP, and try to act like a baby grad student. Even research-first universities are quite receptive to those kinds of undergrads. (I am sure that this approach works with the natural sciences; I am less certain about the humanities.)
Yeah, it's definitely possible to get research opportunities and good mentoring at large universities; it just requires a bit more initiative on the part of the student. At smaller schools, it's a little more possible for faculty to spot and encourage unrealized potential, sometimes in students who don't think of themselves as having that kind of ability.
One supplemental note. I've known a number of people who have flourished in impersonal megaversities. They mostly had a common approach: get "adopted" by some academic department ASAP, and try to act like a baby grad student. Even research-first universities are quite receptive to those kinds of undergrads. (I am sure that this approach works with the natural sciences; I am less certain about the humanities.)
Yeah, it's definitely possible to get research opportunities and good mentoring at large universities; it just requires a bit more initiative on the part of the student. At smaller schools, it's a little more possible for faculty to spot and encourage unrealized potential, sometimes in students who don't think of themselves as having that kind of ability.