Liberal arts education seems to get a bad rap around here (I did take less higher math and science than would have been required at a state university), but the average class size for my college was twenty. Occasionally more, but there's also the counter case, where I had an English class with two other students. One had a voracious appetite for skipping, and the other was consistently absent for mock trial.

I found it substantially raises my perceived importance of finishing the required reading when I think there's a 50/50 chance of being the only one there to be questioned about it. :) I had a huge motivation problem end of high school/early college, and I think if I hadn't had the individual attention of a liberal arts college, I surely would have dropped out.