If you've ever even visited a small campus, let alone lived/gone to one, you've probably noticed even a few of these things. Being there every day, I'm sure we can all agree how true these are.
1. You can never go more than a few yards without bumping into someone you know.
If you’re tempted to try to sneak out of your dorm and grab some on-the-go breakfast with your literal “I just woke up” look, thinking no one will see you, think again. Those people calling out “hi” are like snipers when you’re trying your hardest not to be noticed on a small campus.
2. You spend more than half of your work study job not doing the actual job.
Since campus is so small, you have your occasional rushes, but you spend most of your time doing homework, having conversations, or venting with your boss and getting paid for it.
3. You know every faculty member on campus, even outside of your major.
You’ve made your rounds enough times to know who that horrid math teacher is, or who the new science professor is, or what’s with the lady in charge of the radio station. You’ve heard of everyone. In the words of Buddy the Elf, "I KNOW HIM!"
4. The cafeteria workers know you by name and know your order.
Sometimes, one thing on the menu satisfies your cravings and comfort food needs better than all the others, and these superheroes know it as soon as you walk in the door.
5. Your professors know you by name.
This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you see it, but with class sizes barely exceeding 20 some days, its’ not uncommon to have inside jokes or lengthy conversations with your professors (sometimes long enough to talk them into extra credit;))
6. You can never use the excuse of a far walk for being late.
Really? You’re going to try that one again? You could roll out of bed for an 8 A.M. class at 7:55 and still be there on time. With a campus spanning a walk a totally of seven minutes, this excuse is virtually nonexistent.
7. You probably have to drive at least ten minutes to find other civilization.
Odds are, when you’re at a small school, you’re also going to be in the middle of nowhere, meaning that anything you need is something you have to drive to.
8. The campus is a borderline ghost town on weekends.
With a small student population to begin with, if even only 33% of them go home on a weekend, that’s A LOT.
9. Fire drills are quick because you only have twenty people in the building.
When you have an AC counting the time and saying how dead you’d be when no one else is coming out of the building, it’s hard to remember that there weren’t many of you to begin with.
10. You have really good odds of winning campus-wide contests.
Enough said.
11. You’ve learned all the secret tricks by the end of month one.
Every school has its little inside tricks, loopholes, and shortcuts, and after just four weeks, you’ll know your small campus like the back of your hand.
12. News spreads like wildfire.
Small campus, small space, fast news. News can spread around the campus five minutes after it happens, depending who it goes through. You. Know. Everything.
Whether you already love it or are just getting the hang of things, I promise you that your small campus will become your favorite place, your second home, and maybe most importantly, your family.
