Three years ago, I made the best choice of my life: I enrolled at DePauw University. Now, as I get ready to start my final year at the place that has become home, I can't help but list all of the things that I love about it that you should too.
1. East College.
I mean, who doesn't love this beautiful, iconic building?
2. The Campus as a whole.
The university spends a ton of money keeping the landscape of the campus looking nice. Add that to plenty of green space.
3. The Students.
When I was touring campus as a prospective student, I remember thinking that everyone was so nice. Maybe it's because current students love prospective students, but I think it's because there is just this DePauw personality, in which everyone cares about one another.
4. The Professors.
Professors at DePauw are at DePauw because they love teaching and love DePauw students. They're all highly qualified, which means that they're super smart. But they're always willing to explain things further during office hours. With small classes, I've had several professors email me when I miss class without emailing them first. They care about their students and want to make sure that they're healthy and well.
5. The Town.
Greencastle has a gorgeous town square that has been recently renovated because of a state grant known as the Stellar Grant. There are a ton of awesome restaurants and businesses all within a few blocks of campus.
6. The people in the town.
While town gown relations as a whole aren't super great, every interaction I've had with someone who is from Greencastle have been positive. Some of my favorite professors are locals. And some of the locals are people who have become the friends that you call family. Being a student at DePauw wouldn't be the same without them.
7. The Environment.
DePauw students are college students, no doubt, but there is this sort of intellectual culture at DePauw. Because of the academic rigor of DePauw and the academic success required for admission, there are very deep intellectual conversations both in and out of the classroom.
8. The Location.
When you need to have the large(r) city feel, Greencastle is located perfectly in between three of them, all within 45 minutes from campus: Bloomington, Terre Haute and Plainfield / Indianapolis. It's nothing to pile into a car and have a shopping day at Metropolis in Plainfield with the girls.
9. The Nature of Liberal Arts.
With Liberal Arts, you aren't committed to a major as soon as you get on campus. You get the opportunity to try out a lot of different classes. It's encouraged to draw connections from other classes, even if they are outside of the department. Not to mention, with the distribution requirements, I'll graduate without taking an actual math class. (We still have to take at least two classes within the science or math category, but I'll take Logic and Psychology as my science or math credit any day!)
10. The Greek Life.
DePauw has a very high percentage of Greek affiliated students. I know for me personally, being in my sorority has been one of the key aspects to my time at DePauw. Others feel this way too. With more than 26 Greek organizations, students have their fair pick.
11. The Green Guest Artist Series.
The Green Guest Artist Series brings talented musicians to campus, and the best part is students get in for free. Bobby McFarland, Project Trio, Fifth House Ensemble and more have all performed at DePauw since I have been there.
12. The Ubben Lecture Series.
Jane Goodall, Carl Bernstein, Ron Paul, Bret Baier, Andrew Luck, Martin Luther King III and Jimmy Kimmel have all come to DePauw within the last three years. It really doesn't get much better than that.
13. The Scholars brought to campus.
In addition to all of the big names from the Ubben Lecture Series, DePauw brings a lot of scholars from various fields to give academic speeches throughout the year. Once a semester is in full swing, you could probably go to a different presentation each night.
14. President Brian Casey.
President Brian Casey is one of the coolest college presidents. He was on a list of college presidents that utilizes social media the best. He longboards around campus. He brings his dog into the library during finals week. Not to mention, he always is interacting with students around campus. He's just a cool guy that loves students and loves what he does. Not to mention, DePauw snagged him from Harvard.
15. Monon.
Every year, Wabash College and DePauw go head to head to win the bell. This football game is probably the most attended game of the year. This year, the game is at home, and one can always hope that this will be the year that the Tigers take back the bell from the Little Giants.
16. The Alumni.
When you become a DePauw student, all alumni are instantly ready to help you however they can. There is seriously some DePauw love. I decided to look into DePauw because an alum came to my school to recruit students (Shout out to Keith Stanford). Alumni open up internship and job opportunities because they know people from their alma matter are hardworking and intelligent. The DePauw Network alone is worth the tuition prices, not to mention the stellar education.
17. Classes on East College Lawn.
On nice days, it's not unusual for professors to hold classes on East College Lawn or outside in general. It's great to get out of the classroom and sit in a circle outside for a change.
