Whenever I tell people that I go to a school with less than 1,000 students, they give me a funny look. Sometimes I get, “Do you feel like you’re still in high school?” or “That must be so easy!” Honestly, I adore my tiny college. I went to a large university first, so I know what I’m “missing out on.” The college experience doesn’t really change, and my educational experience is just as good as the one I chose to leave behind. I have nothing bad to say about that experience, but I know that my college is where my family is. Being confident in your circumstances is the best way to them, and you should never question your choice of school because of someone else’s opinion. There are so many reasons to love being a part of something with so few people, but here are just six of the reasons that you should love your small school:
1. You know practically everyone
Everyone on campus smiles as you walk to and from class during the week. They wave because they know who you are from playing sports, Greek life, or class. There is always someone on campus who you can call and eat dinner with or catch the last twenty minutes of the basketball game. It’s practically impossible to feel lonely at a small school because nobody is a stranger, and even if they are, they won’t be for long.
2. You know your professors
Your professors really look out for you at small schools. They want to know why you weren’t in class on Tuesday or how your sorority is doing. They want you to do well in their classes and in others. You get to know them and their personal tendencies. Their pets become your best friends, and you babysit their children. Plus, you can ask their opinion on anything life or school related. Sometimes, they might demand to meet your boyfriend or your sister. Faculty is family.
3. Your social life is wholesome
When anybody and everybody on campus know your business, it can feel like you’re living under a microscope. This can be a good thing, though, because there is less risk of doing something ridiculous for fun and ruining your life. The occasional party does occur, but generally, you aren’t going to find yourself off-campus in a seedy situation. There is good, clean fun to be had all around.
4. Your degree is special
All degrees are special, but it means something to be one of only 236 people in the world to have a diploma from the same school in the same year. Your hard work becomes a collective source of pride between you and your classmates, and you share that experience with them every time you see the diploma hanging on your wall.
5. Your experience is unique
Large schools offer so many big, wonderful things for students like sporting events and concerts, but so do small schools. On top of that, though, small schools offer very unique experiences that you could not get at a school with tens of thousands of people. Those students at large-scale universities will likely never be able to say that they hit their school president in the face with a pie or held a campus-wide stress fair with puppies and massages that everyone could actually attend.
6. You are part of a community
When you have the small school experience, you become a piece of the place where you live and work and play. When you come within miles of campus, school colors abound, and the town around the school rallies for every event and activity possible. The local high school feeds into the energy of campus, and the town square nearby is practically a part of the curriculum. Everyone is proud of what you can achieve with the help of your small school and the people in the area. It’s a family system that is truly something of which to be proud.
