When I committed to Albion College, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I knew it was a small school that would give me a great education and an opportunity to play baseball, and that's all I really wanted. Little did I know that it would be the best decision I had ever made.
From the first day of classes my freshman year, I could tell that each one of my professors cared for me as an individual. The biggest class I've had at Albion has been about 45 students and the smallest has been six. That's a win-win right there — 45 students isn't much compared to the large lectures at bigger schools, and if you're having problems in the classroom, or even personally, it's fairly easy to set up meetings with your professors. They're willing to talk and help you for no other reason than they care about you and your success both inside and outside of the classroom. You won't get that at a large university on a consistent basis.
I know some people will say, "I don't like the six-person classes, I'd have to participate." I totally get that — I was that kid going into college. However, I quickly learned that the best skill you can have is people skills, and those small discussion-based classes teach that to perfection. You learn to talk, interact and understand how people think about different topics. You're not going to be sitting in your chair for two hours listening to the professor rant; instead, you're going to be active and engaged in the topics. The trick is to take those people skills and apply them in the real world. Talk to people, make friends and make connections. You'd be surprised how far you can go in life by just talking to the right people.
With a student body somewhere in the mid-1000s, Albion is a place where people are genuine. Just walking on the quad, you can say hello to your friends, but you also feel comfortable saying hello to people who you might not know that well or you don't know at all. I'm someone who believes that greeting someone can make someone's day because I don't know if they're having a good or bad day, so it's just common courtesy in my opinion. It's a really good feeling to know that people are outgoing enough to simply say "Hi" when they pass by you. It might happen at other schools, but I would doubt it happens as often as it does at liberal arts colleges.
Possibly the best thing about Albion and other liberal arts colleges is that they gave me the opportunity to discover who I want to be. I knew a little about what I wanted to do, but I didn't know to what extent. I was also a kid who flew under the radar in high school, and after the first month or so in college, I felt ten times more comfortable with myself as a person. I remember I was hanging out with some friends one night and I just thought to myself, This is awesome. I love this place. I don't know if I would be this happy if I had gone to a large university, but I'm glad I didn't because Albion College has given me more opportunities and happiness than I could've ever imagined.
The liberal arts college education is second-to-none, the professors truly care for you as a person and as a member of academia, you learn real-world skills that you hone by applying them in the classroom and the real world, and you discover who you are. What more could you want from a college? While it isn't for everyone, it was definitely for me and a lot of my peers at Albion College.
