Recently, I've spent a lot of time visiting large state schools. I got out for the summer at least two weeks before the rest of my friends, so I figured what better way to kick off the summer than by visiting my friends and seeing how the other half lives. Fast forward two weeks and a visit to University of Missouri and University of Mississippi and I have come to find a new appreciation for my under 10,000-student school.
Just to clarify, this is not me bashing the large state school experience, I've visited a couple times now and I mean it when I say I enjoy it more and more every time. This is simply me sharing my resounding appreciation for my small school, and reminding my peers the grass on the football field is not always greener than that of your familiar liberal arts school campus.
A huge group of people I know champion the idea of a huge college community. They like the idea of there being endless new people to meet, experiences to have, and places to discover. And I understand that, I really do. I went to a high school where my graduating class was 69 people, and imaginably small number to most. So I understand being smothered by a community small enough to allow you to know and recognize most people in your classes and, overall, just in your immediate surroundings. But, there is a pretty obvious difference between 69 people in a class to 10,000 undergrads. Moreover, a small school can be smothering at times, but more often it creates a place where you feel connected to people, a place where you are known and valued. A place that you can call home.
Especially during my first semester, walking around campus and being able to wave "hi" at at least one person I knew was an invaluable thing for me, a homesick freshman, to have. It the simple things like being able to walk into the dining hall alone but knowing you'll probably be able to spot a familiar face to sit with is something I never knew I wanted, but definitely found I needed. And as time went on, and I became more comfortable and made more friends, the small community didn't lose its charm. I'm not lying when I say most people I met, I found a had mutual friends, interests, or just classes with. It seems the longer you are at a school, the more strangers disappear and the more friends, acquaintances, or just classmates materialize. So, for all of the prospective college students who are familiar with the phrase, "You can make a big school small, but you can't make a small school bigger," I hope you take that with a grain of salt, because if you're like me, you'll never feel the need to make your beloved school feel larger.
