You hear it all the time. College is all about finding the perfect fit. And for some of us, we get it wrong. We think we know what we are looking for, we wholeheartedly believe everything our tour guide tells us, not realizing that they are omitting the bad, or that maybe they are significantly different than us.
When I arrived at school, one week before the semester was beginning to take a one-week course, I quickly realized the sunken feeling in my chest. I did not belong. I felt isolated and lonely. Once the rest of the student body came to campus, I realized just how small I was. I was at a large state university with approximately 15,000 students, and I felt as though I just became another number, another blurred face, another lost voice. I spent a semester in a negative haze, feeling as though it would never end. When it finally did, I was liberated, I was free. I left that campus, never to return again. Instead, I headed home, and the following semester would start all over again at a small, Catholic university with a student body of 2,500.
A lot changes when the student body is cut to nearly a third, there are only a few dozen majors rather than hundreds, and the Sunday highlight is 7 p.m. mass. But there are so many more defining differences.
There is no Greek life
I have a few friends at large universities, and they are constantly asking me why I haven't pledged yet. The simple answer is that it isn't possible. The closest thing Misericordia has to Greek life is honor societies that utilize the Greek letters. There are no frat houses or sorority sisters walking around campus. It's a completely different world when people aren't constantly chattering about how much they love their Big or what sorority they plan to rush the following semester. I will admit, sometimes I feel as though I am missing out on something, but most of the time, I am completely content with the lack of Greek life at my university.
Skipping class isn't an option
Gone are the days of lecture halls and classes with 150 students on the roster. The largest class I have had at my small school was 30 students, the smallest being seven. No matter the class size, professors always take attendance. The upside is that the professor knows your name, the downside is that it is nearly impossible to miss class without your grade being affected. Since attendance can make or break your grade, I only miss class when it is absolutely necessary, a drastic change from when I just missed class because I didn't feel like being there.
Lack of dining options
Perhaps the only thing I miss from being at a large school are the seemingly endless dining options. Not having a Starbucks on campus is a real struggle, especially considering that in order to even get a decent cup of coffee you either have to make it yourself or leave campus. Not to mention that the small kiosks around campus (all three of them) essentially carry the same items. Oh, and did I mention that the dining hall is on a two-week rotating menu? By the fall of my junior year I sustained myself on carrot sticks, toast and cereal for all meals.
You recognize everyone on campus
When I first transferred, I knew the names and faces of everyone on my floor within a week. The same went for my classes. Walking to any building, you see familiar faces because when there are less than 3,000 students on campus, it's nearly impossible not to see the same people, usually in the same places, usually at the same times.
Being well loved by the community
When I went to a large state school, going out to the community was a struggle. I couldn't go grocery shopping without someone glaring at me whether I was wearing a college t-shirt or not. I looked college aged, so I was most likely one of those pesky college students. I read in multiple places how the student body at my old school was not well received or well respected by the community. Being at a small catholic school is completely opposite. When I'm out and about and tell people where I go to school, they're thrilled to hear it. Probably because we take on way more service projects than anyone would have ever thought 2,500 students were capable of. Whether it's volunteering at the soup kitchen, the animal shelter, the local Habitat for Humanity branch or providing Thanksgiving dinner for 65 or more local families through Adopt-a-Family, our reputation is a shining one within the local area.
There are so many more distinctions that I have been witness to having downsized from of a school of 15,000 to 2,500. Sure, the food gets old after a while and the Greek scene is non-existent, but there are so many benefits that come from going to a small school, and I wouldn't trade my small, Catholic college experience for the world.