I am from Benton, Wisconsin. The population is a staggering grand total of 955 people.

My go-to “fun fact" refers to the size of my graduating class.

26 kids.

This is usually met with noises of shock and the dreaded question, “Where are you from?!” This is not the easiest question to answer, because few people have ever heard of Benton, Wisconsin. If I answer with the name of my hometown, I will undoubtedly receive some blank stares, so I answer with, “Down by Platteville, if you’ve heard of that?” And most people have, so the attention is then shifted away from me and on to the next student.

When I was talking with my English advisor last week, she told me that 26 may be the smallest class she has ever heard of in all her years of advising, which is quite a few.

You see, most students here at the University of Wisconsin come from classes that had hundreds of kids in them—some had as many as 500. A class that is over half of my hometown’s whole population.

During my junior year, when the decision of college was no longer looming in the distant future but now right in front of me, I knew I wanted bigger.

Small town life has its perks, such as comfort and familiarity, but it also has its downsides. Having everybody curious about your business, no sense of anonymity and your every move judged by someone are a couple of the reasons I couldn’t wait to get out.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that I had the chance to grow up in a small town. While a bigger school would have offered more opportunity, it wouldn’t have been as accessible with more competition that comes from large bodies of students. I most likely would not have been a three-sport athlete or had classes with my closest friends every year.

Growing up in a community full of people who knew and cared for me has shaped me in ways I would have missed out on in a bigger city. I took advantage of my family living within a few minutes of me, and the fact that my grandma was just a couple streets away.

But, I can confidently say that going to a college that offered me a class of over 6,000 students is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I can walk down the street, and be completely anonymous. I am a nobody, and I love it. If I make a mistake, it isn’t the town gossip for the next week. Nobody will ever know unless I decide to tell them myself.

There is unlimited opportunity to explore my every interest, whether that is writing or trying out a new fitness class; side note, I don’t recommend yoga. And, I can do this without people judging me for breaking the norm. If I end up looking silly, it’s in front of people I will never see again and not a reason to hold back.

Having the chance to fully learn who I am is not something I could have accomplished in a small town surrounded by people I’ve known since Kindergarten. I have discovered there is freedom in being unknown.

Something else a small town cannot offer is the opportunity to meet countless amazing people. Since moving to Madison, I have found myself talking with people that are from around the world.

Students come to this university from places as far as China and South Africa, and I have had the chance to meet some of them. Learning about these cultures that are so different from my own has taught me things no classroom ever could.

So, while I am thankful to my small-town home for raising me, I thank my city home for giving me chances to do things I never thought I would. My new home is allowing me to explore both myself and the world in ways I never saw coming.

I’ve fallen in love with the city, and have no intention of looking back.