Going from a large public high school, I can honestly say that choosing to attend a small private college was one of the best decisions I could’ve ever made in this new chapter of my life. I’ve visited huge campuses like IU and Ball State and it just didn’t click or appeal to me. When I first visited Franklin College my junior year, right away I knew that was where I wanted to be and now I couldn’t be happier.
- The small town community environment makes the college feel like a family. You get to know so many people on campus and everyone is nice and friendly. This also means that the class sizes are smaller. You become close with your classmates and your professors. You are able to have a relationship with your professors, you get to know each other, they are available to help you and they want to see you succeed. You’re not just a number or a face in the crowd.
- We’re given amazing opportunities. Since the class sizes aren’t huge, we’re able to focus on doing things outside of the classroom and we have the ability to do so because our professors look at us each as individuals. I know in the journalism department especially; we are given so much opportunity to have professional experience outside of class. After just my first year at Franklin I’m impressed with the experiences I’ve already been given, like working at the statehouse and meeting politicians while learning the importance of what goes on at the statehouse.
- The campus isn’t huge. This is a good thing because it only takes 5 minutes to get anywhere on campus and if the weather isn’t as nice, its not as big of a deal. Wake up late? No big deal, you can make it to class in minutes. And you can’t really get lost.
- The strive for diversity. This is something I especially appreciate from this small school. At a small school in Indiana, you’d expect not to see much diversity but here, being a minority doesn’t feel any different. Everyone is accepting and I love that.
- Also being a student a Franklin College, you’ll constantly hear the phrase “liberal arts education”. However, I understand why the college prides themselves so much for this. The education we’re receiving is much different than you average education. We’re being taught to think critically, communicate clearly and successfully respond to situations. This is something you can’t just learn out of a textbook or even teach yourself. Even though we’re forced to take classes outside of our major and it seems like a pain sometimes, it’s making us well-rounded individuals who are educated in all different areas. This is something that is very valuable and will help us be successful in the future.
There’s so much more I could say about why Franklin College is a great school but really, it just feels like home. I was planning on graduating early, but the more I think about lessening my time at Franklin, the more I want to stay. I’ve met so many incredible people here and I’m excited to continue my time here.
