Small colleges and universities have their own feel to them. They are community oriented and have flare that makes them unique. Often times, they are comprised of a small campus with a rural surrounding. At least this is the case for Wittenberg. Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon? Try Three Degrees of a Small School. Anyone who goes to a College or University with less than 2000 people will understand what I am about to say.
1. When interacting with people around campus:
- I feel like I have seen you before.
- Do you live in New Hall?
- Are you dating a Phi Psi?
- Did we have a class together?
- I have definitely seen you walking this route to class before.
- Can I please pet your dog?
- We definitely had a class together but I still don't know your name.
2. When seeing people but not wanting to interact with them:
- I follow you on Instagram and like all of your photos but have never actually spoken with you in person.
- I like how you dress, can we be friends please?
- Wow, I always see you at the same table at the lib, smart cookie there.
- I definitely like all of your Instagram posts, and you like all of mine, but I don't know your real name, only your Insta name, so that is how I will refer to you in my head.
3. Truths:
- Needing someone's phone number for a project or class or what ever, and knowing who to text who will have the number.
- Seeing someone halfway across campus and yelling their name and running to hug said person because you are close enough to see who it was and have enough energy to run the small distance of halfway across campus.
- Always having somewhere to sit in the cafeteria because there is at least one table with people who you know.
- Thinking it will take you very short time to walk to class but instead, you stop to talk to about five people and end up making the trip about five times as long as necessary.
- Feeling safe because word travels too fast on such a small campus for if anything were to go totally awry, it would be on everyone's newsfeed within an hour.
- When attending a DIII sporting event, you can actually see your friends and wave to them from the stands.
School should feel like the second thing closest to home. Luckily, I have found that in my university, and I hope everyone can too.
