The deeper I travel into my collegiate career at Texas Lutheran University, now a current junior, the more immersed and involved I find myself in both classes and various jobs and organizations on campus. For such a small university, I am involved in so much more at TLU than I ever thought possible when I first started out as a Freshman. The close-knit community at TLU allows you to make overlapping connections and friendships that extend beyond anything you could have ever dreamed of. One connection you make one semester can lead to two or three the next semester, and then you realize you currently have five on campus jobs along with your full load of classes, like me. Woe to an overloaded schedule. It is so exciting and tragic at the same time.

At small universities, getting involved on campus is incredibly addictive once you put yourself out there and start making those connections. There is a significant amount of competition to get into organizations and job positions because there are only so many positions to go around for the student body, so it always feels immensely rewarding when you are chosen for a position on campus. Building your resume is so easy here at a university like TLU because you are able to do anything and everything extracurricular along with your classes. Even if you have to struggle to find time to do it all, it is totally worth it due to the friends, connections, and experiences you gain from not sleeping very much or missing out on homework or study time.

The sense of obligation to participate in organizations, clubs, and job positions at small universities is even higher because of how connected everyone is and the fact that everyone knows who you are in some way or another. If there is a mass email sent out describing a new job or organization that needs members, or if someone approaches you with a job in mind, you do it, no questions asked, because you feel like you have to. Half of the jobs that I currently have I applied for because I felt the need to do so, not because I necessarily wanted to. But in the end it pays off because you are able to be involved with new groups that you may not have been able to interact with and you are able to make more anymore connections as you continue to branch out. Your involvement on a small universitiy’s campus feels owed and debted, but the students who attend universities like TLU all secretly love it amidst the complaining and lack of sleep.

This huge responsibility that you take on, on top of class, forces you to function in an even faster paced world that has a good chance of simulating the real world outside of college or a future career. You have to be everywhere at once, prepared, and dedicated to multiple people, projects, and activities each day. I like to push myself past the limits that I think I have and I realize that I can handle even more responsibility than I originally thought; hence the five jobs. Each semester I find myself more and more overwhelmed with responsibilities, but I would not have it any other way because these four years at TLU I can only live once and I do not want to regret not participating in something that matters or will help to prepare me for the future. Here’s to small universities and big responsibilities!