Small Colleges are largely known for, well, not much. I've lived on a small campus for about three semesters now and I've realized there are things that only students at small colleges do. Small colleges may not get big concerts with Hootie & the Blowfish or be able to see their peers on sports television but we have much more than any big university can offer.
1. Everybody knows Everybody
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On such a small campus, you can't help but know that one guy in the orange jacket from Kentucky and his entire family. It's hard not to know the entire campus when half the campus has the same Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule as you.
2. Everybody also knows your business
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Not only do you know everybody, you also know everybody's business. Gossip is a small campus' favorite pastime and probably the only thing the entire campus could come together to do. It's a lifetime achievement if you can go the entire four years without one rumor about you floating around.
3. You'll never not recognize someone.
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It's nearly impossible to leave your dorm without recognizing someone.You're forced on a daily basis to awkwardly smile and wave to every person you know, which as I said before, is everybody.
4. Those pesky exes pop up everywhere.
Now if you've dated someone and broke up on a small campus you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's always when you least expect it. When you sit down with a good book and a warm coffee in the campus cafe and then... BAM. You have to find the least awkward way to not make eye contact and make a great escape.
5. There's not much to do.
Every place closes at 9:00 P.M. Every store, restaurant, park and nearby hangout is closed. The only place left to hang out is Walmart. So what do you do? Now we can all admit we've wandered around good old Wally World at 3 A.M., somehow destroyed the entire glitter section and gotten kicked out.
6. Transportation is almost never a problem.
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If you’re like me and don’t own a car, you understand my struggle. Although on a small campus, it's not a struggle. I can easily walk down to Groucho's or Pita Pit and walk back to my dorm in under 15 minutes. Walking isn't the only mode of transportation available. I can also ride my bike or skateboard wherever I please when I please.
7. You're almost never late to class.
You actually have to try to be late to class when your classroom is literally rightdownstairs. I have woken up at 9:24 A.M. for a 9:30 A.M. class. I hopped up, changed clothes, brushed my teeth, bolted to class and arrived at 9:27 A.M. (One of my personal achievements honestly).
8. You really get to know your professors.
If you go to a small college, you're probably friends with all of your professors on
Facebook. Heck, you might even follow your college president and get that follow back in less than 10 minutes. You get invited to lunches with your professors and their families. You might even go to them for life advice. The professors really do care about you and are there for you when you need them.
9. Administration isn't hard to reach.
This is probably one of the best things about going to a small college. You can be on your way to class, run into your college's president and have a decent conversation with them. It's very easy to contact administration and administration really does care about the student body. There hasn’t been a time where I felt like administration did not care about me.
10. It's just as dysfunctional as any loving family.
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At the end of the day, we're just one big, happy, dysfunctional family. Sure, we all still talk about the time Sally Mae passed out on the lawn and sometimes we just can't stand being around each other but no matter what, we hold each other up. We go to our peer's shows, cheer on our best friend on the basketball team and care for one another in a way that no big university could.
