You might have a love-hate relationship with your tiny school, or on visit day you may have fallen in love with what seemed like a 12 square-foot campus, or you could be somewhere in between. Whatever the case may be, here are some situations you might run into at your school.
1. You can wake up five minutes before your class and somehow still make it to class relatively early.
Of course you have six alarms set to wake you up, but being able to push it to literally the last minute because your walk to class isn't over 10 minutes is a hidden win for small campuses. I know I personally take advantage of this almost on a daily basis (I apologize to all my fellow classmates for my appearance and second day clothes).
2. You probably wave to the same person at least three times a day—but you feel awkward if you don't wave.
Not only do you see the same person three times a day and you're forced to wave, you probably see the same 20 students sprinting their normal Monday-Wednesday-Friday class routine so now you all make the journey together. Also if you don't wave that third time, they will probably tell everyone that you are having a bad day or some other crazy rumor, since it seems like word gets around so quickly.
3. There is only one cafeteria on campus and everyone complains about it, but you have no other choice so you suck it up and shovel the food down.
When people ask to go eat, usually you will hear "Can we go off campus? The ice cream machine has been broken since last year and that is the only thing worth eating." Not only do the hours suck (closed at dinner time when you're stuck in class and opened at the wee hours of the morning when you are still sawing logs) the food generally isn't worth it; but you suck it up and take the drudgingly painful walk to fill your gut.
4. When you didn't make it to class, your professor emails you asking why you weren't there.
Not only do they email to ask you where you have been, but they also might send you links to new thrift stores that have opened up in the city like one of my professors has done. Being small has its perks, and being friends with your professors is one of them.
5. Your professors know your name, your major, your job, your closest friends and you are comfortable about them knowing your life because you know a lot about them too.
Like I said above, sometimes they email you and bug you about your attendance or your assignment, but they do it only because they know you and truly want you to succeed. They want you to fulfill your dreams and will do anything to help you out. Sometimes they aren't just your professors, but also your friends, counselors and other connections into the world after graduation.
6. When people ask you what school you go to, they usually have to ask you where it is located.
When people ask me where University of Detroit Mercy is, I proudly exclaim "At the intersection of McNichols (six mile, yes that is south of eight mile, famous only because of Eminem) and Livernois in Detroit," and I usually get a look that leads me to believe that the person who asked me the question thinks I'm deranged for living in the heart of Detroit. I am proud to live in the middle of the rebirth of Detroit and am excited to see how it will grow and become the city it once was.
7. Your school might've not been your first pick, but somehow you ended up there.
I thought I was going to college out of state. I thought I was going to only come home for Christmas and have a fancy new accent from whatever state I moved to—or, you know, at least attend a school that was bigger than a shopping mall. But small schools have bigger scholarships, and small private schools have even more scholarships. Money made the decision and I ended up at my number thirteen school, but over the years I have learned to appreciate the little institution.
8. Your dorm is so close to your classes that it is worth it to walk back for a 15 minute nap between classes.
Napping is essential for sanity in college. Sometimes I am on the phone with my friends who go to big colleges and they ask me what I'm doing and when I reply with, "Taking a nap before my 11 a.m. class," they don't understand how it is possible because it is already 10:30 a.m. Not only is it possible, it is the key to my success.
9. You have small class sizes, and by small I mean five people.
This can be a pain, but it can also be beneficial for classroom discussions. Yeah this means you can't fall asleep in class or get away with not participating, but it also means you are in a room with people who know your brain and your thoughts and class discussion is usually helpful for papers and quizzes.
10. You wanted to transfer a half a dozen times, but somehow you can't picture yourself anywhere but where you are.
I'm not going to lie. I hated my school at first. I would sit in my car and flames of hate would pour out of my eyes. I wished for snow days in March and would pray for class cancellations pretty much every day. But I realized that having that attitude only held me back from reaping the benefits of my school. So I extinguished my hate fire and tried to see the school through eyes of opportunity.
Since that epiphany, I joined a sorority where I have met some of my favorite people, got involved in organizations that I am passionate about and have truly fallen in love with my school.
