Don't let people give you the pitiful "ohhhh" when you reveal your enrollment at a small school. Everyone who goes to a small school can agree that it is nothing like a large, state school. I think even those state school students will confirm that. But what people don't know about a small school is that it has its perks, and they are good.

1. Leaving your room 5 minutes before class...and still being on time

2. Guaranteed to get at least one "hey" every time you walk somewhere

3. Actually knowing the people who follow you on Instagram, Facebook friends, or dare I say...Tinder

4. Making friends outside of your major is more common than not

5. You also know every single person in your major

6. Going through a super awkward and aggressive orientation program as a freshman and using that as a strong common bond with a (then) complete stranger

7. Probably finding your best friend through that previously mentioned hideously intense, ice-breaker-obessed orientation program

8. Anticipating the long* wait for food on those really good days but knowing when to go to get around it
*long is really only like 15 minutes

9. There is no cover charge at parties...yes, apparently this is a thing

10. Being invited to dinners at the president's house because you're on a first name basis (oh yeah, and Mrs. President floats around campus regularly with baked pastries and warm smiles)

So if you're looking for a tight-knit community that loves to give out hello's when they are due, or a campus where you can wake up and eat breakfast 30 minutes before class and still be on time, look into those small schools that maybe don't have a 50,000 seat stadium. What they do have are the people you will remember and that will remember you, classes that taught you beyond the test, and a uniqueness that just isn't found at a large school. At a small school you're a face, a name, your own legacy...not a number.