To many people, the thought of going to a small school for college is similar to that of high school. But oh how they are mistaken.

While high school might not have been my cup of tea, a small school was definitely the right fit for me. There's nothing I love more than walking to class and passing by friendly and familiar faces. The amount of friends I have made simply because we pass each other daily is more than I could count on my fingers. It's a sense of relief when walking and a smile is returned to you.

The same goes with small class sizes. I may have never had more than 30 people in a class, no lecture halls, or anything of that sort, but I have never been stuck with the same group of people for classes. Not even people that are in our major. I am constantly meeting new people and making connections through this comfortable, small school from the many faces we all see day after day.

From studying at a small school, I have learned the true value of education. I am more inclined to go to my classes (you can actually notice when someone is missing in class rather than in a lecture hall). I value my education now more than ever and am in love with knowledge the more I learn.

But let's not forget about all of the after school activities. People tend to think that small schools don't have fun opportunities to get more involved with the campus. All it takes is a quick trip to the main Union and bam! You're instantly hit with opportunity after opportunity. A quick piece of advice is that there truly is almost always something going on campus. So instead of complaining that you go to a small school and nothing ever goes on, check out an online bulletin or pop over to the Union for a snack and take a peek at everything going on. You'd truly be amazed.

I love my small school, and I love seeing a sea of familiar faces. It's nothing I would ever bash because—think about it—small schools offer so much more than we could ever imagine. Underneath the college persona lies a closely knit community of a couple thousand students all trying to make it in this thing we call the real world. We all want a fun college experience, and we all want the vast education that comes along with it.