Why I Love My Small Campus - Geneva College
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Why I Love My Small Campus

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Campus Life

I roll out of bed at 7:53 a.m. and panic sets in. I missed my alarm and I have a class in seven minutes all the way across campus. I jump out of bed, haphazardly throw on some clothes, run out of my dorm and start booking it to class. But then I remember that I go to school on a small campus, decide I would like breakfast, and swing by the dining hall for a muffin and orange juice on the way to class. I get to my seat with two minutes to spare.

This true story demonstrates the beauty of going to school on a small campus. But distance to class is only one of the reasons I love studying at a small college, so here are seven reasons why small campuses are the best:

7. I can walk to class from any point on campus in 7 minutes or less

See above story.

6. Community Involvement

I have been to state schools that seem like a self-contained city. Small campuses are most often nestled into a larger community, of which you get to be a part. Small schools have a lifeline connecting them to the surrounding city or town, and vice versa. You could have a beautiful neighborhood right off-campus. Locality is a beautiful thing.

5. Tight-Knit

After spending a semester at a small college it is rare to see a face that you do not recognize. Deep relationships form on a small campus because you see almost everyone on a semi-regular basis. Everyone is united by the fact that they share the same home.

4. Broad range of friends

For the reasons stated above, it is easy to become friends with people with whom you will never have a class. You can have vibrant relationships with guys and girls who are in completely opposite academic tracks. Not that you cannot do this at a larger institution, but small colleges are especially conducive to these types of relationships.

3. Sports

Sure, you can have your division one football team. I’ll take my division three team because I know those guys and gals and they play their hearts out. There is nothing quite like cheering for a quarterback you had lunch with the day before. It is such a great experience to cheer on your friends at a collegiate sports event. School spirit gets ramped up and I’ve seen even the most level-headed of professors yelling themselves hoarse at a basketball game.

2. Small classes

The academic experience at a small college can be spectacular, especially if your classes are also small. Some of the best classes I have taken have been made up of less than 10 students. Deep discussion and learning can happen together in remarkable ways when you engage with the professors and students in such intimate settings.

1. Relationships with Faculty

Relationships with faculty can make or break higher education. The ability to walk into a professor’s office and know they know your name, your work and the areas where you need help is one of the most beautiful things about education. So much wisdom accompanies the head knowledge, and it is those relationships that make a small campus such a great place to spend your college years. 

 

Caleb McCracken '16

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Sep 28, 2015
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