Small colleges (fewer than 3,500 students) often talk about being a “magical” place. I know that when I worked for Monmouth College in Illinois for 27 years, “The Magic of Monmouth” was a common phrase used by students, faculty, staff, and especially alumni. I know that other small colleges have used the term “magic” as well. Why is this, and how does the magic happen?
Every college and university has “clusters of individuals” that students can potentially interact with, and “clusters of potential experiences.”
Some of the individuals include:
* Faculty
* Student Affairs staff
* Admissions staff
* Financial Aid staff
* Career Planning/Placement staff
* Psychologist/Social Worker
* Administration (President, Vice Presidents)
*Trustees/Board of Directors
* Food Service workers
* Security staff
* Maintenance staff
* Library staff
* Information Technology staff
* Bookstore
* Alumni
* Sororities/Fraternities
* Music groups
* Theatre troupes
* Religious organizations
* Athletes
* Artists
Some of the experiences include:
* Classes
* Internships
* Study Abroad
* Conducting research
* Domestic study away
* Campus employment
* Athletics, music, theatre, and other campus activities
* Fun activities off-campus with friends
On a regular (sometimes even daily) basis, how many of these does a student truly experience at a small college versus at a larger university?
Do you even remember the name of your admissions counselor? Do they say hello to you by name when they see you on campus?
Do people in the financial aid office know you by name?
Do you know the name of and talk to the lady who makes your omelets on weekends in the cafeteria?
Do the members of one fraternity/sorority know and socialize with members of others?
Have you met and talked informally with the college president?
How many professors know you well enough to write a good letter of recommendation?
Are your classes interesting and fun? Do you have a chance to interact with the professors at times other than posted office hours?
Are you allowed and encouraged to do your own research projects, or do you only assist a professor with their project?
As you go through your college years, the interactions you have with people will be the memories you carry with you for the rest of your life. Far too many students (especially at larger universities) just:
Go to class
Study
Hang out with close friends.
Have fun socially (especially on weekends)
Go to big athletic events.
Then graduate and go on with their lives.
For many students, this is enough.
Especially given the high cost of a college education, I truly believe that the college experience should have more depth. "The whole should be greater than the parts.” Small colleges provide that added value--a touch of magic!
MEMORIES CAUSE THE MAGIC. When you go back to a homecoming weekend after having graduated from college, the more memories you have of deep personal interactions that span a wide variety of individuals, the more you will feel the magic.
What kinds of things do you remember from attending a small college? [The following were actually experienced by students over the years at colleges where I have worked.]
You remember when your professor baked you cookies for your birthday.
You remember the day the Education professor held the final exam at a restaurant in town (and then did not actually give an exam---such fun!)
You remember the many traditions (like being woken at 5am by bagpipers walking through your dorm)
You remember the many dinners at professors' homes for your entire class.
You remember how nice it was to sleep late because you were only a five-minute walk to any of your classes
You remember the many alumni judges and lawyers who mentored you in Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions on campus---and then continued to mentor you as you applied to law school.
You remember when your professor checked in on you when you missed a week of class because you were really ill.
You remember the evening you had a couple of beverages with a professor, talking until two o’clock in the morning about your future and your potential career path. (Spoiler alert: that conversation totally changed your life)
You remember the day that your fraternity brothers pitched in, without even being asked, to help your friends on the maintenance crew with snow removal after a blizzard.
You remember the small act of kindness from the housekeeper in your dorm when she saw you on crutches (your underarms in pain) and padded them for you.
You remember that food service chef who always found a little chocolate for your dessert when he saw you in the cafeteria.
You remember when the financial aid director stayed late to help you finish your financial aid documents because you arrived on campus late for orientation and then helped you carry your belongings to your room.
You remember the professor who knew you well enough to have a stern talk with you about your failing midterm grades--and then kept in touch with you, through social media, well into your work life.
You remember the many hugs and handshakes with faculty and staff at both matriculation and commencement ceremonies.
You remember your freshman move-in day when current students and even the college president helped you move your luggage into your room.
You remember studying for a month in the Yucatan with a professor, a board of trustees member, and a handful of students.
You remember doing an internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, with a Nobel Prize-winning researcher.
You remember being allowed to play on both the soccer and tennis teams (even though they were the same season)
You remember getting a music scholarship without having to major in music; then having the opportunity to sing with the top choir at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
You remember being picked to be the “lead” in the first theatre production of the freshman year…and then being in a dozen more productions throughout your four years.
You remember being in thirteen different student organizations (including being the president of three of them) during your four years.
You remember being the only football player in the orchestra, and how your teammates supported you by coming to your concerts.
You remember being allowed to write, direct, (and plan the menu for) your own on-campus dinner theatre production
You remember the day a professor gave you extra time to complete your final exam because your alarm clock broke and you overslept.
You remember the professors (not even in your department) who came to all of your volleyball games.
You remember the day a professor broke the sad news to you about your father’s sudden death, helped you pack your belongings, and drove you 3 hours to your home.
You remember the time you received permission to take a class independently so you would not have to stay an extra semester
The list goes on and on. Can magic happen at large universities? Of course it can. And it does. But the probability, depth, and richness of having the experience are inversely proportional to the size of the college. My advice, if you want to experience a little magic, is to take a long, hard look at the hundreds of small colleges in this nation.
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