When I began my college search, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. I had always planned on attending a huge university with tens of thousands of students, a big sports atmosphere, and a big social atmosphere. This was what I thought the “college experience” actually was, and I did not know anything different. I applied to many schools that fit this image, and they ended up being my top options for a while. I remember having only applied to three private institutions, Cabrini being one of them. I had put these three schools on the back burner for a while until the Covid-19 pandemic arose.
This was when I realized that, if I had to get home quickly or for an emergency, I did not want to be at one of those big out-of-state schools with students from all over the world. I wanted to be at a school that was close to where I live, without being too close to home. I began to consider Cabrini University.
I didn’t know much about it, as my first visit was planned for the end of March, right after the shutdown happened. I was wary about the size of the school, not knowing if there would be enough people to make friends with or what it would be like being just a little bit bigger than my high school. These concerns went out the window the minute I moved in. I had never visited before, so I was anxious, but I felt right at home. I love that it is a small school, because I have classes with many of the same students, making it very easy to meet people and make friends. I also like that you can walk virtually anywhere on campus and see someone that you know. I thought I would hate this aspect of a small school, but it is one of my favorite things about Cabrini. There is a homey feeling you get when you know so many people at your school and in your classes.
I also like attending a small school because it is so simple to go anywhere on campus in a timely manner. At larger universities, it can take you 30 minutes to walk to class from your residence hall, and sometimes even longer. At Cabrini, you can leave your room ten minutes before you need to be somewhere and still arrive on time. This is a huge plus for people like me who like to sleep up until the very last second before I have to be in class.
Another plus about attending a small school includes events and social life. There are always events and activities at Cabrini. These are the perfect opportunity to do something fun with your friends or even by yourself, and you are able to meet new people. There are never too many people at these events, making it easy to find people to talk to that you have never met before. From events like bingo to community events, you can really find your people at these kinds of mixers.
Cabrini has a very comforting and homey feeling. I am so glad that I strayed from my vision of what I thought my college experience would look like, because Cabrini is my home, and I could not imagine myself anywhere else. If you are beginning your college search, I urge you to consider a school like Cabrini, it was the best choice for me.