1. No BOYS! Yes, that’s right.
I’m not really the dressing up type and when I say that, I mean it. I LIVE in sweatpants; wearing jeans is dressing up for me. So, going to class, the dining hall, the library, wherever not feeling judged for looking like a homeless person will be great. Let’s be honest, who has time to put on makeup at 8 AM before class? Every girl knows the mascara struggle—I’ll open my eyes as wide as I can and hope my eye doesn’t spastically twitch. But, my eye usually does twitch, leaving black smudges on my nose and my eyes, in turn screwing up the foundation and concealer I just applied half asleep. That is too much stress in the morning. So I’ll choose the “sweatpants, hair tied, chilling with no makeup on” look all day, every day, especially since I have no boys to impress.
2. More than a number.
Some schools are so big that the students are like packages on an assembly line—all the same, stamped with the school’s approval after 4 years. But, how well did the professors know their students? Did they know their religious background, their major, their hometown, their goals, or their dreams? Or only as student #520 who sat in the very back row of the lecture hall? Recently graduated Belles and current Belles alike all say that the professors at Saint Mary’s know the simple things such as your name, your weekend plans, your hometown, your hobbies, your major. But, they also know your hopes and dreams and will stop at nothing to help you achieve them. With a student/faculty ratio of 10:1 and the average class size of 15 people, Saint Mary’s professors will know me as Hannah Voss rather than as student #520. At Saint Mary’s, I am more than a number.
3. Half castle, half college?
The Saint Mary’s Campus is straight out of a movie and words don’t do it justice. When the snow falls, the ground sparkles. When the sun shines, the trees down the Avenue glisten. Who needs motivation to run when you have picture perfect scenery to run around? Ok enough of me blabbing on and on about how LeMans is a castle, Regina is fit for queens, Holy Cross is at the end of the Avenue, McCandless is for the most sophisticated monkeys on the planet, and Opus is basically a hotel. Because a picture is worth a thousand words.
4. You get the best of both worlds. Chill it out, take it slow, then you rock out the show.
Yes, I did just use Hannah Montana lyrics to describe Saint Mary’s, but I’m just speaking the truth. Saint Mary’s is a very close knit all female community that has midnight breakfast Taylor Swift jams during finals week. But, the bigger Notre Dame campus is right across the street. Smicks can take classes, join clubs, and go to football games at Notre Dame which is a great way to meet new friends, future bridesmaids, and even super attractive boys. But let’s remember that no matter how cute that Notre Dame guy is, we came to Saint Mary’s for the degree. So, there’s a close knit community on one side of the road and a bigger, more diverse community just a mile away. It really is the best of both worlds. Thanks, Hannah Montana.
5. Home
I remember the first time I visited Saint Mary’s as a junior in high school. A friend from church who attended Saint Mary’s at the time always kept telling me to go on an official visit with her before she graduated. Every Saturday after church, she would rave on and on about Saint Mary’s while proudly showing me her gold ring that unites Belles around the country. So, finally, literally a week or two before she graduated, I visited Saint Mary’s. A million emotions were running through my head on the way. Nervous, excited, overwhelmed, happy. Maybe it was because it was my first college visit. But, the most prominent feeling was a voice in my head telling me, “Oh my gosh Hannah you better love this place because it’s the perfect fit for you. How could you not love it?” But, as soon as I made the turn onto the Avenue the voice in my head fell silent. Looking at the trees above me and around me, I was left in awe. I had goose bumps because I knew how many Saint Mary’s women were united because of this one special road that I was driving down. It excited me that one day; I could be a Saint Mary’s woman. More importantly, I wanted to be a Belle. Driving down the Avenue that day, I knew Saint Mary’s was home. The Avenue always leads you home.
Photos provided by the author
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