When I began the college search, I had no clue what I wanted in a school. Some people I knew had dream schools since Day One, but when it came to the size of the school, the location, and overall atmosphere, I was clueless. After applying to Siena almost randomly and visiting the school only once, I knew that Siena was the school for me. The feeling when I got to campus can’t be put into words, but I’m sure most if not all of my fellow Saints know exactly what I’m talking about.
Community is everything. E v e r y t h i n g.
I feel like the word community is thrown around a lot, especially when describing small, liberal arts schools, but the students and staff were not lying when they said Siena puts a big emphasis on community. We lift each other up and accept one another for who we are, and are always looking for ways to give back.
Small school. Small campus. Short walk.
The farthest walk across campus is a maximum of fifteen minutes, but it takes about 5 minutes to walk to any class. Roger Bacon? Kiernan Hall? All five minutes away.
Small school. Small population.
Everywhere you go, you see someone you know. As frustrating at this may seem, you know that you can find at least one person to sit with if you go to Saga without a game plan.
Class sizes.
One of the reasons big schools intimidate me is the fact that it’s much more difficult to get to know your professors. Being on a first name basis with professors and having classes (some of which max out at 16 students) allows for stronger bond between professors and students.
There is something for everyone to get involved in.
Whether you are interested in singing, hiking, community service, politics, or anything you can think of, we probably have a club for it. If we don’t have a club for it, you can start one. Siena makes it easy to get involved in something you’re passionate about, and they also make it easy to start a club that others may want to be involved in.
School spirit.
Here at Siena, we take school spirit seriously. We may be small in number, but it doesn’t mean we are short in spirit. (Plus, we did take back the Albany cup, so that’s pretty exciting). Whether it’s in the Dog Pound or SINO days, the Saints take the green and gold pretty seriously.
Always something to do.
Whether it’s on campus, or Larkfest in Albany just a few miles away, there’s always something going on. We are close to SPAC for concerts, Albany for festivals, and lots of other cool local hiking trails and restaurants to explore.
Life in the 518 is never dull, and I’m sure all of us can agree we could never imagine ourselves being anywhere else but Siena.