First Post: How I fell in love with Saint Mike's

Hi there!

My name is Katie Barry, and I'm a psychology major with a business minor! Click here to learn more about me! 

I just moved back to Saint Mike's for my sophomore year, and I couldn't be happier. Choosing a college was a long process. I visited roughly 17 schools, and I had no idea how I would make a decision. 

I toured Saint Mike's for the first time in October of my senior year. I had a Monday off for Columbus Day weekend, and decided to use that Sunday and Monday to tour colleges further from home. I had never been to Vermont, but the brochures that Saint Mike's had sent me included beautiful scenery that I knew I had to visit in Vermont. 

On Sunday October 12, I pulled into the Saint Mike's parking lot and walked into McCarthy with little information about SMC. The open house began with an information session that included the basic facts about Saint Mike's such as the small class sizes, the student-faculty ratio, possible majors, and the student and faculty involvement with community service. One of the most used words in the presentation was community. I was itching to get out of my seat and walk around the campus, hoping to find out why the presenters used that word so frequently. 

As I was on my tour, I quickly noticed why the word community was used so frequently throughout the presentation. The Saint Mike's community was very much alive. I walked around as a stranger, but felt as if I was being welcomed by all members of the campus. Students held doors open for others, and the students and faculty I encountered were strangers, but acted as friends as they greeted and smiled at me as I walked around the campus for my first time. 

Touring Saint Michael's College in person was no doubt the greatest decision I've ever made. To all the prospective students, I strongly encourage that you tour the school in person. You will not get the same experience doing an online virtual tour that you receive when you tour Saint Michael's College in person. You will not see students pass you on your tour with a warm smile and hear them yell "Come to Saint Mike's!!!!". You will not hear the bells going off at 10:55 as students scurry to the academic buildings for their 11:00 class, who still manage to hold the door open for you. You will not get the same welcoming experience that prospective students receive when they tour Saint Michael's. 

Everyone's parents tell them not to talk to strangers, but at Saint Mikes it's different. Strangers become friends, friends become family. I toured 16 other schools, and did not experience a community and student body as warm (not weather wise, trust me it's can be pretty cold in Vermont)and welcoming as the one that I did when I was surrounded by purple knights. I toured many schools, but I could not stop thinking about Saint Mike's during those other tours. 

As I now enter my second year at Saint Michael's College, I could not be more thankful to have chosen a school where I feel more welcomed, loved, and happy everyday. Thank you to Saint Mike's, for attracting a community that has the kindest, supportive, and most humble people I have ever met. I fell in love with Saint Mike's on October 12 of my senior year, but I find more and more reasons to appreciate and love this place every single day.