CMU was not a part of my master plan.

I had plans to enroll in a large university and live the big-city life. I wanted to study elementary education in the mountains of Montana or become a performer in Colorado’s capitol. Long story short, I ended up in the vast metropolis of Grand Junction, and I wasn’t happy about it. It wasn’t the enormous D1 university I had dreamed of. I was stuck in a small town on a smaller campus.

Now, CMU’s size is what I love most.

This university isn’t as big as a D1 school, and it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of a big-city campus.

But CMU is proud of its identity.

Be grateful that you are at CMU, even if it wasn’t at the top of your list. It may not be big or flashy, but it gives you plenty of opportunities that you wouldn’t get at bigger schools. There are so many pathways to explore various interests at an affordable price. The community is friendly, and so are the people.

In three years at this school, I’ve worked for The Criterion, written a love and relationships column, performed in a musical about pirates, and tutored bi-lingual children in the Grand Valley. All of these opportunities were granted to me through this pint-sized, D2 school.

Ultimately, CMU has proven that bigger isn’t necessarily better.

As “ACB 2” rises, CMU is dedicated to preserving small classroom sizes and a low student-teacher ratio. The administration isn’t constructing 300-seat lecture halls in the new classroom structure — they are constructing 20-40 seat classrooms. The administration is literally building CMU’s small-school identity into the campus now so it will be preserved for the future.

CMU continues its commitment to intimate classrooms and a small school feel, even if the student population skyrockets in years to come. It will never be a gargantuan D1 school, but it doesn’t have to be in order to be resourceful to its students.

If CMU isn’t big enough for your grand college plans, I get it. It wasn’t big enough for me either. But why have bigger plans when you can have better plans?