Why St. Mike's?

It's the question that you're probably asking yourself right now.

Out of all the schools you could choose from... why should you choose St. Mike's?

Well, here's my top 5:

1. The Community:

Everyone here at St. Mike's says it. They wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the great St. Mike's community. I remember when I stepped on campus for one of the Accepted Student Days just last year. I was completely stressed out since it was my senior year and I still haven't found the one. I hadn't found that one school that made me SURE that I wanted to spend the rest of my four years there. I hadn't found the one place where I knew I could belong. But then I found St. Mike's.

Coming here on an Accepted Student Day was AMAZING, but I was even more amazed by the sense of community on campus. Everyone seemed genuinely happy, and when students talked to us as prospectives about their love not only for St. Mike's but for each other, it was evident that this was the real deal. A fellow prospective asked for advice on deciding between schools, and I still remember what the St. Mike's senior said. "Go with your heart." At that moment, I knew my heart was with St. Mike's. I felt the strong sense of community through the students and through the professors in my major that I was fortunate to meet. I'm happy to say that I still feel this sense of community through the campus every day. I've made so many great friends here, whether they be upper-classmen, students in my freshmen class, or my wonderful professors. It's amazing how much love you can feel in one place. People at St. Mike's aren't just my fellow students, but they are my family.

 2. The Campus: I mean... just LOOK at it...

Isn't it a beaut? And I promise, those mountains aren't photoshopped. Every day on my way to class I get to see these beautiful mountains if I just look to my left (which I always remember to do, because seriously, who would ever want to miss that kind of view?) Coming from the Bronx, I don't really get that kind of experience at home, so I make sure to absorb every bit of it that I can! Plus, the campus is small enough that I can know where everything is without getting lost but large enough to give me the college feel. I'm completely comfortable on campus, and not many freshmen elsewhere can say that!

3. The Liberal Arts Curriculum:

I hear a lot of my friends in other schools complain about their pre-reqs (here, we call them LSCs) but I happen to really love mine, and I think that has a lot to do with being at a Liberal Arts College. In many college institutions, their primary goal is to help you make money. At a Liberal Arts institution like St. Mike's, however, their goal is to help you think critically about yourself and what kind of overall purpose you want to get from your life. In all of my classes, I'm encouraged to share my opinions and have the ability to develop them because of the liberal studies curriculum. My classes often seem to overlap into one another as well, and I'm able to gain a bunch of different perspectives on a bunch of different material. You soon find that there are so many ways at looking at things, and if there's anything St. Mike's taught me to do, it's just that. It may sound cliche to say that college has expanded my mind, but oddly enough, I feel that St. Mike's has.

4. The Commitment to Service:

MOVE is extremely popular on campus. It is our service group on campus which hosts a variety of activities. I personally am a part of DREAM. It's a mentoring program in which we spend our Fridays with the kids from Franklin Square and bring them to campus for some fun. Other than that, the MOVE board is always up and going if you ever want something positive and fun to do on the weekends, and when you get to Saint Mike's, you can sign up for the Freshman Apple Picking trip! It'll be you and a bunch of people from your class so you'll get to meet a bunch of new friends and bring back some apples to your dorm as well! It's a great way to get started with MOVE, and if you want to look at all the programs we have, you can look on the MOVE page!



5. Vermont!!!!!

Vermont is beautiful!!! I know I've definitely never seen anything like it! Between the beautiful scenery and all that Ben & Jerry's, I can't think of a place I'd rather be! We're also soooo close to Burlington (a 20 minute or less bus ride, bus rides are free for SMC students when you use your Knightcard as your bus pass!! Did you know that?), which is Vermont's biggest city!! I absolutely love the small town feeling with a city vibe! It's the best of both worlds, which is why you should totally come visit!!

Believe me, there's so much more that I can write about St. Mike's, and so much more I will write, but these are the five that I feel really make St. Mike's special. Come check it out for yourself! If St. Mike's is right for you, I can promise you won't be disappointed!