After walking for what seemed like an eternity, I stopped dead in my tracks, dumbfounded by what I saw. “Wow,” I whispered as I craned my neck toward the sky, gawking at the towering building.

Although I heard my name being called, I was in too much of a daze to pull myself away. Several seconds passed before my attention was finally diverted and I was able focus on following the person in front of me.

I was led along the sidewalk and up a stairway, constantly told to quicken my pace. Reaching the landing, I noticed a set of doors. Again unable to believe what I was seeing, I slowly opened them and strode into the lobby.

People were everywhere, making it difficult to find where I needed to go. Security guards were standing their ground, ID was being checked, and I quickly became just another face in the crowd.

Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh.

Now, don’t get me wrong – the university is great, especially for people who love big schools and the city of Pittsburgh. I’m simply not one of them.

I will admit that it is worth visiting Pitt; in fact, I had a wonderful time when I stayed there with friends. However, my experience made me appreciate Mercyhurst a little more.

Can you imagine having to catch a bus to get from class to class? That’s a definite ‘no’ for me. I actually enjoy being able to get across campus in less than 15 minutes.

What if you weren’t allowed to participate in certain activities until you were a junior or senior because there were already too many people? I don’t know about you, but I would not be happy about that.

Be honest with this one: Would you want to go to lectures in a room packed with three hundred people? If you answered ‘yes,’ you’re crazy.

Sure, our college is small. But trust me when I say that’s an advantage, not a disadvantage. Sooner or later, you’ll agree with me.