Four years may seem like a long time to spend at one place, particularly a place as geographically and numerically small as Gettysburg College. And while it may at first seem simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming, Gettysburg has a way of growing on you. The key to getting the most out of Gettysburg is to understand what it is and what it isn’t, and to embrace the former and accept the latter. Gettysburg will never be a UNC or Ohio State in terms of diversity, class offerings, or athletics. Then again, you’ll never be in a class of 350 people, and you will never feel lost and or ostracized. The faculty is, for the most part, awesome. You have the chance to get to know your professors, as well as your classmates. The academics are challenging and rewarding. The more you put in, the more you get out. The study abroad, career development, and alumni services are incredibly useful, and they make what can normally be complicated and difficult processes exceedingly straightforward.
In the end, the two most important things you will take with you are your degree and your friends. Your degree is from a highly selective and challenging liberal arts college. It is not easy to earn, but it is not impossible either. It will get you a good job or into a good graduate school, and the education it represents will serve you well for the rest of your life. Your friends will be warm, caring, and intelligent people, with whom you share that intimate and unique bond that is only forged after years of youthful interaction away from home. You will experience things together that no one will ever quite understand. While there are certainly frustrating and even infuriating aspects of Gettysburg, it remains an institution that cares deeply about its students and their academic, emotional, and physical well-being. Its beautiful campus, challenging coursework, and comprehensive extracurricular system are what make Gettysburg College, overall, a great place to spend the best years of your life.