In 1844, the Sisters of the Holy Cross founded Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. Since then, SMC has grown to be a distinguished women’s liberal arts college. And it is where I will continue my education next year.

I plan on majoring in English and education, and if I could swing a minor in French, I’d be thrilled. SMC is definitely a small liberal arts school, and the staff-to-student ratio is about 10:1. I like smaller class sizes and more one-on-one time with teachers, so that statistic thrills me. I could memorize more stats about Saint Mary’s, but I somehow doubt that I’ll ever need to print out party invitations for every single student on campus or take a class on how many students have scholarships. What I know is that it’s small – fewer than 2,000 undergrads. But it’s not like I’m going to run out of people, especially with the university of 12,000 students literally across the street. 

For those who don’t know, Saint Mary’s College is indeed the University of Notre Dame’s sister school. This means that, while enjoying my small, female-oriented learning environment, I can also take classes at Notre Dame, attend Notre Dame sporting events, enjoy campus amenities and – as SMC keeps strangely reminding me – join the Notre Dame marching band.