Welcome home, Saint.

All the acceptance letters. The time is coming to choose which university you will attend in the fall. The sweat beads on your forehead as you compare tuition prices, housing, and travel costs between university and home. But how can you know which university will best suit you, as a person, without knowing the ins and outs of campus life? Sure, there are flyers, pictures of the most attended events, and a promise that it will be a fantastic experience. But can you trust it?

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The most expensive tuition doesn’t ensure a perfect school, and a cheap tuition doesn’t signify a lesser school.

Saint Martin’s University showcases student run events and a welcoming campus life through everyday events, lunches, meetings, evening residence hall events, and clubs.

Feeling left out? SMU hosts hundreds of events each year. From Campus Life to one of our clubs on campus, flyers can be found decorating the staircases in Old Main, Harned Hall and many other locations on campus.

When arriving on campus, you’ll be greeted by a picture-perfect group of students studying their hearts out, flyers lining the halls to promote school events, and at least a few people who will over smile and tell you how perfect campus is.

Being a college athlete and student can add an enormous pressure to your studies. Sophomore athlete Madison Prigge joins fellow athletes to catch up on homework and team stats.

It’s the little things that sculpt the life you will have on campus. A comfortable dorm with inviting bedding and enough fluffy blankets for the entire floor are a good start.

There are many essentials to succeed in college. However, one that you can't skip is cozy bedding to make every study session feel like a dream.

 It’s waking up to a cotton candy colored sunrise.

Speaking of dreams, opening your blinds in the morning can boast a welcoming surprise, a beautiful sunrise, making the day just that much easier.

It’s the calm, dewy walk to your morning 8 a.m. class where you can hear yourself think, and God appears to be reaching out through the clouds, that sets your day to be wonderful.

SMU, a private catholic school, welcomes God through a light in the break of clouds on the walk from residence hall to morning lecture.

It’s joining a club or working with a small group of people who become some of your closest friends.

Joining an on campus organization can give you a new experience while creating friendships and looks good on a resume.

It’s filling your stomach with food to nourish your body and your studies. It’s laughing so loud that you can feel happiness pouring out of you when you’re eating with your friends.

The comfort food from home follows you to college thanks to Bon Appetit, celebrate Taco Tuesday and other themed meals by dining at the cafe located in Old Main.

It’s seeing the wildlife come out of the woods and remind you how close we are to nature on this campus.

The tuition cost, proximity to home, and statistics about student life are nothing more than a number used as a marketing technique. It isn’t until you immerse yourself in the campus that you will truly feel at home. The intimacy of a university is not felt through reading a pamphlet or looking at photos online. Rather, it is a process of learning to love your new home. The friends that nourish your soul, the late nights laughing, and the events outside of the classroom are what truly dictate how your college experience will be felt.

A degree is earned by a single person, but the love, support, and affirmation given by friends make late night study sessions in the library more bearable.

It is up to you to fall in love with the vibe and the people who create it. One bad professor won’t ruin your time here. Embrace this new beginning, dive as far into your social life as you can. Make time for your studies, but make more time to harvest the desires, love, and passions that make you an individual. Let yourself flourish.

Welcome home, Saint.