I’ve had the privilege to see and explore several college campuses in my short nineteen years of life, each one different than the first. Each provides a home-away-from-home for thousands of students each year. Something about each campus continually draws students in, but the question is what? What do students most value in a college when choosing one that’s best for them?
In 2025, one of the staff at College Raptor published an article titled, “12 Good Qualities to Look for in a College.” It is no surprise that “majors” was listed as number one on the list, but the second quality, “location,” might come as a surprise to some. The author writes, “The environment in which you choose to live will play a huge role in your next four years.” This advice goes beyond the age-old “do you prefer the city or the mountains” question. It has a lot to do with the architectural layout of the campus as well. As students choose a college, it is essential to consider whether the buildings on a campus will serve them well as they give four years of their life to pursuing their education in their new home.
Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, I lived about twenty minutes from the heart of the University of Tennessee. Considering how close I lived to campus, I find it surprising that I didn’t spend much time there. Perhaps this is because my family cheered on the Kentucky Wildcats (yes, we did experience some loving hate from dear friends who didn’t agree with our sports views) so I didn’t grow up going to games at Neyland Stadium. That being said, I do remember that the size of the campus, among other things, made UTK a definite no for me. As controversial as this may sound, the thought of crossing a legit road to get from building-to-building was not my favorite idea. Despite the campus being beautiful from what I remember, I never actually toured there. The ever-expanding architectural design simply wasn’t what I was looking for. Exciting for some, but not for me.
I remember visiting another college about seventy minutes southwest of Knoxville. Though this college was a top option for me at one point in my college search, I came away from my visit quite disappointed because the dorms seemed to be lacking in modern beauty. I wish I had been mature enough to look at them with fondness, recognizing that they have served as long-loved havens, offering rest and community to students over the past several decades. But this is not how I was thinking at the time. I wasn’t really interested in the story these beloved buildings told. I was about to sign approximately a thousand days of my life away to living in a new home, something I had never done before. College is much more than just getting a degree. It’s a formative process, and in some ways, it’s a mental game. Staying alive amid all the swirling pressures is not always easy. Architecture done well plays a major role in cultivating a positive mindset among students. When students see beauty all around them, they will hopefully feel more inspired to pursue both academic and interpersonal beauty as well. While there is a place for my more nostalgic way of looking at the dorms on this campus, it can’t have the final say. The beauty of the buildings I was going to be living in and calling home for the next four years mattered a lot. No, this school was not for me either.
Going further southwest, I had the privilege of visiting Covenant College with my older sister. Like a crown on a king’s head, this castle of a college proudly stands atop Lookout Mountain. Her European style sets her apart from most other colleges I’ve visited. But these emotions are not what I remember from that tag-along visit years ago. Perhaps this was because I didn’t want to make a stop or because the focus was on my sister, not me. Or maybe it was simply because I didn’t appreciate art and beauty as much back then as I do now. I don’t really know, but I didn’t come away with a strong desire to tour myself. No fault of the college, but this school just wasn’t for me.
Though I didn’t personally end up at any of these three colleges, I know that thousands of students choose and love them each year. They have found a beloved beauty that I didn’t see or appreciate to a full extent as a mere passerby.
I also don’t think beauty has to mean the same thing to everyone. As the old adage goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I’ve seen some beautiful college campuses in my few days, each fashioned a bit differently than the rest. Each boasts architectural achievements that house students as they study, rest, learn and grow, hopefully becoming a bit more beautiful themselves. That being said, I think it’s a really cool thing that humans see beauty in different ways. Someone may take delight in something I walk right by, and vice versa.
I’m really happy with Union. It’s small and aesthetically appealing to me. Architecturally speaking, it checks all my boxes. But this might not be the case for every student, and that’s OK. Not every student who walks this campus will marvel at Union’s charm in the same way I do. Undoubtedly some prospective students will feel it’s just not the right fit for them. Perhaps there’s a different college out there that works better. There’s so much beauty to choose from. What matters is what feels like home.
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