College life in a Small Town
Published: January 15, 2024
Author: Minh Do
Just the perspective of someone who is in love with this town.
Spending your college time here in Greenville - a small town in Illinois - can seem boring at first, but you will immediately feel its sparks once you are here. You will get so attached to the warmth you feel from the community and the stunning nature that you had forgotten to embrace. Blasts of orange, pink, red colors run all over the sky; the breeze is fresh; you see rabbits and chipmunks jumping around all the time.
Thinking that college life in a small town has nothing to offer you? Don’t turn down college life in Greenville so quickly because the feeling for this town will secretly flourish inside you through time. Without further ado, let’s go through some of the upsides of college life in a small town:
Focus on personal development
- Greenville is a place where students can strongly enhance their academics and spirituality. Embedded between stunning nature and peaceful air, students barely encounter any distractions and can find entertainment that’s healthy for them. Next to Hoiles apartment of GU, the Gullies area offers some natural hiking trails near campus which allows walkers to be immersed in nature. There are a variety of fun activities you can join all in a walking distance from campus: making succulents at Evergreen, making pottery at the new Mudslide Pottery Studio, go thrifting at antique shops, or walking around the square at night.
- Greenville’s quiet and slow living pace allows students to self-reflect and work on aspects that they need to. There is barely any sirens or traffic. The streets are peaceful and lots of people are out walking, biking, or walking their dogs.
- Despite being in a small town, the school offers great opportunities to connect to bigger cities and bigger companies through its annual career fair, bringing in more than 100 companies to campus.
Groceries and food in walking distance
- Without personal vehicles, students can still reach out to groceries and restaurants within walking distance. Our IGA grocery store contains all types of everyday essentials and specialty items from around the world. If you are finding anything for your house or around the farm, all possible things are available in Buchheit. Dollar General and Dollar Tree are here too!
- Shimoji offers amazing drinks ranging from coffee and tea to smoothies and many other beverages. Right next to the coffee shop is Kahunas with their signature sunset burger with a tropical twist from pineapple. On the town square, there are two international restaurants: Buesnos Aires Argentinian empanadas and Hibachi Chinese Buffet. Then of course, you can always get your Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, and KFC. In addition to DQ, Greenville also have Marcoot Jersey Creamery and the Milk House with their amazing ice cream and other dairy products. Oh, and pizza! Jo’s, Mario’s, Domino’s, and Casey’s. We probably have more pizza per student than most campuses! The specialty for the day will be late night McDonald’s rides when you and your roommates suddenly get hungry before bedtime.
Clinic on campus affiliate with the hospital
- You might have thought that small towns will make health services hard to access, but for Greenville, it is not the case. GU Health Clinic is right behind the library, and it is affiliated with the hospital in town, which is right nearby. And if you need a prescription, you do not have to go far. Pick it up at CVS or Bond County Pharmacy inside IGA. While you are there, get your health and beauty aids too.
Faith Community
- There are nearly 30 churches in Greenville, Illinois, so there is a place for everyone to plug in and find a faith community to feel at home. Students’ find families at local churches to be really welcoming and “adopt” them as part of the family.
Safety
Greenville University has campus safety team and a Resident Director on call 24/7 everyday which always ensures security and assistance. Campus Safety also drives cars periodically around campus to check up on each building. Starting spring semester 2024, campus safety is launching the LiveSafe app for students. LiveSafe allows campus safety to communicate with students better, but now, there is two-way communication between students and campus safety. Students can even submit tips and concerns directly to campus safety even anonymously.
Small community but strong connections
- Miles of trees and clear sky slows down the pace of living, letting us embrace every moment we have together currently in our lives. The time you spend with friends is never in a hurry; you are surrounded by a tight-knit community. You will end up blending into the Greenville community much more deeply than you every thought possible. You can form meaningful bonds with your peers, professors, and even local business owners.
I am extremely thankful for God sent me to study in this place, and I hope you will find college life in Greenville, Illinois as pleasant as I do.
