What makes a campus beautiful? It's more than you think.

What makes a beautiful campus beautiful? I’ve learned from my time at Augustana, that it's not just the physical beauty of the buildings and classrooms but it’s also the life you live in between. 
 
When searching for a college, you don’t always think too much about the beauty of a campus or the time you’ll spend outside of your academics. You don’t realize that places like the residence halls or the main quad are where you will spend countless hours. 
 
I’m not suggesting that the classrooms or buildings aren’t important aspects to consider- because the new addition to Hanson and the renovations to Westerlin’s residence wings are important. But, so are the connections you'll make with the morning barista at the campus coffee shop or the relationships you’ll create in your residence hall. 
 
Residence halls each offer something uniquely beautiful to Augustana’s campus. For Freshman, the residents of Andreen explore the history of being in one of the oldest buildings on campus, students in Westerlin can enjoy snack breaks from the ‘Westerlin Market’ in the central lobby, and those in Seminary experience the scenery of campus from the hilltop. 
 
But, no matter where they live they all share experiences of enjoying the company of their friends, cooking dinner, or doing homework in the common spaces. 
 
At most schools, the common quad is important. But at Augustana it’s more than important - it’s the central point. No, really. Have you seen the giant ‘A’ in the middle? You can’t miss it. 
 
For me, the quad is where I walk between classes and where I see my sorority sisters, my teammates, and my professors. But, I also use the quad to relax in the enormous blue and gold lawn chairs, its where I participate in the homecoming games in the fall, and where I can enjoy picnics in the spring with my friends. 
 
The relaxing times in the quad are essential because no matter what college you pick, you’ll be busy. College provides an opportunity to be involved in numerous extracurricular and social activities, but sometimes being too involved can be overwhelming.
 
On these days of feeling overwhelmed I find myself walking toward the Slough. It’s the peacefulness of seeing endless groups of goldfish swimming by or the feeling of joy when I see the turtles sunbathe.
 
 I think it’s the physical beauty of the Slough and the historical buildings that rank Augustana College as a top competitor when it comes to having a beautiful campus. But, as a student who’s close to graduating, I think it’s a lot more of the in-between that makes Augustana worthy of its ranking.  
 
So, my advice is to pick the college with a beautiful campus that shows you more than just the academic buildings and classrooms, find the school that shows the possibility of beautiful 
memories.