Size, along with food quality and whether or not bathrooms are private or shared, is something we all consider when choosing where to attend school. And most of the time, the heaviest emphasis is put on size.

Schools with small student populations love to boast about its student-to-faculty ratio. This concept makes it seem as though every student will be matched up with a professor and six other kids, and they’ll get together and discuss all things scholarly. Think Aristotle’s Peripatetic school in Athens.

This notion of education is far superior to large state schools with massive lecture halls and the “lost in the crowd” feeling that all the “finding-the-best-college-for-you” books preach against.

But I’ve noticed something about Marquette’s small size that might actually be inhibiting students. With a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average upper level class size of 25 students, according to its website, Marquette may be suffering from “small world syndrome.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to walk down Wisconsin Ave at 10:50 on a Monday morning and run into at least 10 people I know between Cudahy and the Brew. But I feel as though the size of Marquette limits us in truly expressing ourselves, both in and out of the classroom.

At some point we’ve all been there. You check the class list on D2L the night before a new semester begins and one of three emotions occur as you browse the list.

First emotion: indifference. The girl who lived down the hall from you freshman year is in the class. OK, you can deal with this. You don’t really talk anymore despite the fact that you used to eat brunch together in Cobeen and go to basketball games.

Second emotion: complete relief. One of your closest friends is in the class; you can swap notes and study together; perfect. Chances are, you planned this and already knew before looking at the list.

Third emotion: utter dread. You know that girl, and you’re somehow really awkwardly linked to her. Whether she’s the current girlfriend of the guy you had a crush on freshman year, or the really close friend of the ex-friend that you got in a fight with sophomore year and now ignore at all costs.

And it seems that at Marquette, this is always the case. Everybody knows something about everyone else. And I think that this limits our ability to comfortably express ourselves. It is far easier to blend in at a large school where you can go the entire week without accidentally running into anyone that you might not want to see.

From the silence in philosophy class that ensues the moment we start talking about religion and sexuality, to the hesitancy that comes with wearing something completely out of the norm, we are constantly limiting ourselves because we are afraid of what “our connections” are going to think of us.

This week offers some unique opportunities to put yourself out there on campus and explore who you are and what you believe, and not be afraid to let others know as well. Today, step out of your comfort zone and support Matthew Shepard’s mother as she shares her experience. Tomorrow, support your classmates when they say something you may not agree with in class discussion. Their opinions do not define them, just as yours don’t define you.

Marquette might not make high marks in the delicious food category, but let’s strive to be a school without “small world syndrome.” I know you, you know me. Let’s move past that and express ourselves in a manner not inhibited by our small size.