Sherman, TX: The many fountains squirted streams of glistening water. The green of the grass radiated throughout the 70 acres. The ivy-covered buildings stood tall, stylishly surrounding the quad as the chapel bell began playing songs of joy. It was 5 o’clock at Austin College.

Austin College is a small liberal arts school located an hour north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. When I first stepped onto the campus on that bright day, I knew I could not be happier anywhere else.

Not only is Austin the oldest college in Texas, it is also one of only 40 recognized by Loren Pope in his book, Colleges that Change Lives. Pope wrote, “This 150-year-old community of learning, with its [1,320] students, will excite you, stretch you, expand your world, and make you believe in yourself. This college does marvelous things to multiply talents and to develop character … Austin will do more to give you a successful and satisfactory life.” Austin College has also found a place on U.S. News and World Reports’ top 100 liberal arts colleges and Princeton Review’s top college list.

Other than name recognition, what does this quaint school have to offer? Well, as a matter of fact, it has several programs that make it stand out from other liberal arts schools. The study abroad program is one of them. Over 70 percent of students study abroad; Austin College was ranked as the number-one school for study abroad three times in the past five years by the Institute of International Education.

Austin College also is known for its unusual January term, when students focus on one subject. Most take classes off campus, and the majority venture extremely far off campus. Several even study in Australia, Hawaii, or England.

Attending a small school definitely has class-size ­advantages, with the average at less than 25. This allows students to get to know their professors on a personal level and really excel.

The campus was modeled after Princeton, giving it an Ivy League feel. In some ways, Austin is an Ivy League school without the title. It has the look, the feel, the education. What else could you want?

I would strongly recommend visiting Austin College. It’s my perfect school and I’m sure it could be yours too.

Learn more online at www.austincollege.edu.