Choosing a college or university is like taking a leap of faith.

It is the place that, for at least four years, you will call “home.” So, you want to make the best choice possible.

Campbellsville University (CU), according to many of its students, has the unique ability to make you fall in love at first sight.

“Of all the things that impressed me about the school, the most astounding was the community, which I felt from the first moment,” said Callie Coulson, a senior at CU. “The class sizes allow you to build good relationships and develop new friendships, not just with people of our age, but with everybody.”

Four years after her first day at CU, the family atmosphere and sense of belonging to the school’s community has continued to grow, thanks in part to the social experiences the school offers, according to Coulson. Church events during her time at CU helped her as she searched for herself and the right path for her future. These experiences allowed her to establish relationships that would last a lifetime.

According to Khalil Baker, athletic admission counselor, ResLife coordinator and CU alum, the university’s sense of community has had an impact on him, not only as a student, but also as a professional.

“This college has really fostered genuine relationships that I feel will last a lifetime,” he said. “Here, I met people I could always rely on. My career choices are strictly linked with the sense of community that CU gave to me.”

Baker said he has found Campbellsville to be a true refuge that has helped him grow and validate who he is. He was recruited as a student athlete to CU’s football team, and he became fascinated by the Tigers’ lifestyle, their morals, and their way of relating to one another. These characteristics are what made him feel the need to become more involved in the CU community.

Amy Egbert, a CU success coach, said the university makes you feel like you are part of a big family.

“You should come to Campbellsville because people actually care about you, and they want you to succeed,” she said.

Egbert plays a key role in helping students transition from high school to college. As a success coach, she helps students develop the skills they need to be successful in college.

“Relating to students, especially in their first steps in this new experience, it is common for me to become aware of insecurities, doubts and fears that they face,” Egbert said. “My job is to make students as comfortable as possible through advising them of appropriate classes that can make them feel included.”

CU has approximately 5,000 undergraduate students enrolled, and while that might seem like a substantial number, the feeling one gets walking around campus is that everyone knows everyone.

Egbert said CU is a unique school because everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging, which characterizes this university.

“Campbellsville University is unlike any other college,” she said. “The community makes CU so unique and provides every student with a home away from home. At CU students feel like they are part of something bigger than just themselves, they feel supported and understood.”

This is the secret sauce that makes CU unique.