42. It's one of the 40 Colleges that Change Lives.

41. Those excellent residences and an attractive campus.

40. "Let's burn down the administration building!"

39. The kangaroo is an awesome mascot.

38. There's no stinky margarine factory next door.

37. Seventy-five percent of grads have studied abroad

36. The staff might invite you to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks, Lawana!

35. Crimson and gold are righteous school colors, especially for a school that's so green.

34. That creative writing class I took with Bob Barrie back in the day.

33. Covertly stacking the chairs into an elegant sculpture in the prayer chapel.

32. An accessible and compassionate college president!

31. Texas Governor Sam Houston was on the college's original Board of Trustees.

30. Great geographical climate. Not too cold, not too hot, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, no tornadoes, no floods. Just a nice place to live and learn.

29. Any biology class with George Diggs. Any psychology class with Lisa Brown.

28. Austin College faculty are exceptional.

27. It's wired and wireless and full of information and the best technology .

26. Everything else about AC is great.

25. The best friends you'll ever make. Friends for a lifetime.

24. The best pre-med program within at least a thousand miles.

23. Liberal arts!!! And lots of other stuff.

22. Good times at the lake campus. S'mores.

21. Alumni would put together a site like this just because the school is cool. That says it all.

20. The Student Affairs employees care about the students.

19. Some students talk to trees, some don't. Some students go to church, some don't. Some participate in sports, some don't. Some are vegans, some aren't.

18. Responsibly handled YouTube, right from the start.

17. All those awards and rankings and stuff.

16. It's a campus full of individuals, not numbers. You don't spend an hour looking for a parking space.

15. The AC _____________ (create your own stuff).

14. Sometimes you find yourself at AC. Sometimes other people find you, and you find them.

13. The AC FB page.

12. Curiosity pervades. As well as a pursuit of justice and righteousness.

11. Fun, crazy, sublime, thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate, mysterious.

10. Chartered in November of 1849, Austin College is the oldest college in Texas operating under its original charter and name.

9. Alumni include Deborah Crombie, Ron Kirk, David Peeples, The Veggie Doctor, John Bucy III, Dan Stoenescu, and Homer P. Rainey.

8. Phi Beta Kappa chapter (and verse).

7. Even on a bad day, it tastes kind of like delicious strawberry shortcake.

6. AC was named after the "Father of Texas," Stephen F. Austin.

5. All the neat stuff it says in Wikipedia, plus much, much, much, much more.

4. The campus has never been struck by a gigantic meteor.

3. Shelly

2. Good, kind people who want you to succeed in life.

And the number one reason why Austin College is the best little college in the world is:

1. Seriously, there's more than one "number one reason." Greatness just happens at AC.