Since I go to school at Washington University in St. Louis, the question I normally get from people is:

How do you like going to college in St. Louis? How do you like living in the Midwest?

Coming to college was my first experience living in the Midwest. I always thought that going to school here, rather than in New York, Penn, Chicago, LA, SF or SEA would be a big disadvantage. I’ve found that in some ways it is, while others it is a HUGE advantage (in many ways I had never thought about).

Let’s start with the disadvantages because they do exist. The first being the weather — St. Louis does have really ‘eh’ weather. The next big thing is lack of density. I like dense places because the pace of life increases, and with it the flow of communication and more ideas come about!

But now for the insight . Why do I think that in many ways St. Louis beats Silicon Valley for college?

You see, coming to St. Louis I knew there were many problems with the city. I think everyone knows that if you watch the news every once in a while. I have always looked at that as a disadvantage.

Until I came and found that every flaw is an opportunity to find a solution. Coming to a place that is imperfect gives me more chances to make a difference and make an impact. Which brings me to my next point — go to a smaller city.

St. Louis is relatively small. Meaning no person is more than two emails away. And that has been so true for me — helping me get internships and plugging me into the city within weeks. It has given me an opportunity to excel, bypass a learning curve, and start talking to people quickly! A city like St. Louis loves determined people and puts them on a platform to succeed.

In summary : Look for the positives in what some perceive as the negatives.

This post was originally featured on Medium and was republished with permission from the author.