By Aly Plasterer
This summer Sewanee finally made its way onto Buzzfeed. However, we found that the article entitled “17 Signs You Go to Sewanee” came up short. So, here’s our rendition.
1 When someone asks where you go to school you reply “Sewanee. It’s a small school in Tennessee on top of a mountain.” Obviously, we have all heard of Sewanee, but I can’t say the same for the majority of people living in our country. It’s best to have a standard answer.
2 You aspire to look like a Hogwarts student. Sewanee’s unique society, The Order of the Gownsmen, is extremely distinctive among universities. It’s also a wonderful incentive to get a high GPA. Who doesn’t want to wear a gown?
3 You refer to the 0.4 miles it takes to get to Quintard and Gorgas as “far.” Yes, it is 0.4 miles, I measured it. But it does seem a lot farther during that walk to class.
4 You’ve biked to class in the rain. Very rarely, if ever, have I seen a Sewanee student drive their car to class. With such a small campus it makes more sense to walk or ride your bike, and we’re not afraid of a little rain.
5 You’ve probably become a little too comfortable when dealing with strangers. It’s very easy to get used to the generally friendly dispositions of the Sewanee community; however, outside of campus you may forget it’s not normal to share with strangers.
6 You’ve eaten a meal with one of your professors; probably at McClurg. Sewanee professors are very close to their students and the campus because they live here too. You can often catch them eating in the dining hall or hanging out in Stirlings
7 You call Homecoming Weekend “Fall Party,” and let’s be honest, which are you more excited for? Not that we don’t love our football team, but everyone knows Sewanee students love a good party.
8 You’ve been to a party at a frat house where alums were present. The habit of partying at Sewanee never really goes away, and that becomes especially evident on those special occasions when the alumni come back to campus and back to the parties.
9 Guys in blazers and girls in dresses at 8:00 am class is a normalcy. Class dress is another one of Sewanee’s many traditions that make it such a unique school. While 9:00 may be the new 8:00, you can be sure that nobody is slacking in the outfit department.
10 You’ve had to explain to someone why they’ve never heard of your sorority/fraternity. A large chunk of Sewanee’s sororities and fraternities are not national, which tends to lead to a lot of explaining when someone doesn’t recognize your Greek letters.
11 You’ve had a class where the number of students is a single digit. The small size of our student body is never as clear as when you have an eight-person class. Fortunately, it provides you with the opportunity to get to know your professor and fellow students better. Unfortunately, it’s blatantly obvious if you aren’t there.
12 You’ve had the ironic experience of nearly crashing your car while picking up or dropping off your Sewanee angel. It’s a wonderful idea that just tapping the roof of your car while driving through the gates brings a Sewanee angel to keep you safe on your travels. It’s not quite so wonderful if by chance you’re changing the radio station or receive a phone call in the midst of this process.
13 You can tell who’s comping by how stressed they are. We all know that special time of year when the seniors are especially cranky, and we’ve learned that it’s best to stay out of their way until comps are over.
14 You can accurately compare McClurg at noon to the mall on Black Friday. We’ve all experienced the feeling, or possibly the reality, that all of Sewanee eats lunch at exactly the same time. Going to Wal-Mart has become an event.
15 You’ve got your shopping list, your money, your CD for the twenty minute car ride, and of course your trusty friend who you know will help you lug the grocery bags back to your dorm.
16 The second most stressful week of your semester is registration (next to exams). The drawn out week-long process of registration for classes can drive even the sanest person to madness, especially when Banner is being, well… Banner.
17 You’ve been to class in rain, sleet, snow, fog, and power outages. Sewanee students are always ready to brave any kind of weather to get to class, mostly because living on such a small campus doesn’t really give us a choice. Thank the universe for rain boots, umbrellas, and emergency generators.