Because those who aren't Scarlet Knights will never understand the glory of sinking their teeth into a buffalo chicken crisp from Hansel after a night out.
Here are ten things non-Rutgers students just wouldn't understand:
1. The bus system.
For those who don't go to Rutgers, or a large state school for that matter, sometimes the fact that our campus isn’t walkable can be tough to grapple with. Those who go to small schools will never understand the struggle of trying to finagle your way between the sea of students and backpacks on a crowded LX in the dead heat of summer. They can never fathom how difficult it is not to fall over when the bus stops short while simultaneously stewing in the smell of other peoples B.O. They’ll never understand the glory of finding an empty seat, or the hilarious encounters on the drunk bus at 3 a.m. It’s a love/hate kind of thing. Well … mostly hate.
2. The different campuses.
Non-Rutgers students often have trouble understanding that all five Rutgers campuses are interrelated and a part of the same school. It baffles them that you might live on College Ave, but have to take the bus to Douglass or Busch to go to class. And no, these campuses do not include Rutgers Camden and Rutgers Newark. Just … no.
3. “Ratio.”
In order for most guys to get into fraternity parties at Rutgers, they are often required to come with “ratio,” aka bring lots of girls along with them so that the amount of girls at the party far surpasses the amount of guys. Are they basically using girls as currency? Yes. Is it extremely degrading? Yes. Do most girls still go along with it? Yes. Yes they do.
4. Sakai, Webreg and Degree Navigator.
To non-Rutgers students, these programs can be extremely confusing. Heck, they can be confusing even to Rutgers students! No one really knows why we need a billion separate sites, as opposed to having everything in one place. The sites aren’t even that effective, considering they always crash at the most inopportune times.
5. Snow days.
The roads may be covered in black ice and the sidewalks may still be a few inches deep in snow, but us Rutgers students will still be waking up for our 8 a.m. classes. Isn’t this dangerous, you may ask? Absolutely.
6. The construction.
A running joke at Rutgers is that it has been under construction since it was founded in 1766. It seems as though everywhere you go, you can see some sort of demolished building and hear the beeping sounds of bulldozers and dump trucks driving in reverse. No matter how long the construction has gone on, it never appears as though any progress has been made.
7. Fat sandwiches.
Non-Rutgers students have no clue that they have been missing out on one of the greatest drunk foods of all time. Fat sandwiches are a classic Rutgers delicacy which consists of a combination of all of the greatest foods on earth between two fluffy sandwich buns. When else can you eat mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and french fries all at once? It is a dream come true, especially when you’re intoxicated.
8. How nice it is to be close to home.
As glamorous as it may seem to study as far away from home as possible, there are so many perks to being an in-state Rutgers student. Being close to your own bed, your dog, and your family so underrated. You'll also get lots of visitors when your friends from home who were “too cool for Rutgers” (sorry guys) want to come party with you because they secretly know the Rut is awesome.
9. Location.
Where else can you be this close to New York City, the shore and Philly? Need I say more?
10. How much we hate Penn State.
The one thing that undoubtedly brings all of us Rutgers students together is the mutual hatred of our rival school. F@*& Penn State!!
