WNE is home to many students and here are some of the things that every WNE experiences on a daily basis:
1. You can find at least 10 people you know on your way to class.
The campus is very small and the population is also super small so it is uncommon to not run into at least one person you know. The five minutes it takes to walk from your dorm to class means you will run into at least 10 people you know, which means at least 10 people to say hi to in a short span of time.
2.You can get just about anywhere on campus in 10 minutes or less.
Due to the campus' small proximity you can wake up 15 minutes before class quickly get ready and then make the trip to class. There is a high chance that you will make it to class on time if you leave between five and ten minutes of the time you need to be somewhere. It is super convenient on the days where you want to have those extra few minutes of sleep. Even if you need to walk from say the Pavilion to Herman if you leave ten or fifteen minutes before you should be good.
3. You catch yourself saying "It's a great day to be a GBear" way too often.
Every day is a great to be a golden bear and there is a high probability that you've caught yourself saying "It's a great day to be a Gbear" a time or two. If the weather is nice or a sports team wins a big game the saying will make an appearance.
4. Having a class of 20 people or less is common.
A majority of the classes are super small. In my case when I say small I mean really small like six people small. This means going to class becomes extremely important because it will be noticeable who is there and who's skipping.
5. The dreaded CSP stairs.
We all know the struggle that is the CSP stairs. One flight to the second floor is manageable, to the third floor you're out of breathe, and the fourth floor is a death sentence. Once you hit the fourth floor you're nearly breathless, which is why many people consider walking up and down those stairs to be their exercise for the day. It is definitely a workout especially at eight or nine in the morning.
6. Knowing Emerson and its bipolar temperatures.
Emerson is either a sauna or an ice box, there is no in between. Some classrooms are humid and disgusting even in the middle of the winter whereas some of the other classrooms are freezing even when it is in the late summer months. The building is so old that is it unable to regulate the temperature and make all the rooms to be comfortable temperatures.
7. Love for Peppas and Hot Table.
You aren't truly a WNE student if you haven't gone to Hot Table and Peppas at least once. There is a high probability that you have been to each of those restaurants multiple times because of the closeness to campus and it's a way to escape the gross dining hall food.
8. Your professors know you by name.
Due to the small class sizes the professors usually know your name within the first few weeks of the semester. They want to get to know you not only as a student but also as a person. Many of the professors encourage you to visit them at their office hours just to chat if you don't have any questions about the class itself. Some professors even take time out of their days to plan events with their students, for example one of my professors brought our whole class out to eat just to chat.
9. It's not uncommon to meet people who have never heard of it.
When you meet a non-golden bear it is not uncommon for them to have no idea where WNE is or what it is about. They give the awkward nod as if they know but it is obvious they have no idea where it is due to how small of a school it is. Of course a true golden bear gives all the reasons why WNE is the best.
10. You use the WNEguest wifi instead of the WNE.
Let's be honest, the wneguest works 1000 times better than the WNE wifi does. It is common for your phone, laptop, iPad or any electronic to go to the WNE first meaning you need to change the given wifi network manually. Sometimes even the WNEguest doesn't work very well, which leads all of us to become extremely frustrated.
11. The WNE cookies
You know it's going to be a good day if there are WNE cookies. They are rarely in the dining hall but whenever they have them everyone is racing to the dessert table to get your hands on some of the delicious cookies.
12. You wouldn't want to go anywhere else.
WNE has become a home away from home and you wouldn't want to go anywhere else. The close-knit community feel is what makes the campus so great. You can always find someone to do something fun with or someone to chat with. Being a golden bear is more than just the name itself, it means being part of a larger family, approximately a family of 3000 people. There is something for everyone here!
