To all you small school kids out there, you know what its like to walk across campus and recognize the faces passing you by. To all you big school kids out there, well, this is what you're missing out on. Pfeiffer is definitely a special place, so here's 12 things you will definitely understand whether you're a current student or an alumni and things to look forward to as an incoming student!
1. You hear "Where is that?" every time you tell someone where you go to school.
Misenheimer, North Carolina. A 300-acre village. It's 45 minutes from Charlotte and in between Albemarle and Salisbury. No one knows where Pfeiffer is so you basically have to tell them every major landmark within a 20-mile radius to give them the general idea. Most of the time those landmarks include Wendy's, the railroad tracks and that big stone building that no one knows what it's actually used for.
2. Speaking of train tracks...
Where else does a freight train drive through the middle of campus right in the middle of your chemistry or mathematics class? Even though it goes 2 mph, you can't help but wonder if the rumors are true...get hit by the train and get free tuition for two years...or is it four? It's about time for someone take one for the team, any volunteers?
3. Soccer
The real reason why our school is legitimately on the map is because we have a world-class, kick-butt soccer team -- 2015 D2 National Champions to be exact. MC Rodolfinho "Os mlk é Liso" blaring through the warmup speakers and every flag known to man flying is definitely something you'll only find in the stands at N.E. Lefko Field.
4. Being called a "NARP" isn't a bad thing.
No it's not a misspelling for "AARP." If someone calls you a NARP, they mean you are a "Non-Athletic Regular Person." That is definitely not a bad thing! We get to eat in the café before the
athletes do and other cool stuff that I just can't think about right this second. Go regular people!
5. Having one of your best friends in almost every class.
Everyone loves going to class with their best buddy. Well, when you only go to school with roughly 1,199 other kids, those chances are pretty high. Especially when your biggest class is only 15 people.
6. Dana McKim.
Whether it's his crazy-themed, button up shirts; his deep bellowing voice singing you
happy birthday in the café; his alter ego "Santa McKim" coming to visit right around the holidays; or his pool-noodle-wrapped shepherds staff swi
nging at your ankles during Zombie's v. Aliens, the man definitely knows how to bring a good laugh and big smile to anyone he meets.7. Constantly being asked for rides.
As a student at Pfeiffer, specifically the ones from the states, you know what I'm
talking about. The international kids don't have cars so that means carpooling is a must! My record so far is fitting eight people in a car that only holds four people. I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do, especially when food is on the line.
8. "Want to get Little Tokyo?"
Yes. The answer should and always will be yes. Half-priced chicken entrees on Mondays, half-priced sushi on Tuesdays, Poker on Wednesdays and half-priced sushi again on Thursdays? Uh, yes. Also, who knew such a quaint little Japanese place could turn into one of the most hype night clubs in Albemarle? (then again, there's no other nightclubs in Albemarle so...) You get my point.
Pfeiffer is seriously the only school I know of that has dogs just hanging out on campus. Quincy, Yeti, Daisy and my all-time favorite Carter (but that's because she's mine). You can't have them in the dorms, but walking across campus and being greeted by a wet nose and fluffy face is a pretty regular (and pretty fantastic) part of your day. I'm thinking we should just make Pfeiffer a dog-friendly campus, anyone else? Anyone at all?
10. Step on the school seal, and you won't graduate.
Yeah that's right, if you step on the school seal in Stokes, you have 30 seconds to run all the way across campus and touch the sundial to break your bad luck. Side note: I am telling you all this now so that four weeks into school, after stepping on the seal a countless amount of times, you don't find out that you won't graduate and frantically run back and forth to the sundial 47 times (not that I did that or anything...).
11. The desire to be multi-lingual.
When you go to school with kids from all over the world, the desire to be fluent in Spanish, German, French and every other language on the planet never really goes away. I've always wanted to listen in on a
conversation and know if they're taking mad junk about me. Like, I know I smell, but at least tell me in a language I understand. The upside to that though, become friends with someone that speaks the language you want to learn and save yourself $200 on Rosetta Stone and spend $5 on
coffee and a lesson with Valeria Mendoza.
12. Pfeiffer Pfam.
That is literally the biggest cliché known to all Pfeiffer affiliates but, it's also incredibly accurate. Pfeiffer has a way of bringing together people from all over the world and making them a family. Well really, a "p"family.
Pfeiffer is a place where you can truly find out who you are and what you're good at. There are people there, faculty and staff that will help you no matter what you need. They are people that genuinely care about you and your future. Be prepared to have a second and third mom on campus (Paula Morris, Regina Simmons and so many more), and just know that you will always be taken care of here. Also just know, anytime you write a word that starts with an "F" you will instinctively write a "Pf" instead.Welcome home everyone.
