Our Home on the Hill? It's Home away from Home. Denison is beautiful, full of incredible places and even more incredible people. There are so many amazing qualities to this place that they tell you about in all the pamphlets and the college fairs; from high rankings by Forbes to ALL the pretty Swasey photographs and the small class sizes to impressive endowment, there's no doubt (though I'm biased) that Denison is one of the best colleges out there. However, despite it all, there's also things they don't tell you about in the pamphlets...with the help of some brainstorming by a few friends, here's a list of the good, the bad, AND the ugly things they haven't told you about good ole DU:

1. The number of stairs you have to climb.

"Fair college on the hill" sounds really poetic until you have to hike a mile down the south quad stairs in a blizzard.

2. Parking Availability is essentially nonexistent.

Better luck next year(?).

3. Lack of A/C in (almost) all of Denison's dorms.

Just wait for the tiny desk fan to oscillate your direction.

4. Sometimes, there's nowhere to hide from your past (or present.)

Tiny school, tiny student body. News spreads fast--whether it's good or bad, be ready for the whole hill to know (at least a little) about your life.

5. Ohio's weather is...difficult.

Pouring one minute and scorching sun the next? Welcome to Granville!

6. How awesome President Weinberg is.

This cannot be overstated.

7. ...Or how amazing the staff at our dining halls and dorms are.

This also cannot be overstated.

8. Denison ID Pictures always seem to turn out badly.

Enjoy this terrible freshman Aug-O photo of yourself until you turn 21.

9. The wait line at Slayter to use declining at 1pm is possibly the most frustrating thing you'll endure.

Forget having time to actually eat that Cantina bowl if you have a 1:30 class.

10. You WILL want Whit's every day.

Essentials to survival: Flavor of the week. Every day.

11. You will also want to pet the deer.

(But also train one.)

12. You will probably feel overwhelmed sometimes.

Homework, social life, sleep, exercise, extracurriculars. It's a lot. Take it all one day at a time. Make time for yourself, and don't forget to do things that make you happy.

13. You will have to explain "Big Red" to your friends who go to different schools at least 26 different times.

I'm a junior, and I still have no idea.

14. You will get incredibly annoyed at people who misspell "Denison" as "Dennison".

Misspelling it on purpose to type that sentence just gave me an ulcer.

15. You'll become family here.

Love you to forever, my Denidoo family.