At the University of South Carolina, there are numerous reasons why the students take such pride in being Gamecocks. These reasons range from academics, to friendships, to Thirsty Thursdays. These are a few reasons why students at USC will always sing 'Forever To Thee' (and love it).

1. Loving Our Football Team No Matter What

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Here at USC, we have learned to love our football team unconditionally. Unlike other schools, USC fans support their team no matter what. Through winning seasons, losing seasons and everything in between, we scream "GAME…..COCKS" at the top of our lungs. We live for Saturdays spent tailgating in various lots. We love Willy B with our whole hearts. We travel with the football team despite our doubts of coming out with a win. We have learned to support our team through thick and thin. We have learned to make the best out of losses. Most importantly, we have learned that we are more than proud to bleed garnet and black.

2. Five Points

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Not much needs to be said on this one. Even though we may spend all of our money on $1 beer and wake up the next morning with a killer hangover, the students of USC love us some Five Points. So go ahead. Spend $20 on 3 a.m. Pita Pit. Jump in the fountain. Dance on elevated surfaces. And by all means, scream “Sweet Caroline” whenever it is played in the bar.

3. Community

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As a transfer student, this may be my personal favorite reason why I will always sing "Forever To Thee." Coming from a smaller university in northern Colorado, there was not a sense of community. USC defies all odds on this one. Despite having 30,000+ students, we stand strong as a close-knit community. We plaster “University of South Carolina” proudly on our vehicles. We each own at least five USC t-shirts… and at least one only reads “COCKS.”

4. We Know How To Celebrate

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USC students celebrate everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. We celebrate our wins and our losses. We celebrate the end of the semester as well as the beginning. We celebrate getting that A we have worked so hard for. And sometimes, we even have to celebrate that C. It has taught us to take everything with a grain of salt. Through all of the celebrations, we remember to stay young. We remember to rejoice in our victories and rejoice in our losses because every loss is a lesson.

5. Demanding Academics

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We will definitely always sing "Forever To Thee" because of the demanding academics at USC. We have cried a countless number of tears over term papers, exams and projects. We have spent way too many nights in T-Coop relying only on Red Bull and our will to earn that grade. We have taken difficult courses and begged professors to ‘just let us earn that half of a point’ to make the grade we need. So when we receive that little piece of paper that says ‘you did it’, we will always sing "Forever To Thee."