I am from northern Virginia, but I am not from the south. For those who don’t know, northern Virginia could basically be cut off and attached to D.C. and we would be perfectly happy. In fact, I would relate more with the mid-atlantic states than the south. So when I decided to go to college in New York, I had no idea that moving a couple states away would be such a big change.
When I left for my first year of college I thought it would be just like my cozy little Virginia/D.C. metropolitan area. How different could it be? Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York, a town much smaller than my hometown. There are students from around the world, but many from New York. I’m from a metropolitan area and I had visited upstate New York on vacation -I would fit in perfectly. There was no way Cornell would be a culture shock. I was wrong.
1. The cold
Ithaca weather (and northern winters in general) is infamous. I knew the weather would be terrible in Ithaca, but I had seen snow before and had even lived through a few months of cold weather. I had no idea what I was in for. They aren't kidding when they call Ithaca the Tundra.
2. The uniform
3. Greek life
(This is what “spring” recruitment looks like)
Coming from Virginia where Greek life is taken very seriously. I had expected Cornell rush to be a Lilly Pulitzer-recommendation letter-pink frills frenzy and for Greek life to be catty. I couldn’t be happier to be wrong. Greek life in the north is more about being yourself than what you’re wearing or who your parents are.
4. Hockey season
Hockey season in the north is no joke. That is all.
5. Learning tri-state area counties/cities
“Oh, you’re not from Long Island?” No, but I’ve been there on vacation, does that count? Even though Cornell is about 4 hours from New York City, it seems like every other person you meet is from the tri-state area. I’m from a different tri-state area so it’s like the same thing, right?
Coming to Cornell was a bit of a shock for me, but now that I’m here I love it. I had to play a lot of catch-up when it came to Hockey and learning about the tri-state area, but one thing I will never do is stop wearing my colorful clothes. My (not so Southern) side will live on.
