If you send your child to Longwood, the first thing she will do is go on a tour. When she goes on a tour, she'll learn all about Longwood's traditions and be introduced to numerous red brick buildings. She will be trained right away to never step on the "rotundas" around campus. She'll fall in love with the countless fountains, Farmville Four clock, beautiful greenery and the Rotunda.
After she decides to be a Lancer, she'll make her way to the bookstore, where she will be tempted to buy too many things. She'll quickly be filled in on why she should buy her shirts from Pairets. The cheap prices will make her want to buy as many shirts as your wallet will allow, so be prepared.
When she gets to Longwood, she'll be thrown right into New Lancer Days. At the end of the four days, she'll receive her first Scarf to hold as she goes to her first G.A.M.E.. She'll know exactly what to wear to make the march to the soccer fields with all the new friends she's made.
If you send your child to Longwood, he will learn right away the importance of the honor code. He'll quickly discover that the small class sizes mean that his professors will call him by name and go out of their way to push him to be the best he can be.
When he has trouble waking up in the morning, he'll become thankful that it takes less than ten minutes to get anywhere on campus. When he needs a little extra luck for his test, he'll be thankful for the crowns placed around campus.
If you send your child to Longwood, she'll be given the opportunity to find her home, wherever that may be. She'll be able to involve herself in Greek life, organizations for her major, and volunteer in things she's passionate about.
Throughout her college years, she'll spend her weekends learning how to be a Tigers fan in the fall. Her diet will consist mostly of Cookout. She'll know that Tuesdays mean bowling and Thursdays mean El Patron. She won't have to be German to know that Oktoberfest weekend is one of the best weekends created, next to Spring weekend.
He'll understand the importance of traditions, stories, and legends. She'll spend her entire time at Longwood hoping to find a Chi dropping. She'll never hear enough stories of fires and hauntings. He'll never miss going to the Chi Burning each spring to find out who is in Chi that he knows.
When her senior year rolls around, she'll celebrate all the memories she's made with a tacky and extravagant cap. By the end of the year she'll walk down the same long, green lawn to graduate from a place she never expected to mean so much to her.
He or she will spend their years teaching their children everything they learned from becoming a Lancer. Their children will know balance. They will know leadership. They will know the importance of having a strong character, working hard, and doing good above all else.
Most importantly, if your child goes to Longwood, he or she will gain so much more than what they could first see from the size of the campus. The bonds they will make, the connections they will create, and the family they will gain will far exceed anything they could receive from not only a bigger school, but from their academics in general.
Longwood will forever be a part of them.
