This past weekend, I left the tundra that is Buffalo and traveled two states over to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I wish I didn't have to come back to Buffalo after that visit.
When I first started college, my dad stressed how important it is for me to go out and visit my friends at other schools. I never really understood why it was so important for me to do this until last year when I visited Syracuse University. This was my first time in college with me going to a different school. And Syracuse was VERY different.
The weekend I went to Syracuse was the weekend they played in the Final Four of last years March Madness. This weekend just showed me how different UB is from other bigger schools. The school spirit radiating all through campus was exhilarating. It was also very cool to see how the campus worked and functioned. There was a small little town right next to the campus that UB does not have. There were also Fraternity and Sorority house pretty much everywhere I looked.
The exciting thing about visiting Michigan this past weekend was the tailgate that I attended. I've been to tailgates before for New York Jets games, but I have never been to a real College tailgate. There were parties outside on lawns everywhere I looked. People playing games like Corn Hole and Beer Pong everywhere. The Michigan school spirit was in the air that day. Every person I saw was wearing Michigan Maiz and Blue and they were all proud.
The Big House, the Michigan football stadium, was a sight I have never seen before. It was a sea of Maiz and Blue all throughout the stadium. The students and football game goers were all screaming the same chants in unison. The hand motions exerted from everyone clearly made Michigan a great home team. The fans in the stadium would have made me nervous to be an opposing team on their turf.
After these trips I really understood by what my dad meant. It is important to see how other schools function. It is important to see how other people live and breath their school colors like Syracuse and Michigan do. UB is a very different place compared to these other schools. We don't have a giant football stadium, we don't have a giant alumni base that comes back to to see a football game. Buffalo is a great school though and I am happy I attend this school...even if we don't have tailgates and cool stuff like other schools do...
