As people from, or who go to school in New York, we all know there's just something about New York State that separates it from other states. Here's some totally relatable things that prove just how awesome, different, unique, unreal that NYS is.
1. Snow.
There’s no way that this could not start off the list. From early November through April, campuses are covered in snow. “When I was your age, we had to walk to school in five feet deep snow, uphill both ways,” is something you scoffed at as a child until you had to trudge across campus and realized that it’s actually a thing. The real geniuses on campus are the students who bring cross-country skis to class so they can easily escape a looming snowstorm. You feel immense shock when you get a snow day because days off from school due to snow are urban legend in NYS. Don’t fret, poor student, at least you’ll forever have bragging rights for having the most snow.
2. You're very passionate about your school's Athletic Program.
OK, so you may not have the greatest football program of all time, but that won’t stop you from reminiscing about that one game way back in the 70s that defined the greatness of your school’s football program. You might find yourself cheering loudly at a club sport's game, but it's totally fine because people appreciate that kind of school spirit, right? You are passionate about Syracuse basketball, even if you're a SUNY student, because New York pride is New York pride. When you play Syracuse in-season you hate them, but come March Madness, you bleed orange too. The whole Cortaca riot is legendary, and if youre from another school, you secretly wish you were there.
3. You can pinpoint where someone is from based on their accent.
There’s a lot more to it than just the “New York Accent." You know you cannot just presume it’s a New York City accent because it will offend everyone. Eventually you have fine-tuned skills and will be able to pinpoint the differences between NYC, Long Island, Buffalo, Cuse, North Country and out of staters.
4. Sperry’s and pastel shorts are everywhere.
At some point you are going to walk through campus and see that there are a lot of people wearing Sperry’s, even though the nearest body of water is more than an hour away. Surely they’ll disappear when the snow hits, right? Oh no, those bad boys come in Duck Boot form for the winter months, and as much as you trash them, eventually you’ll give in and realize those people were onto something all along. The pastel Chubbies and Sperry’s combo are the rum and coke of fashion. As soon as it hits 50 degrees again in our cold little part of the country, the pastels will be on every frat boy north of the Pennsylvania state line.
5. Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and Dunkin are life.
You don’t mind waiting 15 minutes when the lines are out the door, because there’s something about a nice hot coffee in the dead of winter that warms your soul. And you have no problem conveying that to everyone who follows you on Instagram. You have your favorite place as well, and you know you can't really convert, no matter how hard you try.
6. You’ve seen girls (or have been one) who hit the club in a short dress in -20 degree weather.
You know the effort that goes into getting ready. You refuse to let all of your hard work become ruined by an overcoat, static hair, or hat head. You don’t have to climb Everest, you’ve climbed all the stairs to that frat house on the hill in five-inch heels with ice on the ground, and you’re proud of it.
7. You’ve picked up some very weird slang.
The people of the New York use some pretty strange slang terms that you have probably picked up on. Hockey terms may have also made it into your vocabulary, especially if you like to “wheel.” If you've ever heard someone say "sauce me that" or have been called a "duster," you know what I mean. “That’s real bang” will hopefully never enter your vocabulary, but on the off chance it does, you can blame NYS. BTW, please, please, never use "ferda" in a non-sarcastic way.
8. St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal even if you’re not Irish.
This is one of the biggest drinking days of the year if you live on a New York campus. You don’t have to be the faintest bit Irish to revel in the green beer. Side note: Order a Jameson if you don’t want to look like a rookie.
9. Everyone you know loves the Bills, Giants or Jets.
Cuz why not right? It's cold up here and there's not much else to do on Sundays but watch football. You may know a few outliers who are Cowboys fans, and you know that given every opportunity they'll mention those two back to back Super Bowls to rile up the Bills fans, even if they weren't alive yet or still in diapers when it happened. You may even know some Patriots fans who mancrush on Tom Brady, but be nice, they're people too.
