As a girl from Long Island, you can probably guess the list of all the schools I applied to my senior year of high school. Well, all of them except for one; the University of Michigan. As the Common Application and college essay due dates rolled around, almost everyone in my school had applied to Michigan, but I went a different route. I applied to THE Ohio State University. Now, even if you’re living under a rock, you know the undying rivalry these two schools have. Fast forward, as a first-year Ohio State student, the week before rivalry week was unlike anything I had ever seen. There was not an “M” on the campus that didn’t have red tape over it, people even changed their group chat names and inserted a red X while texting, that’s how devoted we are to our team. You may ask, what makes us better than The Team Up North? Here are 10 reasons why:

1. November 26, 2016.

You know who won this year’s rivalry game. Final score: 30-27, the Buckeyes. Many Michigan fans are in denial about losing, so they were calling into question some of the calls during the game, but we know they’re just sore losers.

2. Urban Meyer.

We wouldn’t be the Buckeyes without Coach Urban Meyer. One of my personal favorite parts about OSU Football games is watching Urban coach from the sidelines.

3. The Shoe.

The third component of OSU football is The Shoe. We have the capacity to fit about 105,000 of your nearest and dearest. When, and if you make it to the game, it is an experience unlike any other. One of the best parts is sitting in the student section because you sit directly across from Block O. You might ask, what is Block O? To answer that question, it’s a student organization that is titled the “official cheering section of the Ohio State Buckeyes.” They are the largest organization on OSU’s campus.

4. Our colors are “Scarlet and Gray.”

Okay, I’m not trying to be dramatic, we know our colors are technically scarlet and gray, but our colors are red and gray. Whichever way you want to say it, we can all agree that red and gray is better than blue and maize. Maize? A fancy form of yellow. Seriously? Enough said.

5. Columbus.

Columbus is the 15th largest city in the United States. We have some of the best restaurants, nightlife, and places to adventure. Having access to so many different things makes Columbus fun and there’s never a dull moment. Some must visit places are: the Short North, The Columbus Zoo, German Village, etc.

Although it is currently under construction, Mirror Lake is one of the best attractions at The Ohio State University. You can always find people sitting and studying or enjoying the good vibes Mirror Lake has to offer. It’s especially fun when you get a visit from Afro Duck. You may have no idea what I’m talking about but when Mirror Lake is up and running again, there will be no confusion of what I’m talking about.

7. Greek Life.

I don’t know about you but Greek Life was pretty important to me when I was looking for a school, but it wasn’t the only thing I was looking for. Unlike the School Up North, our Greek Life is by no means “cut throat” and you have the ability to be as involved or uninvolved as you want. There’s no pressure. As a matter of the fact, you don’t have to be involved in Greek Life at all, and you can still have a beyond extensive social life at OSU. That’s one of my favorite things about this school.

8. Never fear, every O-H will get an I-O, guaranteed.

This single phrase says so much about our school. The number of times I’ve been shouted at "O-H!” walking at the mall, or just around town back home in NY wearing an OSU sweatshirt are countless. The alumni base from Ohio State is absurd. No matter where you go, you’re guaranteed to find someone who went to the best school in the world; Ohio State.

9. The Best Damn Band in the Land.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The Ohio State Marching Band is a group of some of the most talented people in the United States of America. From what I’ve seen, these people are unbelievably talented and coordinated. They make formations such as script Ohio and dinosaurs, tell me that’s not talent.

10. Block.

Now, many of you might be like huh? But Block is what we call our version of tailgates. Block is unlike any other experience you will ever have. We have the best music with the best DJ’s. There’s nothing but good vibes at Block. Unfortunately, you can’t truly understand until you experience it for yourself. Block season is the best season, so come visit and see for yourself.