There is something unique about small liberal arts campuses that differentiates them, culturally, from larger research universities. There is a toleration of the eccentric, the different, and the wild that permeates the way we function. The outside-of-the-box becomes the norm, and it is almost shocking when you go back to the real world and see women with shaved legs and men with short hair. These havens of social justice activism and awareness can be jarring to the visiting pre-frosh or indecisive applicant, so here's what to expect to see on a small liberal arts college campus:
1. Bongos outside your dorm in the middle of the night
Was it really a jam sesh if there were no tiki fires?
2. People walking around with joints tucked behind their ears
Because you have to get those creative juices flowing somehow.
3. White people with dreadlocks
Cultural appropriation or the dirty results of conserving shower water?
4. Dyed armpit hair
If your armpit hair isn’t neon, is it really even armpit hair?
5. Subarus
Without a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker, it’s not a real Subaru.
6. Vegan food stations
I mean, they don’t even carry vegan meat at Whole Foods, and my school has it.
7. Protests
If there’s a social issue, you know that students here are going to be trying to fix it.
8. Jocks carrying books
Because social norms are too restrictive.
9. People drinking beer in the library
Make sure you recycle the bottle.
10. Coed showers
It’s only gets weird if you make eye contact.
11. Wine potluck parties
Because true intellectuals only drink wine out of mugs.
12. No paper towels or plastic water bottles
Get used to perpetually wet hands and water fountains.
13. Beanies, Docs, and septum piercings
If your jeans aren’t rolled up, you should really rethink your fashion choices.
14. Parking spaces reserved for energy-efficient vehicles
And if you don’t drive one that’s energy efficient, be prepared for the walk of shame to your gas-guzzler.
15. Grass-fed, locally-farmed, fair-trade toothpaste
Only the best for my incisors.
So, know what to expect and expect the unexpected.
