When I was a senior in high school, nearly every time someone asked me where I had decided to go to college, I got a ridiculous look when I told them I had decided to attend a Non-SEC school. Let me preface this by saying if you're not from the South, this probably won't make a whole lot of sense to you, but that's okay. My hometown is less than 60 miles from three major SEC schools and literally all of my family graduated from one of those universities, so you could imagine why I constantly got asked (and still do) why I would dare attend a one-square mile campus of a school three and a half hours away from my hometown where I was the only one attending from my graduating class. At this point, you might be ready to ask me the same question, and that is why I have come up with just a few things I learned from attending a non-SEC school in SEC Country.
1. Bandwagon fans are few and far between.
Odds are, these schools aren't going to be receiving as much national attention as the schools that surround them, so you know that when you see someone sporting your school's shirt, their support is real and they will stand behind them no matter what.
2. Campus sizes are often smaller.
Some people might not see this as a positive thing, but I see it as the fact that the vast majority of my professors actually know my name and every time I walk somewhere on campus, I'm going to see a familiar face.
3. It's possible to know every single person in your sorority or fraternity.
Being a Non-SEC school most likely means that Greek Life chapter sizes are smaller. My favorite thing about this is that it is completely possible to get to know every single person in my chapter on at least a semi-personal level within a year or two. Smaller chapter sizes equal much fewer names to remember.
4. Just because we're a smaller school doesn't mean we have any less school spirit.
I went into college thinking that since it was a smaller school, people probably wouldn't care as much about sports. This was quite possibly the most inaccurate assumption I have ever made. Not only are students supportive, but they're dedicated. The student section will be just as full in the fourth quarter of that football game that we're losing by 49 points as it was in the first quarter when we were up by ten. It doesn't matter that our school's game isn't being shown live on ESPN, we'll be there at the beginning and we'll stay until the end.
5. "School Pride" isn't a term that people use loosely.
People might assume that since we aren't constantly being broadcasted on national television, we don't care a lot about our school. I will be the first to tell you that I have never seen a more passionate group of people than during homecoming week at our parade while listening to hundreds of students on various floats screaming school chants at the top of their lungs. It's something that connects us to each other. Smaller schools mean that not as many people outside of the area know a lot about your school, so there's an automatic bond between nearly every student at your university.
6. You probably won't find your school's motto on a Christmas ornament.
There's just something about Southern people having their favorite SEC school's motto painted on a ceramic Christmas ornament. Non-SEC school fans and students will have a slightly more difficult time finding things like this painted at a downtown gift shop during Christmas time. But hey, who doesn't like an excuse to learn how to paint on ceramic ornaments?
7. Just because we're not SEC doesn't make us any less great of a school.
Here's to every one of you Non-SEC school students reading this. For every time you get "Oh, well, why didn't you go to [SEC School]...?" And looked at like you're crazy, just smile and remember how awesome your school really is.
#SMTTT
