Pretty much everyone in my family went to University of Texas at Austin; my brother was the first brave soul to choose any other color than burnt orange.

I am so glad he choose green and gold instead. When I first came to Baylor's campus in the 8th grade for Premier Day with my older brother, I was in love. When it came down to choosing Baylor as a college I thought it was a no-brainer, but the decision took months of worrying and hoping that what I wanted would be what was best for me. Obviously, it ended up working out and although my blood is burnt orange, I'll always wear green and gold.

But before I came to campus as a student, I loved Baylor for shallow reasons. Sometimes Baylor gets a lot of hate, because no one knows what it truly means to be a bear. Although the things about the school that first sparked my love are still true, there are far more deep meanings to the university; and if you can't appreciate them, it might be time to reconsider.

You shouldn't go to Baylor if you don't appreciate tradition. Baylor was founded in 1845 and since then, the school has done everything in its power to keep the stories alive. From your first Baylor Experience visiting the original campus in Independence, to Homecoming, the Baylor Line, Christmas on 5th, Dia Del Oso to name a few, the school is buzzing with traditions that everyone participates in. People at Baylor don't just accept these activities as something that used to happen; everyone dives headfirst into the excitement to make each year better than the last.

You shouldn't go to Baylor if you don't want to be challenged. Baylor is a top tier nationally ranked college and it's tough. Really tough. Professors challenge you to be the best student you can be, and this usually comes in the form of work overload and testing weeks. Aside from academics, Baylor will challenge you spiritually as well. The school is overflowing with students and faculty that love Jesus, and sometimes friends will ask you really hard questions about your faith that you didn't even think to explore. Religion professors ask “what does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus, and not just a fan?" and a Sunday school answer won't cut it. It's very eye opening and humbling to go to a school that encourages students to look behind what they were taught as a kid and learn what it means to follow God as a student.

You shouldn't go to Baylor if you don't like random strangers loving each other. Because Baylor is small, people on campus are so nice and caring towards one another, even when they're total strangers. In the first semester I broke my foot, and my great grandmother passed away the next week. One night I was walking to my car to go be with my family and a random person in my path stopped me and asked if they could pray over me for healing. I had never spoken to that girl in my life, but she reached out to me and she'll never know how much that prayer meant to me. It helped me through a really bad semester, knowing that I was in good hands.

You shouldn't go to Baylor if school spirit annoys you. The Bears are rising up to be one of the best football teams in the nation, so naturally the school is swimming with die hard fans and an immense volume of school spirit. Beginning on Friday afternoon, families come in to Waco and swarm the bookstore and dining halls (for some unknown reason), in preparation for the game on Saturday. Then on Saturday morning, campus is alive with fans clad in green and gold walking over to the magnificent McLane Stadium. Cheers and "sic 'ems" echo through the air and the proud Baylor Nation can be heard for hours. If this scenario makes your skin crawl, Baylor might not be for you.

You shouldn't go to Baylor if you don't want lasting friendships. My mom still spends time with her best friends from college, and when I started my freshman year last fall, she told me that the friends I made this year would be my friends forever; she had never been so wise. Over the past two semesters I've met so many people and many of them have stuck with me. I met my best friend and froomie during the first hour of welcome week. My sorority sisters are always around for a great time but more importantly they were there for me when my grandfather passed away and my world fell apart a little bit. My roommate was always down to go to HEB and get ice cream at 10pm. Fellow classmates always had study sessions to prepare before the killer test the next day. Even my professor invited our class to eat dinner at his house one night, and taught us so much about life and journalism. Baylor is full of amazing people, and I hope that pure lasting relationships is something you desire out of college.

As you can see, there's something special in the Dr. Pepper down here and Baylor is a fantabulous place to go to college. My favorite things about Baylor are those listed above, and I can't wait to meet the future classes that grace our beautiful campus, but I hope that you are equally excited to revel in our traditions, be challenged for the better, contribute to something amazing, be loved, scream your heart out at games, and stay friends with those you meet here.