If you’re from South Carolina and you’re reading this, I apologize in advance because this might not be very relatable. However, it may give you a different perspective if you’ve never thought about what it might be like if you lived far away. If you’re out of state, and more specifically from the north, west or midwest, this is going to be super relatable.
1. Why does the south have so much more fast food than literally everywhere else?
I can’t speak for every part of the country on this one, mostly just the north because that’s all I know. We’re not blessed with Chick-fil-A’s (except for a few, scattered very randomly), Waffle Houses, Cookouts, Bojangles, Zaxby’s, Cane’s and a few others. These are new to us and it’s like stepping into a whole new world. Getting something from these places gets us pretty excited, even if it might be normal to people who’ve lived in the south. For me, it’s still not normal to see Chick-fil-A’s everywhere. It gets me so excited considering once I road-tripped an hour and a half for Chick-fil-A.
2. People are SHOCKED when you say you haven’t tried one of these new food places before.
Well, how would we? We don’t have them! But, we’re super excited to try them, so we’ll probably be down to go any time anyone asks us to.
3. “I’m going to head home for the weekend.”
Yikes. If I’m heading home for the weekend, I would have to drive two hours to an airport each way, take a two-hour flight and then I’d only be home for maybe a day and a half. Yes, it was our decision to be so far away, but a lot of us really wish we had the luxury of driving a few hours to be home, especially on quiet weekends or away games. So many people who live close go home and it’s usually just out-of-state students left on campus!
4. But, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
Being so far from home actually can help strengthen relationships with friends and family members! It allows you to share your awesome, brand new experiences. Also, it makes going home such a treat! It makes it into a sort-of vacation and something to look forward to, not just something so normal and close!
5. You have definitely come up with the perfect answer to the kind of awkward question of “How did you find Clemson?”
This is always a weird question because you don’t want to say anything that can be taken as rude or snippy. But, I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking…not only people in South Carolina know about Clemson. It’s a pretty nationally recognized school, and no, not just after winning the natty. It’s a big state school and most people, at least from where I’m from, definitely know what it is.
6. And then the follow up…”Why did you choose Clemson”?
We probably chose it for many of the same reasons in-state students chose Clemson. Yes, we might not have in-state tuition, but it’s an awesome place to be and who doesn’t want to be natty champs? A lot of people, like me, chose it to be far away for a change of scenery and people. There are so many reasons to choose Clemson and I’m sure many in-state and out-of-state reasons matchup!
7. We came in knowing almost no one…or actually no one!
This might not be true for every out-of-state student, but I know it’s true for a lot. We didn’t come here with a ton of people from our high school and probably not even a ton of people from our area. We don’t run into people we’ve known for a long time on campus. This can be kind of nerve-wracking because it feels like everyone already knows each other and has a group to hang out with. But, a lot of people are in the same position as us and are looking for new friends. Even people that know each other usually want to branch out, so everyone will definitely find their people, even if it takes time.
8. Burning hot autumn? School cancellations for an inch of snow?
This is really only relatable for people from the north or places where it snows a lot. By now, it’s fall. Fall means boots, sweaters and pants. But…it’s fall and I’m still wearing t-shirts, walking into class dripping with sweat and going to the beach. This is so weird. Weather shock is REAL. Also, apparently everything will close if there is even the thought of snow. Coming from a place where it can snow two feet over night and we were expected to show up to school the next day, I simply couldn’t believe this until I saw it.
9. And finally…Y’ALL
I bet that many people you meet from out of state will have a very strong opinion on the contraction “y’all”. I couldn’t tell you why but most people either love it and will definitely start using it or they might hate it and swear to never use it. Again, I don’t know why. It’s some weird phenomenon. But for the people who do use it, you definitely have gotten snarky comments from your friends and family because of your use of the time-saving, catchy contraction.