Over the course of my first football season of college, I have been fortunate enough to travel to a few other schools to attend games. Before this year, I had only ever been to Clemson football games in Death Valley. Needless to say, I did not know what to expect or what I would learn from my experiences at other universities.
1. Death Valley is a venue unlike any other. Death Valley has a uniqueness about it that is unparalleled. No other school has the most exciting 25 seconds in college football. When you get to see that every weekend, you take it for granted. I will say, the Georgia Tech entrance where they drive a vintage car onto the field is pretty cool, but still doesn’t compare to Dabo leading the tigers down the hill. Also, Death Valley is incredibly loud compared to other stadiums. Even on one of UGA’s largest gamedays, the fans were nowhere near as loud as Clemson fans get for a noon game against SC State.
2. Clemson’s campus size is a luxury. Each morning, I think that my walk from one side of campus to the other for a calculus class is a drag but now I know that a 10-minute morning walk isn’t all bad. After my friend drove me around the UGA campus, I realized that Clemson’s campus is SMALL compared to other schools. It takes my friend 25 minutes to walk to the gym while I can walk to Fike in 3 minutes. So, I really don’t have an excuse not to go to the gym (but I always manage to find one)! Also, the fact that Death Valley is on campus is a huge blessing. At USC, students Uber or get pledge rides to Williams-Brice when we can walk from virtually any tailgate spot. At Clemson, our campus is just that, the campus. However, at Georgia Tech or USC, the campus is in the middle of a bustling city so it is more difficult to differentiate students from civilians. Because Clemson’s downtown is separate from its campus, Clemson students feel a comfort of safety and commonality that may be difficult to find at other schools.
3. There are other great schools out there. Just because I go to Clemson doesn’t mean I think it’s the best school out there. Other schools have attributes that make them fantastic for their students. For example, Georgia Tech is an incredible academic school in the middle of Atlanta which is a beautiful city full of fun things to do and new things to see each weekend. The University of Georgia has a large student population but Downtown Athens feels like a small town. Athens has some of the best dining and shopping that I’ve ever seen in a college town. If you want fast food or if you want 5 stars, they’ve got it all. And, I will even say that The University of South Carolina has redeeming qualities. Their tailgates are incredibly fun and exciting and their student section is crazy. Willy B is my second favorite venue so far (not to question my loyalty, Death Valley is by far the best in my opinion). Needless to say, everyone chooses their schools for a reason and each reason is a great one. To all the Bulldogs, Yellow Jackets, and Gamecocks, you chose great schools that anyone is lucky to attend, but as for this Tiger, Clemson has my heart.