Clemson
I applied to Clemson University and the University of South
Carolina as a senior in high school. I had never been super engrossed as to
which school I rooted for and visited both so it came down to which accepted me
and then which one I wanted to go to. Two and a half years later I can safely
say that choosing to become a Tiger may quite possibly be the greatest decision
I’ve made in my life.
And that’s not to rag on South Carolina at all. I’ve got
some good friends from high school that attend the school and the major I was
looking at there is a great one and for a time was a big pull. But Clemson has
provided me such a great experience and such wonderful opportunities that I can’t
imagine having ended up anywhere else. Really, I can’t imagine it. Maybe that’s
a shot at how poor my imagination gets as I age into my 21st year
here on this earth. But more to come on that in a second.
I think about how spectacular Clemson is all the time, from
the students to the professors to our lovely campus. Every time I walk around “these
hills” (and believe me, there are hills) I feel comfortable and serene. Through
my first few years of school I’ve tried to develop more of a laid back attitude
compared to what I might have been before coming to school, even with my
responsibilities and workload ever-increasing.
On campus for freshman orientation, I thought about changing
majors before I even got into my original one (Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
Management for those keeping track at home. And no, I don’t really know what I
want to do with that to answer your next question). But my advisor, again great
people here at Clemson, helped me stick with my original pick and I’m grateful
for that because I love it now. I’m passionate about the two things my major
and concentration focus on, recreation and interacting with others, so to think
that I wanted to be something different like a communication major seems like a
lifetime away. I’ve had the great privilege to work in the Athletics
Communications department at Clemson, formerly Sports Information, and that’s
given me terrific experience in the work field pertinent to my major.
Speaking of which, I was in the press box for this past
weekend’s football game. Folks, our chairs were shaking up there as a result of
the entire stadium totally rocking and rolling to the vibes of the game. It was
glorious to take that in seated in my perch among the press. The student section
was alive and #ClemsonLoud and all day Saturday I was taken back at how much I
loved this university. Seriously. The community of a football Saturday is like
no other and really all day and into the wee hours of the night I just kept
thinking on how lucky I was to be a part of it all. When our fans rushed onto
the field at the end of the game it was tough for a minute to remember that I
had a job to do because I was simply soaking it all in (in a sense literally
considering I was wearing dress clothes and the air conditioning in the packed
press box wasn’t exactly blowing us all away with cool air).
I quickly recovered Sunday morning after the game Saturday
night (I biked home from campus to avoid the traffic at two in the morning and
let me tell you that was exhilarating) and was able to get to church. Another
area where I’ve been really pleased and grateful with my Clemson experience has
been at St. Andrew Catholic Church in our cozy little one-street downtown. I’ve
been going to mass at 12:30 every Sunday for the last five semesters and have
made it my prerogative to engage a little more with the Catholic Student
Association this semester too. Part of the reason I look forward to coming back
to school after breaks is because of church on Sundays.
Sunday turned to Monday, Labor Day, and as any student here
will tell you, we at Clemson don’t get Labor Day off. Some are more bitter
about it than others. But we really can’t complain, because we go to such a
great school, remember? This year’s Labor Day is cool in that today is my
birthday. The big 2-1. I’ve never been a big fan of my birthday
because for me it just means I’ve spent a few extra days doing whatever I do. And
what have I done so far to celebrate the day? I went to class. I went to work.
I’m typing this. Then I’ll eat dinner and go work a soccer game. Sure I get to
mingle with friends and I was really glad that my brother could come hang out
for the night and for part of the day. (Selfless Tag of the Day: Follow him on
Twitter @the_danimal_.) But I’m not really into the party scene so for my 21st
maybe I’ll drink a beer. Maybe. For the most part I gotta’ survive this day
just like the rest and get my homework done for tomorrow.
I am a Clemson student after all.
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| My roommate Chris and I doing our best to intimidate Georgia while we hung out with the College Gameday crew on Bowman Field. |
