From August 2011 to May 2015, I attended Auburn University, located in the state of Alabama. I chose the school because when I visited the campus while finishing high school, it felt like home. The buildings and the grounds are beautiful, and the people are so friendly, warm, and welcoming.
The campus and the surrounding town are often called "The Loveliest Village on the Plains". This is in part because it is such a beautiful (lovely) campus, and is also due to a line in a poem called The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith.
Here is an excerpt (small sample) of the poem:
Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheared the labouring swain,
Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed,
1. Which word means "town"?
2. What TWO seasons are mentioned?
3. Can you find the word that means "a lot"?
The university is located in a small town in Alabama, but with the number of students that attend, the campus could end up feeling like a small city. Many universities do. Even with all those people, however, it never felt so large as to be overwhelming. I am so happy I chose to attend this school, for many reasons: it was a great experience and I loved being part of the culture there, and also because there are many fun traditions at the school. I'll describe a few of those traditions below:
1. Hey Day!
As I said, the people of Auburn are very friendly! There is even a tradition of a special day each year for people to wear name tags all over campus, and say "Hey!" to other students, faculty, alumni, etc. Whether you know the person already or not, it is encouraged to say hello to anyone you pass on the campus.
How many ways do you know how to say "Hello" in English?
Let's list a few together!
1. Hello
2. Hi
3. Hey
Do you know anymore?
What about..
4. What's up? (or, "Sup?")
5. Howdy
See if you can list any more!
2. The Auburn Family
In addition to being friendly, the people of Auburn are very welcoming.
All of the graduates, students attending, faculty, and even fans of the many sports teams, are considered part of one "family", and it's called the Auburn Family.
Many students in the United States choose to attend a university within their home state, because it is closer to their home town, and family, and those universities are often cheaper for them to attend. Because I grew up in Florida, but chose to go to a university in Alabama, a different state, I was far from friends and family, and I did not know a lot of people at the university when I first started. This idea that everyone at Auburn is part of the same family really helped me feel welcome and loved, despite being far from home.
3. Aubie the Tiger!
Auburn University's mascot is a tiger named Aubie. Aubie comes to many sports games and matches, as well as other campus events, to say hello to students, encourage the sports teams, and generally spread happiness to the people of Auburn.
Many students, fans, and even teachers, love to take pictures with Aubie.
He often dresses up in fun costumes for different holidays or themed events. He's also a GREAT dancer!
Aubie also competes in a competition each year, against mascots from other schools, and he has been the national champion NINE (9) times!
Below is one of his entry videos that shows some of the things he does at sporting events and other fun activities around campus and the community of Auburn.
4. Toomer's Corner, Toomer's Lemonade, & Rolling the Trees!
There is an intersection on the corner of Auburn's campus that has become very famous. It is where Magnolia Avenue and College Street meet.
On one side of the street, there is an old drugstore called Toomer's Drugs. It has been around since 1896. They are famous for their fresh-squeezed lemonade. It is a tradition for many people to go to Toomer's and get lemonade any time they visit the campus: for example, when alumni come back for a football game, or when parents come to visit their children who are students at the university.
On the corner of the campus, across the intersection from Toomer's Drugs diagonally, there are two trees where many schools successes are celebrated.
The most common (and usually the biggest celebration) is after the (American) football team wins a game. Once a game is over, hundreds of students and other fans who attended the game or live in the town go to the corner and bring rolls of toilet paper. To celebrate the win, rolls of toilet paper are thrown over the branches of the trees, and often of other nearby trees on the campus as well. After very big, important games, the streets are shut down to traffic so people can gather in the road to celebrate together. Sometimes there is so much toilet paper in the trees and on the ground that it loos like it has snowed in Auburn!
I loved attending Auburn University. I made some really good friends there, and have a lot of happy memories from my time there. I hope that when you go to University, you love your school as much as I do!
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