football thoughts...
Previously sent to Josh after the Kentucky game at Georgia:
The game was fun,...I don't know how I would have made it here 4 years though because, like you, all my friends are in the band :) I would've had to find someone to be gameday friends with to have someone to sit in the stands and not be alone.
You commented about me and Auburn...not really. The game today showed me I don't have that sense of pride and belonging that all of y'all do w/ UGA. I've lived here all my life and really don't have a strong affinity for Georgia (though I know all the fight songs, cheers, etc by heart) My friends who have now graduated from Auburn convinced me to cheer for AU but I really don't have a dog in that fight either. So I went to Samford...Go Dogs!...whatever. Samford football hasn't really been much to cheer for and you noticed today talking to Matthew (trumpet player)'s parents that nobody really knows anything about Samford....they think you say Stanford. I want that sense of pride, loyalty, belonging....I liked seeing everybody decked out in UGA colors and emblematic apparel, cheering because they meant it and because UGA meant something to them, sharing that w/ family and friends...tailgating and whatnot... We don't have that at Samford. Granted I've dealt with the Visitors' Side for the past two years but we don't have the do-or-die fans, except for parents, who dress up in red and blue, stay for the whole game....etc. The sorority girls wear fancy clothes and heels and complain of getting dirty. The band is tiny and has been outplayed by a visiting high school band before (that really was sad earlier this year, the one halftime show I saw) The season ticket holders are usually people who give generous donations or who buy tickets to give to clients. Maybe it's because in Birmingham there's more than one college to cheer for so the community is split, plus because we have Auburn and Alabama already. But athletics are really not THAT big at Samford....this coming from someone who works in the Athletic Department. :P All that to say, ....don't take it for granted and do enjoy it! I want what you have,... I want a school recognized by others; where you have friends, even by association, wherever you go; where you have somebody to cheer for... I got the same thing you got to a point. I go to a school bigger than OCHS where I know people, but not EVERYONE...I made new friends w/ people from coast to coast and even internationally, some of whom I will be friends with for a loooooong time, I have that small group of close friends that I hang out with, know by name (or not! :)), and know details about their families, etc., ....all the good stuff you're supposed to get when you go to college. I'm not knocking Samford...I've loved at least half the time I've been there (bad roommates, lousy professors,...those kinda spoil parts of it for ya) But things that weren't on my top ten list when I entered Samford are now there as I'm leaving it and realize there's stuff I haven't gotten along w/ my bachelor's degree.
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So, those were my thoughts then...and they're pretty similar now too. Please understand I'm NOT bashing Samford, I have loved the past 4 years. But it feels like something's missing too. I'm not saying if I'd been at Georiga for the past 4 years I'd have it all. But I am agreeing that it may not be the best thing to go to college right after high school. Your goals change a LOT in 4 years. Your desires, your dreams, your priorities.....it all changes, just like my major has :)
The game was fun,...I don't know how I would have made it here 4 years though because, like you, all my friends are in the band :) I would've had to find someone to be gameday friends with to have someone to sit in the stands and not be alone.
You commented about me and Auburn...not really. The game today showed me I don't have that sense of pride and belonging that all of y'all do w/ UGA. I've lived here all my life and really don't have a strong affinity for Georgia (though I know all the fight songs, cheers, etc by heart) My friends who have now graduated from Auburn convinced me to cheer for AU but I really don't have a dog in that fight either. So I went to Samford...Go Dogs!...whatever. Samford football hasn't really been much to cheer for and you noticed today talking to Matthew (trumpet player)'s parents that nobody really knows anything about Samford....they think you say Stanford. I want that sense of pride, loyalty, belonging....I liked seeing everybody decked out in UGA colors and emblematic apparel, cheering because they meant it and because UGA meant something to them, sharing that w/ family and friends...tailgating and whatnot... We don't have that at Samford. Granted I've dealt with the Visitors' Side for the past two years but we don't have the do-or-die fans, except for parents, who dress up in red and blue, stay for the whole game....etc. The sorority girls wear fancy clothes and heels and complain of getting dirty. The band is tiny and has been outplayed by a visiting high school band before (that really was sad earlier this year, the one halftime show I saw) The season ticket holders are usually people who give generous donations or who buy tickets to give to clients. Maybe it's because in Birmingham there's more than one college to cheer for so the community is split, plus because we have Auburn and Alabama already. But athletics are really not THAT big at Samford....this coming from someone who works in the Athletic Department. :P All that to say, ....don't take it for granted and do enjoy it! I want what you have,... I want a school recognized by others; where you have friends, even by association, wherever you go; where you have somebody to cheer for... I got the same thing you got to a point. I go to a school bigger than OCHS where I know people, but not EVERYONE...I made new friends w/ people from coast to coast and even internationally, some of whom I will be friends with for a loooooong time, I have that small group of close friends that I hang out with, know by name (or not! :)), and know details about their families, etc., ....all the good stuff you're supposed to get when you go to college. I'm not knocking Samford...I've loved at least half the time I've been there (bad roommates, lousy professors,...those kinda spoil parts of it for ya) But things that weren't on my top ten list when I entered Samford are now there as I'm leaving it and realize there's stuff I haven't gotten along w/ my bachelor's degree.
-----------------
So, those were my thoughts then...and they're pretty similar now too. Please understand I'm NOT bashing Samford, I have loved the past 4 years. But it feels like something's missing too. I'm not saying if I'd been at Georiga for the past 4 years I'd have it all. But I am agreeing that it may not be the best thing to go to college right after high school. Your goals change a LOT in 4 years. Your desires, your dreams, your priorities.....it all changes, just like my major has :)