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SURVIVING MSU AS AN OUT-OF-STATE STUDENT Fitting in yet being out  Everyone here knew I was different the minute I opened my mouth. It was the little things I said that tipped them off - like saying "soda” and “ya’ll.” Those phrases immediately prompted the question “Where are you from?” When I told my inquisitive new acquaintances where I was from, I would often receive a blank stare, followed by either, “Why did you come all the way up here?” or “Do you guys have electricity down there?” And for the record, we do have electricity in Virginia. The first semester for college freshman is a tumultuous one. Coming to one of the largest schools in the nation, on one of the largest campuses in the nation, is scary enough. Then add the trauma of meeting your new roommate, dishing out hundreds of dollars for textbooks, finding your classes and getting used to community bathrooms and you’ve gone through a lot within the first few days. As the semester progresses, you will be hit with pressure from professors, assigned readings, exams, papers, the opposite sex, parties, sporting events and lots of greasy cafeteria food. It’s a big adjustment and I believe it’s easier for in-state students and harder for out-of-state students. When I had to choose which colleges to apply to, I didn’t want to be like everyone else at my high school. I didn’t want to go to Virginia Tech, or UVA, or James Madison, as all my other friends did. I didn’t want to go to any college in the state of Virginia. So I applied to about 10 colleges—all out of state schools --and was accepted at most of them. I didn’t decide on what college to go to until I visited MSU on April 24, 2005. I left 60-degree weather in Virginia and arrived to snow in East Lansing.
About 90% of MSU students are in-state, so coming across a non-Michigander on this campus is a rarity. Students from Michigan already have an idea of what Michigan State is going to be like. They grew up watching the Spartans sports teams on TV, they probably have parents who went to State and they themselves have probably visited the school many times. Applying to Michigan State never really crossed my mind until I took notice of how well they were doing in college basketball (and that is the truth). I figured I was going to get an education somewhere, so I was looking more for a school that had a good atmosphere and good sports teams. Michigan State was a big school with great sports teams, a beautiful campus, gorgeous women and it wasn’t in Virginia. But it’s definitely different here in the upper Midwest. People from the East Coast like me just live a different lifestyle. We talk differently, act differently and drive differently (we can make left-hand turns). So not only was I faced with having to adapt to college life, but life as a Michigander as well. So far adjusting to college as an out-of-state student has been a relatively easy and enjoyable one. But there are some transitions that I find impossible to make. I will still continue to call carbonated refreshments by their proper name—Soda. |
