Whether you are an alumnus or you only have one semester under your belt, there are some experiences to which everyone who has spent time at Carnegie Mellon can relate. It is basically impossible to explain the significance of these things to anyone who hasn't been a Tartan.
1. No matter in what context you see the number "112," you flinch with fear.
2. Seeing the "28x" during the holidays gets you excited and seeing the line for it at the airport when you're coming back to campus gets you bummed.
3. You naively start your freshmen year with a blue plan, only to switch to the "Red 9" asap.
4. You feel disheartened to see that Culinart is catering an event until you notice that they have mac and cheese balls.
5. You bring an umbrella when you see that there is a 20 percent chance of rain because it really means that there's going to be a 100 percent chance of a downpour.
6. It feels like literally everyone who you know is from New Jersey.
7. You are used to going to school in a constant construction zone.
8. You only go to Newell-Simon when you have go to Wean/Doherty and it is raining or snowing outside.
9. As much as you complained about the quality of food at Skibo Cafe, you’ll miss it and its milkshakes.
10. Your confusion about the Doherty’s staircases reminds you of "Harry Potter."
11. Your non-Carnegie Mellon friends get confused when you try to explain that you always have to study for your multiple midterms in a semester, none of which usually line up with the actual middle of the semester.
12. You only buy a few things at entropy, but you come back broke.
13. During freshman year, you learn the magic of buying Eat'n Park gift cards and feasting at The Porch.
14. You know the feeling of defeat when one your classes is in Scaife.
15. Foreign accents don’t sound very foreign.
16. You sometimes risk your life jay-walking across Forbes Ave. to avoid the "beep-boop."
17. If you actually kept up with your Razzy Fresh punch card, you'd be getting a lot of free froyo, but you always lose it.
18. When you tell people that you go to Carnegie Mellon, they either haven't heard of the school or they assume that you're an Engineering/Computer Science major.
19. You've thought that you were going to lose a limb while running under the arm bridge at Playfair.
20. You're so proud to be a Tartan (even if it really is just a piece of cloth)!
