While the academics and extracurricular activities at one of the oldest all women's colleges in the South are incredible, the things you learn outside of the classroom will stay with you forever. My time at Columbia College has taught me so many incredible things, so here are just a few.
1. The ghost stories are no joke
No really. Don't go in to Cottingham alone, and if you hear a train in Wil Lou Grey, RUN.
2. Traditions are taken very seriously.
From Ludy Bowl to Follies, CC women know their traditions and abide by them. One of the best known traditions involves CC's popular fountain. When a student at the college gets engaged while she is attending CC, her friends must devise a plan to toss her into the fountain!
3. Dinner at 5pm means midnight hunger strikes.
And because you got on such a tight eating schedule while on campus, over breaks you still want dinner at 5, even though you aren't 85 years old.
4. While you technically can make everything in a microwave, you probably shouldn't.
You REALLY don't want to responsible for the millionth fire at Columbia College.
5. No one cares what you wear to class.
Unless you are giving a presentation, everyone else is more interested in what the homework was. Trust me, no one will even mention that you wore those pants for three days straight or you have Pop Tart crumbs on your shirt.
6. Heidari will make you terrified about accidentally plagiarizing something.
Even if you know that sentence is in your own words, you still have a prayer circle while waiting for your TurnItIn results.
7. Registering for classes is the single most stressful part of the semester.
When every student in the school tries to get on KC at the exact same time, it will crash. The WiFi will go down. Your dreams will die. There will be crying.
8. You will never get enough sleep during exam week.
Not only do you have to study and take the exams, you also have to make an appointment with your Academic Adviser, register for classes, sell back your books, pack your dorm room, continuously sob, and have an existential crisis. It gets exhausting.
9. The campus is beautiful year round.
The beauty of nature on campus really makes it feel like home. Every semester you find a new tree to sit under, flower to take a selfie with, or cactus to bury your fish beneath.
10. You get excited about anything Koala related.
Don't even get me started on all of the Koala-ty puns you use on a daily basis.
11. Columbia College gives you friends for life.
From late night yoga sessions, to helping each other into spring formal dresses, the ladies you meet at CC will be with you for the rest of your life.
I have learned so many things from Columbia College about life, food, and WiFi. I have learned that I am not capable of taking care of a fish, or keeping a plant alive. I have learned that 90% of issues can be solved by getting ice cream. I have learned that the pool is never open when you think it is, and always open when you assume it's closed. I have learned that every year I gain a new class of sisters. I have learned that because I am a part of Columbia College, I will always be a part of a family.
