Let's be clear before I start my reasons, I'm not saying Georgia Southern is the best school in the nation, but it's pretty damn close. I wasn't entirely sold on GSU when I arrived on move-in day freshman year - honestly, I was a little skeptical. But now after almost a year and a half on this campus, there is no place I'd rather be.

1. How Close We Are To The Ocean.

I've always been a beach gal and let me tell you, being able to wake up on any random day and be at the beach 1 hour later with no prior planning is an awesome feeling. Whether you're going to swim, tan, or just hang out, Tybee Island is only a hop skip and a jump from Statesboro and that alone makes me pretty happy about living here.

2. There's Always A Reason To Celebrate

No matter what is going on here, there's always a party or someone celebrating. We all find the dumbest reasons to get dressed up (fancy or funny) and just have a good old time. Here at Southern, we have Hurricane Parties, HalloWEEKEND parties, we celebrate the life of a random deer that died in Burkhalter, and we party after football games whether we win or lose.

3. Our Beautiful Campus

Our campus may not be huge, but everywhere you look there are brick paved walkways and clean landscaping. Even our dorms are all extremely well maintained and well designed. We even have two little lakes that are shaped like the state of Georgia, Lake Wells and Lake Ruby (Fun fact: the fountains in each of them are in the locations of Statesboro and Atlanta on the Georgia Map). There's always something happening on campus, the goose poop is kept to a minimum and there's really nowhere on campus that you can't get in 15 minutes. And the best part is our main walkway, the pedestrian; it resembles the streets of Savannah and New Orleans with draping trees and shady pathways that make walking to class just a little less painful.

4. Sweetheart Circle

At GSU, there is a tradition that if you walk around sweetheart circle 3 times with your significant other, you're sure to be married. And honestly, that's commitment right there, because walking 3 times around that circle would be a hike! But in all seriousness, its a great place for photo shoots, study sessions and eno hangouts and you can't say you go to GSU if you haven't been to sweetheart.

5. School Spirit

Eagle nation is a proud and loud bunch. No matter what the sport, what day of the week, what the weather we are always there supporting our Eagles and screaming our hearts out. Any time you see someone from southern just out and about, a "HAIL SOUTHERN" is always in order. And despite our 0-4 record right now, (thanks, Tyson Summers) you'll always see a majority of GSU students seated in the prettiest little stadium in America for every single game.

6. Endless Restaurants

Going out to eat is an unbelievably common thing here in Statesboro and luckily, we have a plethora of places to eat allllll day long. On campus, we've got Starbucks, Chik-fil-a, Boars Head subs, Sushi and Gus Mart. And off campus, we've got The Original Zaxbys, Panera, El Jalepeno, El Sombrero, Tokyo, Panda Express and so much more. I'm definitely a fan of all food, so it's nice to know that I can find something yummy to eat on any street I walk down.

For all of these reasons, and so many more - I will always be an Eagle, and I will always scream GATA! Hail Southern, and NO PLACE ELSE.