For anyone who attends a Catholic college or university, there are several things that every student experiences. Here are just a few...

1. The bells are always ringing

No matter where you are on campus or in the city, you can guarantee that you will hear the bells ringing every hour on the hour. You can also expect to be serenaded by church music on those notorious bells every day at noon and 6 p.m.

2. You know every priest on campus, and they know you

The priests and brothers on campus are like your peers, only wiser. They can always be seen strolling through campus saying hello to students and talking about life, school, events and all other aspects of campus life. They are just as involved on campus as the students. Many of them are even your friends. You have added them as friends on Facebook, and you can laugh and crack jokes with them just as well as any of your student friends.

3. You’ve spent Ash Wednesday comparing each other’s ashes

Ash Wednesday comes with a lot of displays of ashes. You can admit that you and your friends have compared foreheads to see who had the “Rorschach” and who has “Father’s Revenge.”

4. You’re reminded of Lent every Friday by the meatless menu

Even if you are not Catholic, you will be following some aspects of Lent by the lack of meat served on Fridays. We can all relate to the feeling of glee when we wake up and remember that it’s Friday only to have those feelings immediately drowned when we get to breakfast and realize we can’t have bacon with our eggs.

5. And Fat Tuesday is the best day of the year

Being on a Catholic campus, you know that you can’t avoid your Lenten sacrifice. So you take Fat Tuesday very seriously, pigging out on all of the amazing homemade baked goods and foods that come hand-in-hand with going to a small college.

6. You pray before every event

Whether it be a sporting event, a show, performance or any other event on campus, you can bet there will be some sort of prayer no matter what. When you get involved in a show or sport outside of college, it feels weird not to pray before a game or performance.

7. You share your Catholic vs Public high school stories

Those in your friend group who went to Catholic high school and those who went to public school are always sharing stories comparing what was the same and different in the way you were taught, how kids acted and what gossip there was.

8. Half of your classmates aren’t even Catholic

Just because you go to Catholic school does not mean that everyone in attendance is Catholic. This doesn’t mean that it matters, though. You guys are just as inseparable as any other friend groups on any other campus.