The University of Kentucky has quite a few staples that make it stand out from other Universities near and far. Here are some of the things that make UK extra special -- one thing for each letter of the alphabet, of course.
A for Arboretum.
The place every student goes to on a pretty day to get outside and maybe even go for a run. There are always dogs being walked there, so prepare to be wishing you had one of your own. On a nice day, the arboretum is even a great place to go have a picnic with some friends or even get some homework done outside.
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B for Big Blue Madness.
The official start of basketball practice for the Kentucky Wildcats. This event is a big deal year in and year out. It is when the students get to see the new basketball players in action for the first time. Most students enter the lottery to win BBM tickets, but there is always tent city. Tent city is when Kentucky Wildcat fans from near and far come and set up tents to camp out for days on end in order to be the first in line to get their yearly BBM tickets.
C for Caturdays.
Caturdays are usually considered Saturday Football game days, but UK students also tend to refer to important Saturday basketball games as Caturdays as well. When there is a Caturday coming up, you better believe you can feel the excitement rushing through students all week long as you walk through campus. Caturday is considered a holiday at UK and us Wildcat fans take them extremely seriously.
D for darty.
Day parties are all the rage in college. Students sing and dance with their friends all day long and hope that they can survive the day and still make it out that night. It is a right of passage as a college student to attend a darty.
E for Eli Capiluto.
The president of UK is loved by all students. Capiluto and his wife walk the cores of Willy T. during finals week handing out cookies to all of the students studying for their tests before they can head home for winter or summer break. Capiluto loves our University and treats us students like we are his own.
F for Frat Lot (RIP).
This was the lot that freshmen used to get picked up from on South Campus. Whether they were getting picked up by their friends to go out to eat, or getting picked up by a driver for a frat party, Frat Lot was where you would be waiting. Freshmen now get picked up at the 90, but nothing will ever be the same as Frat Lot.
G for goggles up.
I do not even think I need to explain this one. If you do not know what it means when someone looks at you and says, “Goggles up!” you have yet to become a true UK student.
H for horse races.
We are in the horse capital of the world so it truly is no surprise that horse races are a big deal to UK students. October and April weekends consist of going to Keeneland every Saturday. May is the month of the Kentucky Derby. Horse racing is a lifestyle and UK students know how to live it.
I for invincible.
UK fans are known for their devotion and love for the game -- especially winning. We may not have that much hope for our football team, but when it comes to basketball, we really do think we are invincible.
J for Johnson Center
The beloved gym on campus. The Johnson Center has everything from treadmills to a rock wall, how could you not love it? The workout classes are a great option for those of you who need a little extra motivation to go work out. You cannot go wrong at the JC.
K for K Lot
The dreaded K Lot. The lot all the way at Commonwealth Stadium that you will learn to despise by the end of your freshman year here, especially if you have your car at school and park it in K Lot. The amount of time you will spend walking to and from your car. Getting back to campus late at night and having to drive up and down the rows looking for that one hidden spot is seriously nauseating. Do not even get me started about having to move your car to some other lot during football game weekends.
L for Lexington traffic
Lexington traffic: your worst nightmare. The worst thing about Lexington traffic is that there really is no such thing as rush hour; there is seriously always traffic, it just gets even worse between the hours of 4 p.m. to 6: 30 p.m. If you were planning to go to the mall or anywhere down Nicholasville Road between those hours, I would strongly advise you changing your plans. Experiencing Lexington traffic is almost like a rite of passage to living here.
M for Memorial Coliseum.
If you ever want to go watch a gymnastics competition, volleyball game, or women’s basketball game, Memorial Coliseum is where you need to be. Memorial Coliseum is also where the basketball lotteries, DanceBlue, and SAB concerts take place. It is an important part of UK life and without it, I am not really sure how we could go on.
N for no red.
We are the Big Blue Nation and we Louisville are our biggest rival aka we hate the Cards. Red is Louisville’s color and blue is our color. If you show up to any sports game at UK dressed in red, prepare to stick out like a sore thumb and definitely be shunned. Red is just not allowed on our campus -- sorry, not sorry.
O for one and done.
We get some amazing basketball players here at UK, but they are known to be "one and done." They stay with us for one great season and then before we know it, they leave us heartbroken and head to the NBA.
P for POT
The tall building next to Whitehall that creates quite the wind tunnel. If you walk between POT and Whitehall on a rainy day, prepare for your umbrella to be flipped upside down. Many professors’ offices are in POT, so the chances of a UK student setting foot in POT at least once in their four years here is pretty high.
Q for Qdoba
One of the only Mexican places that stays open late for your 2 a.m. burrito cravings. Qdoba is a staple here on UK’s campus. Although it is technically off campus, Qdoba is located in the perfect place for hungry, Mexican food-loving students to walk to when nothing else is opened and they are ready to indulge in some burrito goodness.
R for Rupp Arena
Home to the Kentucky Wildcats! Basketball season would not be complete without Rupp Arena. Not only does Rupp Arena serve as the basketball court for all home basketball games, but it is also an amazing concert venue. If you go to UK and have yet to set foot into Rupp Arena, please reconsider your loyalty to the Big Blue Nation.
S for State Street
That place where we go to riot and party during basketball season. A year without State Street is like a year without Christmas to UK students. We look forward to March Madness every year because that means (hopefully) celebrating our amazing basketball team.
T for Two Keys
Once you hit 21, you are bound to spend a decent amount of your time in Two Keys, one of the most popular bars near campus. Between all of the drink deals and the fact that it is one of the largest bars in Lexington, it is definitely a UK hotspot.
U for see blUe.
UK sees blue, it is as simple as that. We bleed blue and we see blue. We all know it and we are all proud to say it.
V for victory
A word chanted after most basketball games because we really are that good. Whenever there is a football victory, you better believe that UK will be celebrating seeing as how it is quite a rare situation around here lately. Us BBNers are quite the fans of victories!
W for Willy T.
Most students at UK have spent many nights in Willy T., our library. Willy T. is a place where friends come to do homework together, or really spend 70 percent of their time talking and the other 30 percent trying to get some work done. Sometimes you have a successful night of homework and studying; when that happens, you have earned yourself a nice nights rest due to your achievements from earlier! Every UK student will also probably spend at least one all nighter cooped up in Willy T. and potentially resort to the couches on the second floor towards the end of the night.
X for eXtreme water balloon fight.
UK is known for having the biggest water balloon fight around. They have it every year within the first week of school. It is one of my favorite memories from freshman year and I advise everyone to try it at least once.
Y for "Y" (At Basketball Games)
At every UK basketball game, the cheerleaders spell Kentucky and there is usually a special guest who comes out for the “Y.” At the UK vs. Louisville game in 2013, Josh Hutcherson came out for the “Y.” Talk about getting star struck!
Z for Za'Darius Smith.
UK football may not necessarily be the best, but we still do send some star players to the NFL! Za’Darius Smith is one of those stars. He is a brand new player in the NFL who was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens this year, 2015.
