I am sure all of you who know me know that I have wanted to be a Georgia Bulldog since I was a little girl! I have always been a die hard fan of not only the football team but the school as a whole. When people ask me how did I decide to choose UGA I tell them, it really wasn’t a choice. Yeah I applied to other schools, but just because that is what people told me to do. Everyone knew I only needed one acceptance letter to be happy. I have always had a desire to go to school at UGA. But many people ask why and sometimes I do not know what to tell them. I really feel in love with the city of Athens as a whole. The restaurants, shopping, and culture as a whole really appealed to me. I felt like I would fit in and feel welcome at a place like UGA. When people ask me do I ever regret deciding to go to UGA, I always tell them never once have a felt a sense that picking UGA was the wrong choice for me. As soon as I was accepted and attended orientation, I knew I had found my home away from home. A place I could grow, learn, and become who I wanted to be. I love everything about Athens and the University of Georgia. But for those of you who are coming but don’t know that much about it, kids thinking about applying next year, or alum who need something to reminisce on, here are 5 reasons why I decided to attend the University of Georgia.

1. Football season “GO DAWGS”

I have been a die hard UGA football fan since I was a little girl. I grew up cheering on my dawgs and wearing red and black every chance I had. I looked forward to fall every year because even though it was still 100 degrees outside it meant UGA football time. Football season was a time of traditions for my family. We headed to Athens almost every home game weekend, sometimes even getting to leave school early. We would eat at the mayflower for breakfast before the game and then tailgate like our lives depended on it. I loved going to home games and supporting my dawgs with 90,000 of my friends. Growing up I couldn’t wait to be on the student side waving the red flags, attending GA/FL weekend, and carpooling to big away games. Honestly I don’t care much about other football teams except for when it comes to who we have to beat to get to the SEC championship, then I pay attention.But when it comes to UGA football I know everything, including which players are single hahah.

2. The Food

I am not going to lie, the food in Athens is the best I have ever had. There are probably 100 delicious restaurants I would recommend to you if you have never been to Athens. I love eating out downtown at The Last Resort, Depalmas, and The Porterhouse. FYI there is no dessert on earth that compares to the Smores crepe at Pauley’s. Everybody needs to experience a late night in Athens at Five Guys ,or Waffle House, and of course hear the staff at the Varsity with there distinctive “whattayahave”. A huge plus to UGA is that there are tons of dining halls serving pretty much gourmet meals and everything in between. Whatever you are craving, they have it. I will probably gain a lovely freshmen fifty due to my love for food and Athen’s ability to cook it.

3. The Fashion

A nice perk of going to a school that is seated in the middle of downtown Athens is the clothes. There is shopping on every corner. There are tons of fun boutiques to meet everyone's fashion sense. There are so many types of clothes to choose from ranging from preppy Lilly Pulitzer from Cloister Collection to Boho vibes from American Threads. I think myself along with most of the other upcoming freshmen girls will spend lots of quality time finding new outfits for events even when we don’t need them. I wish Zell Miller covered shopping expenses haha.

4. The Academics

The University of Georgia is known to many as the Harvard of the south, to some it is just a backup school because they didn’t get into UNC, but to me it was my dream school. I knew I have always wanted to go there. It has been my goal to get in since my freshmen year of high school, when grades started counting. I found out what scores and grades it was going to take to get in and settled for nothing less. I kept all A’s in high school and wouldn’t settle for anything less from myself. I am thrilled to know I was accepted, but I did work for it. I am so excited to attend a school where I am going to be challenged academically. I know it isn’t going to be a walk in the park, but in the end it is going to be so worth it to have graduate and walk under the arches like all the alum before me.

5. The Chance for New Friendships

My freshmen class will about be made up of about 5,000 people. Like hello how could you not make new friends. I will be crammed in a dorm hallway sharing a bathroom with about thirty girls I don’t know. I will be going through rush with about 1,000 girls. I will be in a sorority pledge class with about 75 girls. I will be in classes with who knows how many people. The friendship opportunities are endless. I am so excited to meet new people. I am sure there will be people who love to act crazy, watch netflix, and eat snacks just like me. There will be people who share my Grease obsession, dance sessions, and late night waffle house runs. I cannot wait to meet the girls who might eventually be my lifetime bestfriends, or even the guy I might marry (oooh lala). Cheers to new friends and the memories we are yet to make, can’t wait to meet you.

6. The Chance to Get out of my Backyard

I grew up in the amazing town of Statesboro, Georgia. To me it is home. It is where my whole family is from and where we have all lived our entire lives. I have gone to school with the same people most of my life. Everywhere you go in Statesboro somebody knows you, your momma, or some type of your business. I love the small town feel Statesboro has but I have always known I wanted to leave for college. Many people recognize Statesboro as the home of the Georgia Southern eagles. You are probably thinking why would you want to leave when you have a great college right in your backyard. Well I love Georgia Southern. I grew up going to football games, attending camps there over the summer, and duel enrolling in classes my Junior and Senior years of high school. I loved being on a college campus but Georgia Southern just didn’t feel like the place for me. I wanted something bigger, more diverse, and something not in my hometown. I wanted to go to a school with a large variety of people who share interest with me. I wanted to make new friends and not just continue going to school with the same kids I went to high school with. Thankfully I still get the chance to see all of them all and catch up when I come home instead of drifting apart while at the same school. Don’t get me wrong Georgia Southern is one amazing school and is perfect for so many people but “GO DAWGS” just sounds better than “GATA” coming out of my mouth.

I cannot wait to begin my ourney at the University of Georgia. I hope my years there bring me so much joy and helps me become the person I want to be. I am so excited to see all Athens has in store for me. I know God has a plan and with him I cannot fail. I look forward to new friendships, new adventures, and memories to last a lifetime. I knew UGA was the place for me. I hope it can be the place for you, is the place for you, or was the place for you.

GO DAWGS!