There is something unique about small liberal arts campuses that differentiates them, culturally, from larger research universities. There is a toleration of the eccentric, the different, and the wild that permeates the way we function. The outside-of-the-box becomes the norm, and it is almost shocking when you go back to the real world and see women with shaved legs and men with short hair. These havens of social justice activism and awareness can be jarring to the visiting pre-frosh or indecisive applicant, so here's what to expect to see on a small liberal arts college campus:

1. Bongos outside your dorm in the middle of the night

Was it really a jam sesh if there were no tiki fires?

2. People walking around with joints tucked behind their ears

Because you have to get those creative juices flowing somehow.

3. White people with dreadlocks

Cultural appropriation or the dirty results of conserving shower water?

4. Dyed armpit hair

If your armpit hair isn’t neon, is it really even armpit hair?

5. Subarus

Without a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker, it’s not a real Subaru.

6. Vegan food stations

I mean, they don’t even carry vegan meat at Whole Foods, and my school has it.

7. Protests

If there’s a social issue, you know that students here are going to be trying to fix it.

8. Jocks carrying books

Because social norms are too restrictive.

9. People drinking beer in the library

Make sure you recycle the bottle.

10. Coed showers

It’s only gets weird if you make eye contact.

11. Wine potluck parties

Because true intellectuals only drink wine out of mugs.

12. No paper towels or plastic water bottles

Get used to perpetually wet hands and water fountains.

13. Beanies, Docs, and septum piercings

If your jeans aren’t rolled up, you should really rethink your fashion choices.

14. Parking spaces reserved for energy-efficient vehicles

And if you don’t drive one that’s energy efficient, be prepared for the walk of shame to your gas-guzzler.

15. Grass-fed, locally-farmed, fair-trade toothpaste

Only the best for my incisors.

So, know what to expect and expect the unexpected.