Welcome To Clemson University :)

Hey y'all and welcome to Clemson University! You've made it! You've been accepted to (in my personal opinion) one of the best schools in the nation The moment I set foot on Clemson's campus as an official student, I could tell that there was truly something in these hills that run just below the Blue Ridge Mountains.The atmosphere was and has always been full of excitement and happiness and I have never walked around campus without seeing a smiling face. I'm so excited for you to experience what I know and love to be "The Clemson Family" atmosphere and all that it has to offer!

But first, I thought it might help if I gave you a little intro about Clemson because I know for me, coming in as a freshman from a USC family, I knew NOTHING about Clemson or its history.

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So to start off, Clemson was founded in 1889 by our good old founder, Thomas Green Clemson. Before he died, he and wife, Anna Maria Calhoun (John C. Calhoun's daughter) left their home (also known as Fort Hill - the old, white building that you'll find sitting right across from Core Campus) and funds to South Carolina to create the school. Originally, the school was actually called "Clemson Agricultural College" and was an all-male military school until 1955 when it became co-ed. And if there's one thing I've noticed about Clemson, it's that we are very big on tradition, especially when it comes to military heritage. Every year during football season, we have Military Appreciation Night where the boys---my love for the Clemson football team is so immense that you will find that throughout this blog/website I will not be calling them players but will be referring to them as "the boys"---show up and show out in their purple uniforms in support of those who have and are currently serving our country. I'm not going to lie, this is one of my favorite games of the season because I LOVE the purple jerseys and just cheering on the Tigers.

Anyways, you'll find that spread around campus are significant and inspiring memorials dedicated to Clemson alumni who have served in the military. One in particular that stands out to me and is one of my best friends favorite places on campus is Military Heritage Plaza, or "MHP" as we like to call it. MHP was created to honor our history as a military institution as well as the alumni who have served the U.S. It's right next to Tillman between Memorial Chapel and Bowman Field, so go check it out one day when you're on campus. PS - it's a great place for pics too (see the pic below if you don't believe me :)

In addition to this, if you've ever been down to the iconic Memorial Stadium (aka "Death Valley"), you've probably seen a park right next to the two tiger statues. This is Memorial Park which contains the Scroll of Honor--a memorial dedicated to honoring Clemson alumni who have died in the line of duty. Along with this, the park itself honors alumni who have served the state in a variety of fields.

Along with military heritage, Clemson has many other traditions that you will soon get to experience. While I could go on and on about all of these traditions, I decided to save that for another post, so for right now I'm just going to give you a brief overview of some of the biggest traditions we have at Clemson.

If there's one thing I love most, it's coming back to Clemson and what better way to start off the school year than with the Welcome Back Festival! This festival is an annual event where vendors and businesses from all over the area set up tables downtown and give away food, t-shirts, coupons, and more in exchange for tickets! This is personally one of my favorite traditions and I highly recommend going!

Solid Orange Friday is another great way that students and faculty show their love and pride for Clemson by wearing orange every Friday! The First Friday Parade is held the first Friday before the first home game and brings excitement and celebration for the new football season! The parade starts at Little John Coliseum and makes it way to the front of the stadium.

And if there's anything that will get you excited about Clemson Football, it's when the Tigers come running down "The Hill" before the beginning of a game. I get chills EVERY TIME, but I'll talk more about that later. As they run down the hill the boys rub the famous "Howard's Rock" for luck in the game. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's the song that shakes the Southland... Tiger Rag! This is the famous fight song that the band plays every single game and let me tell you I LOVE TIGER BAND. They really know how to break it down at a football game. 4th Quarter Video. I'll just leave this here. You'll know what I mean soon. But what about away games? Well when we travel we bring $2 bills with Tiger Paws stamped on them to show our spirit! Either way, we always sing our Alma Mater before and after every game, event, or ceremony. Don't worry you'll know it soon enough :)

Not only that, but Homecoming is one of the most exciting weeks in the fall at Clemson. Every year, student organizations build standing floats with chicken wire and tissue paper for countless hours (it's insane how great they turn out) on Bowman Field. I really encourage you to walk down Bowman one night during this week. Lots of times, music is playing at each float and you can feel the energy of Homecoming. Once during the week even Dabo and the boys stop by to deliver pizza to the students building the floats! At the end of the week, we celebrate with Tigerama, one of the largest student run pep rallies! Last year JohnnySwim even came to perform and they were AWESOME so I highly recommend!

But who could forget one of the most important traditions of all: The Clemson Ring. The Clemson Ring is an incredible symbol of your dedication and hard work at Clemson University. Once you've completed 90 hours, you are eligible to get your ring and participate in the Ring Ceremony. This ring is something I'm so excited to get this year and having been waiting to get since my freshman year. The history of the ring and the effect it has when you wear it is something to be cherished and honored. The ring itself even saved a Clemson alum's life (which I would talk about now, but I need a whole other post for that).

These are just a short list of the many traditions we have here at Clemson. And you may even find that you'll make some of your own while you're here. But for now, I encourage you to embrace the Clemson spirit, get excited, and get ready for the best year at the best university!

Your Clemson Experience awaits :)

With all my Clemson love,

Kathryn

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Cover photo credit: Clemson University Instagram @clemsonuniversity