Hey incoming Auburn freshmen: Here’s what you need to know about getting started

Recently, Twitter user and incoming Auburn freshman @leftylogan1023 asked me for advice on what he should do when he gets to Auburn.

The easy answer here is everything. Auburn is a great experience waiting to happen.

But that’s not the answer Logan (or any other freshman) is looking for as they arrive to campus.

As I reflect on the deepest lessons I learned as a freshman, I will relate this experience to sage advice for all incoming freshmen.

Go to games, win or lose

On a Saturday at the end of October 2012, I sat alongside many other jaded fans as we watched Johnny Manziel accompanied by a team of previously known Big 12 tough guys destroy Auburn, 63-21. Two weeks later we were back to watch Georgia destroy Auburn, 38-0. In 2012 the Tigers finished 3-9, tying Kentucky for last place in the conference.

At the conclusion of football season fans began filling the bleachers of the Auburn Arena. We wanted to be witnesses of excitement in a sports venue but this season we did not get that from basketball, either. Auburn basketball finished 3-15 in conference play, last in the conference.

I do not regret sitting through any horrible losses in 2012 because as I type this from my laptop 200 miles away from Auburn I get a lump in my throat thinking about how I have outgrown that part of my life (and how alumni tickets aren’t cheap, either). The struggles of football and basketball that year did not define the gratification of my first year of college.

The local haunts are critical

Yes, I do advise you to visit Quixotes, Bourbon, and 17-16 (don’t go to Sky yet it’s already too crowded). You also need to visit Pannie George’s and Sheila’s Burger Barn. Don’t turn down an invite to Niffer’s because one day some of your closest friends might be 2,000 miles away from you and unable to take you to get corn nuggets. If you’re at the library and you want quality eats then Tigertown To Go is your friend and if you don’t go to Little Italy after 1 a.m. re-evaluate your life.

GO TO THE AUBURN HOTEL AND GRAB AS MANY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AS YOU CAN!

You’ll find a sentimental Auburn spot

There are plenty of places to hang out on and off campus and you will fall in love with some more than others. My freshman year I was not #blessed by the campus housing lottery. I was deposited on The Hill where I foraged for my meals at Terrell Dining Hall, but I loved The Hill in a really weird kind of way. I secretly took my hammock to The Hill as a senior and took naps under the trees, just don’t pet the squirrels.

The Student Center has everything like the Office of Student Involvement, Chick-fil-A, and the game room downstairs which I never had the courage to walk into. You may be shocked to find that every floor of the library has a designated purpose. I found out the fourth floor is the quiet floor when I opened a bag of chips and a girl three cubicles over asked me if I wanted the bag of chips or my life.

Don’t try to begin to understand the Haley Center, either. I spent every year of my college life helplessly roaming the third floor of Haley and I still don’t understand. People will try to tell you there’s a “secret” to remembering the quadrants but they’re lying. The Haley Center is truly the stuff nightmares are made of.

My advice — while simple and sincere — is as follows: What you get from your Auburn experience is what you are willing to put into it.

Pat Dye once said: “Alabama fans love Alabama football. Auburn fans love Auburn.” The Auburn fans who filled the bleachers in 2012 for football and basketball weren’t just there to watch sports, they were there because they love Auburn.

The love for Auburn runs much deeper than just for athletics. Yes, I do advise you to attend as many sporting events as you can and support your fellow Tigers, but get involved in loving the community as well. Auburn is unique from any other college in the world because of the love surrounding it. Take it all in and War Eagle!