Out-of-state students speak out

Erin Colvin, junior

City and state: Coronado (San Diego), California

Why UGA: Brutally honest answer: I came to UGA because my mom moved to Georgia after graduation and forced me against my will to go to UGA for the cheap tuition. Politically correct answer: I came to UGA because I wanted to go to a big, out-of-state, division I sports school.

Biggest Difference: The most shocking differences about UGA and the south are that the stereotypes of the south are generally very correct, and people eat SO much fast-food here.

Best Part of UGA: What I really love about UGA is that there are tons of great ways to get involved and meet people. There's literally something for everyone to get involved with, no matter what his or her interests may be.

More or Less Racist: UGA is much more racist than where I came from, which is something I was not expecting before getting here.

Justin Ruth, freshman

City and state: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Why UGA: My family is close by, and my sister attends school here, which made it feel more and more like home with every visit before I decided to attend.

Biggest Difference: People in the south are SO much nicer and more polite and appreciative. It's very warming and welcoming being from out-of-state.

Best Part of UGA: The best part of UGA is by far the people and the campus atmosphere. I love being part of a SEC sports community, especially since I plan to major in Sports Management.

More or Less Racist: I honestly do not see a difference between UGA and the north as far as racism goes.

Brittany Altman, sophomore

City and state: Telluride, Colorado

Why UGA: I wanted a big school in an area with warm weather and an impressive program for broadcast news.

Biggest Difference: The food was definitely the biggest difference from Telluride. The nearest fast-food chain or franchise to my hometown is an hour away.

Best Part of UGA: The friends I have made here are the most amazing friends I have ever had in my life and that has made the distance from home that much easier.

More or Less Racist: I guess UGA and my hometown have the same level of racism but in different ways. In my hometown, more people make racist comments casually. But in Georgia, I have noticed the people who make the same comments are to their core hateful of that group of people. The use of the n-word is the biggest difference I’ve seen. In Telluride, people would say "What's up, nigga" versus "f***ing niggers" in Georgia. Less people in Georgia make racial comments, but the ones that do are saying those comments to be malicious.

Tommy Carroll, senior

City and state: Alexandria, Virginia

Why UGA: My brother was recruited to play baseball at Emory. One weekend when I was visiting him, he had class, and I had nothing to do, so I drove up to Athens and loved it.

Biggest Difference: I was shocked to see how rare it was for kids from the Southeast to leave the Southeast for school. I felt like everyone from my hometown shot-gunned around the country – or at least would have it they could afford it. Southerners love the south.

Best Part of UGA: I love the family atmosphere. I do not consider the football team my favorite part, but rather the friends and family that come together because of it. The Classic City is pretty sweet, also.

More or Less Racist: It is unfair to generalize the entire student body, but as a whole I do think that UGA is more racist. I came from a pretty diverse and progressive town so the comparison is a little unfair. The Southeast in general felt the sting of slavery and segregation more than anywhere in the country, so the tension is understandable. That said, the presence of racism is far from justifiable, as it is anywhere. It was really difficult to get used to.

Evan Silverman, freshman

City and state: Rochester, New York

Why UGA: I came to UGA because it has everything I was looking for in a school: good academics, a nice college town, an awesome social scene, great weather and big-time sports.

Biggest Difference: The most shocking difference is the language. People talk differently than I do and seem more polite.

Best Part of UGA: My favorite thing about UGA is game day.

More or Less Racist: I would say that UGA is probably more racist than where I come from. Maybe that's just because I went to a very diverse high school, but I hear a lot more racist comments here.

Kelsey Montgomery, sophomore

City and state: North Potomac, Maryland

Why UGA: I came to UGA because I wanted an experience in a different, far away state.

Biggest Difference: The southern twang shocked me the most.

Best Part of UGA: I like how diverse Athens is since it’s not all college students.

More or Less Racist: UGA is more racist in my opinion. Race was never an issue at home. Here, I hear more racist jokes here, and, in Greek life, people vocalize that sororities should remain completely white.