<p>Hey everyone, I'm a white female from New Jersey who recently applied to University of Georgia. I visited the state over christmas break last winter, and I can honestly say I fell in love. It was just so different from here, and I love the more relaxed feel I got. UGA is also one of the best schools for Communications according to Fiske, and it just seems like a good fit. But I have some concerns being from the North, and I'm scared I won't fit in =[</p>
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<p>What do you see as the overall feel and attitude of the students of UGA towards people from the North or outside the Southern area? I have heard stories of friends go to other Southern states (Not GA in particular) and they felt mistrusted or something because they were from the North. Is this true?</p>
<p>What is the overall acceptance of diversity in UGA? Do people of all races hang out often, or is there still racial tension? I have read forums of other Southern universities where racism and separation still occur often. I'm not trying to be stereotypical, but as someone who tends to gravitate towards friends of all races, this concerns me.</p>
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<p>I really liked what I've seen of the South, but being from the North, I know it will be an adjustment and I want someone's input on whether or not you think I would be comfortable at UGA. Thanks =]</p>
<p>I’m actually really happy that you posted this, because this is one of my concerns as well. I’m from Massachusetts, and as a girl from the North, I know exactly what you mean about wanting the laid back atmosphere of the South. Honestly, I feel like it’s something I just need in my life. People up North are just so overworked and overstressed! So I applied to USC and UGA (plus some schools up here, of course) and I hope that I get in because I’d really love to go down South. But like you, the diversity/being from the North thing worries me. I hope I fit in too.</p>
<p>The thing is though that UGA has 26,000 undergrads, and that is a lot! I’m not exactly sure which percentage of these are out of state since Collegeboard.com is down right now, but I remember it being a pretty good amount. In any case, the school is so large so that it’s gonna be basically impossible not to find a group you fit into, whether the friends you choose are from up North or down South. Also, because of the size of the school, it’s difficult to generalize. There may be people who care where you’re from, but there definitely will be those who don’t. I’m sure something of this sort would happen at any school you go to anyways, right? It’s unfortunate, but people are bound to judge you based on something… It’s unavoidable, I guess. The bright side though is that no matter what you’ll find your friends and no matter what you’ll be happy. And hey, if all else fails, there will be fellow Northerners down there are UGA who you can commiserate with if everything I’m saying right now is all wrong! Haha, like me! :)</p>
<p>Honestly though, I wouldn’t stress too much. Obviously, I wouldn’t know first hand, but I’m genuinely optimistic about the whole thing and I think that I’m right in being this way I’m interested to see what other people say too.</p>
<p>I didn’t go to college here, but rather in Michigan. We moved here 12 1/2 years ago. My kids were 3 & 5 when we came to GA. My son is now in his senior year, so he went to school here from K-senior. I can honestly say that only two people ever tossed the “yankee” word around in a derogatory manner. (even though we were midwesterners, actually…and with them, the source was predictable) I think Northerners think it’s much worse than it is. We have made some wonderful friends that are totally Southern-raised for several generations! Everyone says people are from all over anyway. (outside of GA)</p>
<p>We love it here and have had no regrets. I really think overall, people are friendlier here. I still say “pop” and “guys”, but have used the greeting “hey” for about 12 years. haha :)</p>
<p>Best of luck to you both ^^ and welcome to GA if you decide to make UGA your home!</p>
<p>kay and diva, I found your posts a little touching, the way you have found you really like Georgia. I have lived here for most of 45 years, and went to UGA, where our son is now a student. I hope some current students respond to your posts (there’s a bright and prolific young lady called jenmarie, but she’s taking finals right now and is pre-med), but I don’t believe you should have any misgivings. Any student population reflects the general population, with allowance for age and the fact they are all college students. In other words, they are like you, and here in Georgia we are long accustomed to welcoming people from everywhere. Perfect? No, but I feel certain no one would be put off by where you’re from; in fact, you will be unique not coming from an Atlanta suburb! My wife, a PA native, loved it here after a few months, and says she would not move north of the Mason-Dixon line again.
Now, I have read there is still some separateness, which is a part of human nature: we innately feel comfortable being around those who are like us. But we also know this is not insurmountable. This is even more true for your generation, which is more open-minded and accepting of many ideas then your elders. For example, does “inter-racial” (I know, even the term is loaded and out-moded) dating cause a stir among your peers? I doubt it. I do not believe you will find racial tension. It is a diverse and accepting community, a university, after all!</p>
<pre><code> In short, at UGA you are likely to find students much like yourselves, perhaps with some minor regional differences, almost all of which should be positive and interesting. You may even find yourself adopting some! But, you will feel welcome and comfortable. I wish you both the best of good luck with your UGA apps and your college careers, wherever you ultimately choose. I hope we can welcome you to Athens, the Classic City, and UGA. Go Dogs!
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<p>kaylala, I see you were accepted today. Congratulations! I meant to ask if you have visited Athens already. If not, you should definitely plan it, especially in April if you can. Good luck w/ U. Mich and your other schools, and congrats again on “getting the fireworks.”</p>
<p>Thanks, merkur, that’s really nice of you! And thanks to everyone else for giving your thoughts It’s quite nerve racking to think of going so far away from home, but from what I gather, I’m sure I’d feel quite at home down South, especially if most people are as friendly as you all are. I’m really glad that the feedback on this thread reiterated what I believed in the first place. Now that I’m accepted, I’m super excited to go down to Athens to visit! Thanks again! :)</p>
<p>By the way, everything everyone’s said has made me feel better =] That’s the feeling I got from Georgia when I went. I’ve heard stories about other states, but never Georgia, and your comments have made me believe that even more.</p>
<p>Yep, I did EA and I found out tonight I was so close to not making the EA deadline though… I decided to apply like a week before the deadline! Southern schools deadlines are so damn early… haha. Anyways, I’m glad you feel better! I do too Maybe I’ll see you down at UGA soon! Is it your top choice?</p>
<p>Athens spoils you rotten by giving you a beautiful campus right next to a bustling downtown. I didn’t realize how unique that was until I ended up at a grad school in the middle of suburbia. The location is just perfect. </p>
<p>The people are also great. Like you pointed out above, there’s just something different about the way people treat you. Granted, Athens has plenty of indie/hipster people (for better or worse) in addition to the more traditional southerners, but the overall vibe is definitely relaxed and welcoming. As far as people from the North, you may be called some amusing names on occasion by the more south’urn people, but rest assured it’s all in quite good fun. All the people I knew from the North absolutely loved their time at UGA and I can’t think of any regional tensions cropping up. </p>
<p>As far as racial tension goes, I’m not going to comment in detail because my views are somewhat unique on that point, but rest assured it’s not a major issue and the students don’t really care. </p>
<p>Congrats on getting in too! UGA gets more competitive every year and I hope that y’all decide to come south for a few years when it comes down to making a choice.</p>
<p>vig, that sounds great actually. i’m hoping to visit the school sometime this winter.
kayla, in a perfect world it’s my top choice; if i get in and can get the funds and courage, then definitely. is it your top choice?</p>
<p>Goldendiva, I’m not sure really if it’s my top choice! Most of the schools I applied to are relatively far away so I’m waiting to hear back and see what appeals to me most taking scholarships/financial aid into consideration, and then I’m going to go visit! But because I haven’t visited most places before applying, I haven’t really gotten my heart set on any particular school. However, I’m pretty sure after visiting Georgia that I WILL fall in love So we’ll see! The courage thing is a lot, though, like you said. Be brave with me!! I believe it might be scary at first, but if it’s where you want to be, then it’s worth it, and you’ll be comfortable before you know it. I wish you the best of luck!</p>
<p>Where did you apply, kayla? I really hope I get into Georgia. How cool would it be if we both went so so South and were both freshmen at Georgia?</p>
<p>Haha, I’m sure you will get in! Don’t overstress yourself I applied to UMass Amherst, UConn, U of Vermont, U of Michigan, Quinnipiac, U of South Carolina, and (of course) UGA. Are you applying to any of those schools by any chance? Haha, it’d be very cool if we were to both be freshmen together! We could totally be friends. I’d be entirely up for hanging out in that warm Southern weather with my fellow Northerner. Haha. :)</p>
<p>Haha, nah, I’ve got none of those =[ I applied to TCNJ, Ramapo, St. Peter’s (forced by my uncle), and Adelphi. I didn’t have alot of money to apply to alot of places haha. And yeah, how cool would that be?</p>
<p>Haha, it’d be really cool for sure Well just in case that does happen (and hopefully it does, UGA being your dream school!) you should definitely e-mail me or something, when you hear back or anytime really… If we were both to enroll, I’m sure knowing someone would make that a lot easier Not to be a total creep or anything - you don’t need to if you don’t want to of course - but you’re free to (in which case, my email is <a href="mailto:ka27y@aim.com">ka27y@aim.com</a>, and of course, my name is Kayla). And anyways, good luck with all your other schools! Be excited!</p>
<p>Haha omg thats so ironic–I was going to ask you if you had an email or a Facebook or something but I didn’t wanna be totally creepy! My name is Julia by the way (my weird username is so the crazy kids from my school don’t find me).</p>
<p>Haha! Well good, I’m glad Julia Because I typed that over like 300 times trying not to sound like a total creeper in case you totally wouldn’t want to. But I’m glad you do! Yeah, I have facebook and aim and all that stuff… So email me, we can exchance stuff like that, and it’ll be pretty awesome. Yay</p>
<p>Well, I can’t give you a true Southern opinion since I’ve actually only been here since 6th grade. I’ve actually lived in Ohio for a few years before moving here (military brat). There’s really no animosity towards the north. People joke about it and pretend like there’s some sort of friction, but I’d say for the most part, most people aren’t going to care where you’re from. If they do care, then they’re not worth worrying or knowing. I haven’t met one person yet who’s judged another person based on where they’re from (and I’m friends with a lot of international students). I think the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make is just getting used to the culture and the way things move, but I’m sure you’ll be fine, and it’ll be fun! So I wouldn’t worry at all about being from the North. If anything, people would probably find that cool and would want to know more. You might get some comments about your word choice and accent (or lack of?), but that’s probably going to be it. Just be ready for a lot of y’alls and heys! </p>
<p>I don’t really think there’s any racial tension or at least I don’t feel it. But I think people tend to hang out with people of the same background, which turns out to be the same race as well. It’s not that we don’t like other races…it’s just that that’s who we’re comfortable around and who we relate to. I do feel like we’re “segregated,” but there’s no animosity between the groups. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a diverse group of friends. If you make friends with people of different backgrounds, then that’s that. You just won’t find big groups like that. I feel like we’re separated like this: Sorority girls, fraternity boys, non-Greek white people, blacks, Indians, Asians, and latinos. (Just thought I’d mention that this is coming from an Asian girl who’s also in an asian-interest sorority). </p>
<p>I’m also a current student (haven’t been around in awhile) and can say most racial divides are self-imposed. Jenmarie’s depiction of “Sorority girls, fraternity boys, non-Greek white people, blacks, Indians, Asians, and latinos” is actually pretty accurate. People tend to congregate with individuals of their ethnicity, but this isn’t to say that the groups don’t mix (that would be false).</p>
<p>I have made friends with several people who are from the north (particularly 3 from New Jersey) and they definitely have noticed differences, but they are all glad that they came. No one can really explain what the difference is to me, but they say it has a lot to do with attitude. If you have been down a few times though and like it after talking to people you will probably do well.</p>
<p>I’m a junior and have enjoyed every minute. There are few other universities that offer an undergraduate experience like the one you will get at UGA. The academics are very good, there is a very large student body, great athletics, and we have a great downtown social scene. Good luck.</p>
I’m interested to see what other people say too.</p>
Is it your top choice?</p>