Everything only Buffs will understand about living at CU

As you’re trudging along through the second semester, I’m sure you’ve been asked “How’s college treating you at CU?” about a million times from family members and friends. And every time, you respond with a simple “It’s good.” You stray away from rambling on and on about what it’s really like to live at CU because no one really understands unless they’ve truly dealt with these things as a Buff:

Being stereotyped as the “rich kid”

As a CU resident, it’s hard to avoid the stereotypes put on students. For example, you’re pretty much labeled as a rich, upper-class kid whose parents can afford whatever your little heart wishes. With CU being such an expensive university, it’s pretty hard to avoid this stereotype, especially when you’re walking around in your North Face or Patagonia jacket with Sorel snow boots.

Dealing with Colorado’s bipolar weather

You’re not truly a Buff unless you’ve had to deal with Colorado’s indecisive mind on whether it should be warm or cold during the week. One day you’ll wake up in a blizzard, and you’ll prepare by layering on the sweaters. Then you’ll walk out of your 2pm class, and the sun will be melting all of the snow, while you’re dripping sweat underneath all those sweaters. Global warming is real. Thanks, Trump.

Deciding between gym or food

This decision is probably the hardest a Buff can make. The question goes through our head at least four times everyday – to walk all the way to the Rec or to take a shorter walk to Farrand for a sandwich… To get in shape or to eat more? Yeah, I think I’ll just save some time and head to the market.

Dealing with the crazy winds on campus

You also aren’t a Buff unless you’ve experienced the 90mph winds that tumble through campus, causing windblown hair (the ugly kind) and dirt to pierce your eyeballs. Although being able to see the mountains on your way to class is very beautiful and worthy of a picture, scientifically, having mountains be so close to campus is a blessing and a curse.

Dealing with the Boulder health fanatics

Boulder itself is known as the town of healthy people. If you walk outside, odds are you’ll see someone either running, biking or walking. Keeping up with them is the real challenge because while you have a piece of pizza from Cosmos in your hand, they will be running three miles with ease.

Avoiding death by bike as a pedestrian

Living on campus as a Buff means being a pedestrian who has to avoid bikers as much as possible, and vice versa. The scariest thing that one can experience here isn’t the risk of getting hit by a car, but getting hit by a biker going just as fast as a car. The walkers have to prepare themselves for the risk of being completely taken out by a cyclist. So as a Buff, it’s only natural that you prepare yourself for death by bike everyday on your way to class.

Handling the loud Thirsty Thursday goers

It’s a damn weekday for God’s sake. Some of us have tests on Fridays, and our studying on Thursday nights shouldn’t be interrupted by the loud, drunk kids out on thirsty Thursdays. Save your thirst for Friday please (or quench it with some water at least)?

Dealing with the barely-there wifi

As a CU student, dealing with the god-awful wifi we have on campus is brutal. Seriously CU? We are students living in your dorms, which means we need to do all of our homework here on campus. We can’t do our homework (or watch Netflix) if the wifi only works maybe a third of the time. Petition for better wifi, anyone?

Accepting the fact that there could be two feet of snow overnight

I mean, with living in Colorado, it’s evident that you should already know the consequences of the weather. So always bundle up in your warmest (and cutest) winter clothes.

Getting asked “Do you smoke lots of weed?”

Above all the things we have to deal with while being a Buff, the most annoying one is the assumption that all we do is smoke weed instead of actually going to school. While this may pose as a true statement for some students here, it’s pretty annoying hearing the words “Oh my gosh you go to CU? Don’t you just smoke so much weed?” especially when all you’re trying to do is get your damn education. Just because we like McDonald’s doesn’t mean we have the munchies and even if it does, so what? So leave us and our weed alone, please. P.S. Weed is legal in many other states now, so Coloradans aren’t the only stoners on this planet, surprisingly.

Although we have to deal with many things living here on campus, it’s well worth it because CU is a great place to be at for the four years of your college life. All great things come with some baggage so dealing with these things only makes CU the unique place that it is. It’s all part of being a CU Buff, even if the things we deal with might make you want to move to another state.