Don’t drink from the Old Well

Carolina has a ton of traditions, and most of ’em are pretty chill – like rushing Franklin after beating d00k or winning a national championship, climbing the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower when you got that #seniorsauce, and maybe even streaking through Davis Library the night before exams to relieve some stress. But there’s one tradition that can go bye, bye, bye like *NSYNC’s iconic 00s anthem. And that’s drinking from the Old Well on FDOC. It might just be the worst Carolina tradition.

If you haven’t heard of this tradition (lucky you), I’ll give you some insight. Rumor has it that if you drink from the Old Well on FDOC you’ll get a 4.0. Which is pretty rare tbh. Obviously this makes the idea of drinking from the Old Well sound better than it actually is, thus of course causing some serious #fomo that shouldn’t even happen. Trust me, if you don’t drink from the well, the world isn’t going to end and you still probably won’t get a 4.0.

When you’re young and dumb, you’ll probably think that standing in a long ass line when you’ve got some serious backsweat going on and it’s humid af is a good idea – trust me, it’s not and you’d be better off trying to stay cool and taking a nap. People will literally be lined up at midnight to get a sip and for what? Wasted dreams? Substitution for tears? It is literally a waste of time and I learned that the hard way. Sure, you might get a cute pic, but that’s it. As someone who naively drank from the Old Well my first year, I can promise you that you are not missing out. The line was super long and it was hot – even though it was only nine in the morning. Besides, the water was kinda warm and definitely won’t be as good as whatever flavor of La Croix you love to have.

If you genuinely think that drinking from a well will somehow grant you access to something that’s more rare than a blue diamond, I pity you. The only way you’ll get that is by seriously working your ass off and if you manage to do so, kudos.

Sure the Old Well might be Carolina’s most known landmark, but that doesn’t mean you need to line up the night before class to try and get a sip of something that you can literally get in your bathroom. Let the Old Well be known for cute photos with your families and friends, please.