7 Crazy College Traditions That Will Make You Go Hmmm ...

What qualifies as crazy college traditions? The week before Ohio State plays Michigan, the Mirror Lake Jump happens. In the winter. Seems that winters in Ohio can mess with your self-preservation impulses! Just remember to dry off afterwards and warm up with a cup of hot tea of hot cocoa!

On the first full moon of the semester, students celebrate full moon on the beautiful quad. This involves lots of hugs and kisses. The Stanford Tree mascot always gets the most love! Fun fact: this used to be a tradition to welcome the freshman girls to Stanford. Stanford senior boys would line up and peck the girls on their cheeks. How sweet!

There’s a huge memorial bell that students ring on a special occasion. When students do things for the first time, *ahem*, they ring the bell. And after that, students lean out of their rooms to applaud.

The night before the dreaded organic chemistry final, the Columbia Marching Band busts into the school library and creates chaos. Then they continue to parade around the campus. But don’t get the wrong idea about the marching band! Apparently, Columbia students love the marching band! Another cute tradition at Columbia is the Tree Lighting Ceremony. This happens during the winter, and students gather to watch trees get lit up for Christmas while eating cookies and sipping hot chocolate.

The night before finals, students all lean out of their windows and scream, otherwise known as Primal Scream. Then they go back to studying as if nothing happened. Wow…finals does things to people.

Convocation is a ceremony that lots of college students get dressed up for, but that’s not the case at Smith College! While it’s hot and humid in August on the East Coast, students actually dress strip down for convocation. It’s a crazy tradition, and apparently, the less you wear, the more school spirit you have! Students tend to go in elaborate costumes to match their house themes or just go buck-naked.

Ever heard of a Pumpkin Drop? No, it isn’t just another physics experiment at MIT. The Saturday before Halloween, crowds gather around the tallest building on MIT campus to watch pumpkins drop down. MIT students also love to place things on the Dome. It is, in fact, an ongoing theme of their hacks. Another fun one is disrupting Harvard and Yale football games. In 1982, MIT students got a weather balloon with MIT written on it to inflate on the halfway line. How crazy! It’s a good thing these geniuses use their crazy pranking skills for fun and good laughs!

These are just some of many crazy college traditions that happen across the country! As weird as they may seem, taking part in them can really create a special connection between you and the school. I enjoyed the weird traditions at my school. Did you have any crazy college experiences? Did you take part in them?