#7 Tailgate, for real

Now that I've seen tailgating from a college student's perspective, I know that there are two types.

1) Tailgating at the frats, which is basically a form of "Fropping" or frat hopping, which is traditionally a nighttime activity, done during the day before the game as an excuse to get some more drinks in. Personally, I've never experienced this type of tailgating and I'm alright with it because I would prefer to be able to make it the game itself.

2) What I call REAL tailgating, which is done either in a parking lot by the stadium or next to one of the sidewalks leading up to the stadium with truly dedicated fans. Also, it typically involves free food, and what college student doesn't live for free food?

Again, this is just my opinion, but I think that all college students need to experience the second "REAL" form at least once in their college career. Nowhere else will you find such a sense of genuine school spirit than on your home turf with both alumni and current students.

My friend Veronica has brought me to her uncle's s game day tailgate a few different times this semester, and it's quite the experience. Whenever there is a home football game, her uncle drives his big RV down to Columbia the Friday before and parks in the lot next to the basketball arena. He spends the night and wakes up bright and early the next day to get the grill going and the drinks flowing. 

This is the perfect example of American sports fan culture. Only our fun loving country is home to the type of people who are willing to drive two hours-or if you're as dedicated as some of those other SEC fans, maybe over seven-just to toast to your team before kickoff. 

I mean I ate a lasagna muffin at the last tailgate, and it doesn't get much more American than that.

Tailgating with your family is also a must. For my sorority's Dad's Weekend I brought my dad to his first state school tailgate and he had a blast. He fit right in when he walked up and accepted the first beer that was offered to him.

I would also recommend checking out the tailgating scene at a friend's school. Last weekend when I was home on Thanksgiving break, I went to the Northwestern vs. U of I game in Evanston, IL and it was very interesting to see how different of a vibe their tailgating scene had. I mean it still involved plenty of rowdy/just plain tipsy adults and students, but the parking lot we were in was so far from the stadium that we had to take a bus to the game. I had a great time and got to meet a bunch of new people, but I missed the sense of excitement that comes with tailgating right by the stadium.

 (And if you ever get the chance to tailgate at your friend's school, try and catch a game that's against another friend's school. As you can see I really enjoyed being the completely neutral third party.)