BatonRouge, LA: Lately my family has been caught up in an excitement I call the"Tiger rush." My sister started college this fall, and over the pastfew months my family has shifted its wardrobe to purple and gold pieces,decorated cars with stickers and decals, and invited people over for footballparties. I wanted to find out what the fuss was about, so I decided to visit her.While there I discovered several pros and a few cons of Louisiana StateUniversity.

First of all, parking at LSU can be summed up in one word:psychotic. There just are not enough parking spaces. The best idea is to park (ifyou can) and walk everywhere. All the students walk from their dorms to theirclasses to the student union, and so on. The positive side of all this walking isthat it's harder to gain that "freshman 15."

Second, game daysare overwhelming. The night before, campers start setting up for tailgateparties. The day of the game, the campus is covered with excited fans and theirbeautifully embellished tents that keep them from being mistaken for anythingother than Tiger fans. There is enough energy to turn anyone into an LSU fan.Also, I would like to mention that Louisiana State University's fans are the mostoutgoing, welcoming, enthusiastic people I have ever met.

On the flipside, the dorms aren't very impressive. Although I didn't visit that many, thefew I saw are definitely livable, though the hallways are narrow, the elevatorsalways full, and some of the rules a bit much. I know about safety precautions,but honestly, college students can operate a microwave, light a candle or cookwithout starting a fire. The rules are understandable, though, since a candle orgrease could set off the smoke alarm. As with any dormitory, incoming studentsneed to learn to live without some of the pleasures of home. Most dorm-room-boundstudents will have to accept that they can't have their own room, take bubblebaths, or wake up to the smell of fried eggs and bacon.

Overall, LSU is awonderful college and the pros exceed the cons. My sister loves it there, and Iam sure I will, too. My mind has been decided by my visit. Now, I just have toconvince myself that I look okay in gold.


Reviewed in 2002