22 Things Only UC Davis Students Understand

Because being an Aggie is more than just bikes and cows. Not much more, but still more.

1. In the bike coolness hierarchy, fixies are at the top. Yes, hundreds of bikes are literally everywhere. But, us Aggies, we don’t blink an eye at the sheer overwhelming numbers of bicycles zooming around campus and town anymore because we are too busy admiring the color combinations on some of the coolest fixies (fixed gear bikes, you noob) we have ever seen. Beach cruisers are cool and all until you’re late for your midterm and can’t go any faster than the person walking next to you on the side walk. But fixies! They can get you there on time AND in style.

2. You do NOT ride your bike the first week of the school year. As mentioned above, the amount of bikes hastily going about on campus is ridiculous at times. Now add a couple hundred new baby freshmen who can’t navigate a bike circle to save their life, or the rare few who have never rode a bike in their life before to the chaos and you not only have danger, but also comedy. The experienced Aggie knows its much less frustrating to walk the first couple of days until their favorite shortcut routes clear up. You probably already have, but if you haven’t, grab a seat near your most convenient bike circle this year, and enjoy. My personal favorite is the Silo circle.

3. Tube socks are practically gold to an Aggie.

Go to any UC Davis football or basketball game and you will see grown college students going absolutely insane when the emcee says that beloved phrase.. "It's time for TUBE SOCK MADNESS!!" You got a little excited there didn't you? You can't help it, you're an Aggie! I am still unsure why these simple little things stir up such a frenzy with students but it's really awesome to see twenty-something year olds light up for a pair of UC Davis socks. I had the good fortune to watch a guy literally push his girlfriend out of the way so that he could grab a pair mid air at an ESPN basketball game.

4. Houseboats and Picnic Day are our holidays & we live for them.

Spring quarter brings sunshine and fun classes like tractor driving or beer & brewing, but more importantly.. it brings Houseboats and Picnic Day & they are not real life. Although I was never able to experience the utter debauchery that is Houseboats, it is no secret that Slaughterhouse Island on Memorial Day Weekend is absolutely unreal while also being the epitome of college on water. Shout-out to Safe Boats for keeping all my friends safe year after year. You can help them stay saving lives and providing bandaids (among other things) by donating a few bucks here. Then there is Picnic Day! The day we all look forward to all year. It is a day when the entire town rages together, and campus is poppin' with some really fun family-friendly activities too. This last year my friends and I spent a considerable amount of time watching the weeny dog races at the Pav and had a blast!

5. Half off coffee from the CoHo is everything during finals.

Finals time is hectic and the lovely folks at the CoHo understand this fact and make it easier on our broke college student wallets by providing half-off coffee. For the sleep deprived crammers staying up late putting in some inhuman hours at Peter J. Shields, the quick walk across the quad for a cup of joe is always so worth it. I would like to thank the half off coffee season for helping me stay up to study and wake up the next morning to make it to class while also leaving enough money for me to get a slice of CoHo pizza as a reward.

6. You're lying if you say you don't enjoy it when Gunrock gives you a high-five.

Gunrock, the lovable blue mustang, can be seen roaming around campus and sporting events passing out stickers and temporary tattoos as well as is always down to be in your selfies. Heck, I have even got to be there for him to facetime with someone in the CoHo. He goes above and beyond to be the party starter at games, and is always there to give you a high-five. No matter how cool you think you are, you just can't help but smile when you see him.

7. Farmers market on Saturday mornings are a must.

No one can turn down the farmers market. You just can't. When you can start your morning with the greatest fresh apple juice to ever exist, grab a few bags of fresh local produce for the week, and see some of the cutest kids and puppies in Davis all in one, who could really object? I hear there are some really delicious cherries from Lodi there! You can catch the market occasionally on Wednesdays where you can grab some food from the vendors then go chill on a blanket on the grass with your buds listening to some cool live music.

8. Mojito night is THE night.

This one is objective, but to me, if there was any night to go out in Davis during the week it is without a doubt on Thursday! Technically mojito night is only at Bistro 33/City Hall Tavern but I used the term to encompass the entire night. I'm all about ballin' on a budget so I find the deals this night to be worth it. Single mojitos from Bistro I believe are in the ballpark of $7 each so everyone tends to opt for the pitcher which will run you around $12 and can share with.. 3 maybe 4 people tops, depending on how thirsty you are. I also personally just love this night most because I can see the most faces in one place as I run around the spacious layout hand in hand with one of my best friends. The atmosphere and different areas to sit and interact are ideal for this little social butterfly, and I love that I can get dressed up and feel great enjoying the opportunity to let loose.

9. Asada fries from El Burrito. Enough Said. A little disclaimer here, I would like to throw it out there that they are only heavenly after midnight and can be a lot to take on as well as a little heavy as an actual meal, but that is just me! Imagine carne asada, beans, salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream piled on top of warm french fries. Okay, now stop drooling. I couldn't even count how many times this box of delectable goodness has come in clutch for my friends and I to share. Just don't forget the green sauce and the white sauce from the salsa bar!

10. Our campus is GORGEOUS.

It is clear that the Arboretum is the crown jewel of the UC Davis campus, but the rest of campus is just as beautiful! All the trees and greenery give the campus more of a park feeling than a school. The eggheads scattered around are fun and are yet another tip of the hat to the quirkiness of UC Davis. Even the structures of the buildings and state of the art facilities do their part in making Davis so visually pleasing.

11. You have definitely gotten lost in the Death Star.

Speaking of the buildings, you have definitely had the misfortune of having to find a room at the Death Star. You could have sworn you were going downstairs the whole time but somehow you ended up at the top of the history building, right? I personally found a flight of stairs that led to nothing and I couldn't tell you how excited I was when I did!

12. You measure your money by Plutos salads.

You have definitely said "should I return this book and wait until I need it? It cost me like 30 Plutos salads, man!" Do I really need to expand on this? The popular salad and sandwich place located in downtown is the one of the best places to eat because of the ability to customize what you order. I don't care what anyone says, crispy chicken is the only meat to put on your salad there! I'm craving it as I type..

13. "Oh that smell is just the cows.."

Shout-out to those of you who were freshmen in the Tercero dorms directly adjacent to the cows. You guys got the whole array of Davis smells from over there and frankly you came to love it. Cows are the smell of home now. You are also probably lying if you said you didn't take the bike route by the cows just so you could see their happy little faces eating in the morning.

14. Living downtown is the best thing you could do.

I may also be biased about this one as well but living downtown is a thing of its own. Sure, you may not find the most luxurious of housing, but the prices you will be paying will most certainly be worth it. I got the opportunity to spend 2 of my 3 years at Vila Verde and I could not rave about that place anymore! I was a minutes walk to campus, had all the great downtown restaurants within a minute radius (3rd & U and Burgers & Brew probably got sick of seeing me), you have the farmer market, quick access to the freeway, no need for designated drivers, and all of your friends as your neighbors! Downtown living is where its at!!

15. You know about the Domes but have probably never been.

Oh the Domes. Those crazy cute little half circle homes you have most likely seen when driving to the back side of the Colleges Apartments. I had a really good friend live there for quite some time during his time at UC Davis and I even got to tour the little area. Let me start by saying they are SO COOL inside and very spacious. Yes, they do even get wifi. The Domes has a community garden that they all help tend to and a larger dome used as a common place for meetings and hanging out. During my visit, I was fortunate enough to meet a guy who was crashing at the Domes who claimed he had walked to Davis from Miami. I kid you not. The rest of the community is definitely not as eccentric, but hopefully that gives you a little snippet of the Domes life. Go check it out!

16. You're more afraid of the squirrels than they are of you.

The squirrels are some of the bravest little critters I have ever come across. Although you may never have gotten as close as nearly kissing one like my friends have, you have probably had one come up and steal a chip from your lunch, or had an awkward stare down with one at the very least.

17. All the Greeks are friends.

I cannot speak for other schools out there, but I think we can all agree that our Greek system is very different than others. There may be some of you who will disagree, but to my knowledge, there is no petty inter-Greek hostility. There are of course exceptions here and there, but I am confident to say that we are all friends for the most part. It was something I really fell in love with when deciding to go through with joining a sorority because I wasn't just gaining my beautiful Alpha Phis, I was gaining the whole Greek community which gave me access to roughly 10% of the UC Davis student population. I am lucky enough to say that some of my best friends friends are from other sororities!

18. All the athletes are pretty great too. You have definitely seen those big bodies lining the first two rows of your classroom.. say hi, those are some of your UC Davis football team. The Aggies put in work in the gym, in the classroom, and then on the field. They have some of the craziest sleep schedules I have ever heard of and they do it all with a smile on their faces. I have been fortunate enough to call athletes from various sports teams my neighbors, study buddies, supporters and of course friends! The athlete community is tight-knit and you will ALWAYS see some other sports team supporting at games. They are all really wonderful people so come out to a game of your choice and show how much you appreciate their hard work! GO AGS!

19. You have used Campus Escort to go to a party at Ramble.

I will admit I am guilty of this one. Let me make it clear that Campus Escort is a free shuttle manned by students that take other students wherever they need to go on campus safely when it gets dark. I'm pretty sure they have changed the rules for CE now since it has definitely been abused, but come on.. when you consider Ramble to be technically "on campus" you are just askin for trouble. If you actually would like to use CE for the correct reason, it's always handy to have the number in your phone if you ever don't feel safe enough to walk back to the dorms or if you parked in the structure clear across campus. OH! I will also say that this number connects you to the Davis PD but just say that you're looking for the Escort Service and they will kindly help you. The number is (530) 752-COPS.

20. Looking for an outlet during midterms and finals is like the Hunger Games.

You're sitting in Peter J. Shields writing that massive research paper that is due tomorrow when suddenly the top corner of your computer blinks a little symbol of a red battery and the dreadful notification pops up to tell you your computer is about to die. Frantically, you pack up your things and start the mission to hunt down an open outlet. Well good luck because it's every man and woman for themselves out there. There is a chance you may even lose a friend or two if they aren't willing to share their outlet. But alas, you find a cubby on the fourth floor of the library with its own outlet and all is well in the world again. Congratulations, you have survived another round.. now where did you put your backpack?

21. Getting on the Wall is the most important thing ever.

And I mean ever. If you are like me you have probably used the phrase, "sorry, I can't, I have an IM game.." more than you are willing to admit. With all the stress that comes with school, intramural sports is how we let our hyper-competitive sides go crazy in hopes that we may be lucky enough to leave our legacy on "the Wall". The Wall displays all intramural sports champions from the last two quarters (correct me if I'm wrong) neatly along the most seen surface at the ARC. For me, IMs was the perfect way to play the sport I love with some of my best friends. (Go Bombers!)

22. Davis has the most eclectic demographic of people and they are the most wonderful humans you could ever encounter.

For fear of excluding everyone who is not either in the Greek system or an athlete, I wanted to say that Davis is a truly unique place with even more unique people. I have had the honor to cross paths with really remarkable people that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to get to know. You can find any flavor of person you can imagine at UC Davis and that is the beauty and essence of the eclectic vibe Davis has to offer.