ABAC is an Underrated Gem 

ABAC is an underrated college, a southern gem that stands out among its more prestigious peers.  

The thing about ABAC is that it has a unique way of creeping up on you. Slowly, you become immersed in its mishmash of old and new buildings. You grow fond of the brick pathways connecting both those buildings and their students. At your own pace, you find clubs and organizations that fit your interests and foster new ones, revealing parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. 

One of ABAC’s most endearing features is that it is one of the very few colleges you’ll go to that actually has fun with itself. The shared experience of going to a small, rural college is almost like an inside joke shared amongst all the students, and once you learn not to take things so seriously, you immediately join the community that is “in” on the joke. 

Wearing cowboy hats, saying “gee haw,” our “Bears to Build” event where students make their own stuffed animals, and Fried Chicken Thursday become enduring parts of campus lore. Like many people reading this, ABAC wasn’t my first choice—it was one made of financial necessity. Yes, ABAC is cost-effective, close, and convenient, but it is also fun. 

However, ABAC’s true strength lies not just in its personality, but also in the faculty that gives it its character. Even as someone who was fortunate to have fantastic teachers throughout middle and high school, I can safely say I’ve met more life-changing teachers here than I did in my entire middle and high school career. 

Of course, I can only speak on behalf of a student who studies history and communication, but the faculty of Bowen and King Halls are some of the kindest, most brilliant, uplifting, and joyful people I have had the privilege of meeting. 

I maintain that there’s a strong case to be made that the education you receive at a small rural college is equal to that of a larger one like UGA. ABAC may not have the funding or prestige, but it does have a lot of heart in its programs and its teachers, who remain engaging and accessible in part due to the smaller campus. 

There are objective measures for this greatness, too. ABAC students disproportionately perform better on the infamously difficult LSAT exam, for instance.  

The first time I entered ABAC, I was hit with an odd feeling. It was like a reverse nostalgia; I felt a sense that I was stuck in the past but was rapidly approaching a future I was unprepared and unexcited for. 

I distinctly remember walking through the halls of the music building looking forward to class, but only for the escapism of it, not for learning. I avoided clubs and campus events, and looking back, it’s hard not to be frustrated with my almost religious commitment to self-sabotage.  

Three years later, freshman Caleb is almost unrecognizable to the one writing this article; I never expected to become so passionate and involved on campus. I didn’t even attend Welcome Week, let alone seek out clubs, nor did I expect to find a passion in writing.  

I didn’t expect that I’d choose to stay here, even after I was presented with other options like the University of North Georgia. I never expected to grow so close to my professors, nor did I expect to meet and fall in love with the most incredible group of friends I have ever had the joy of knowing. 

ABAC very quickly grown on me, and I promise that it will for you as well. 

Welcome Week is going to provide you with a great opportunity to jumpstart the process of joining this incredible community. Over the next week, you’ll get numerous opportunities to meet new people, from lunches to rallies to even something as seemingly mundane as move-in day. 

Each moment of this week provides you with a chance to jump into the waters of a fun, engaging, and welcoming community of students who are brought together through diverse circumstances and a shared desire to move forward. 

Even if you are nervous and would just like to dip your toe in the water, something as simple as eating at the dining hall can end up being fun. 

Going from high school to college is a big change, and it’s okay to go at your own pace. However, take it from me: You will never regret putting yourself out there, especially in such an incredible community, so why not start now?