Every university has its own quirks and qualities that make it the bubble that it is, but I can think of many qualities that make the Samford bubble unique.
We live in our own world with our own set of norms. Norms for dating, social media and even what we wear are part of the Samford bubble and that causes things to be complicated. For example, I have overheard friends saying things like “You need to wait this long to text him back,” or “I’ve been planning my Instagram caption for months.”
The Samford bubble exists because we are saturated into a certain culture. We pick up words and phrases that other people say and spread it like wildfire. We want to try and fit into the bubble and determine our social status through the clothes we wear, or whether we are Greek or Independent. We use our phones to avoid talking to people, but we care way too much about what other people think.
What happened to taking in the moment without posting an Instagram story? What about having a face-to-face conversation with another human being without being on our phones? Wow, that’s revolutionary!
Students choose to give into the Samford bubble. The bubble doesn’t create this pressure. We choose to live inside of it out of fear of rejection or missing out. We want other people to like us, so we are willing to conform to what others are doing. But no one should be forced to follow unspoken rules or norms if it keeps them from being their true selves.
We also can’t forget the “ring by spring” phenomenon. I don’t agree with the ring by spring mentality, but even if it’s simply a running joke, it still exists within the gates.
At the end of the day, the Samford bubble is a well-known experience that all students are familiar with. Whether you believe it or deny it, the different aspects demonstrate the uniqueness of Samford and its characteristics. Just know you will eventually need to wake up and realize how the world works outside the gates.
Gracie Donoghue, Columnist
[Photo courtesy of Chase Cochran]
