Finding your shade
Now, there are a huge number of factors that determine which university you’ll attend. Personally, my list was a long one, but I made sure to include a few interesting and unconventional points on that list. One of the most important things that my prospective university had to have: a cool school colour. Since you’ll be seeing this colour everywhere on campus, you need to make sure you love it! The amount of purple at Bishop’s can be noticed from the first steps you take on campus. It’s everywhere. You’ll find people wearing purple to class and in all our athletic facilities. Most importantly, on game day, you will find the gaiter mascot in head-to-toe purple.
So, my first piece of advice as a future gaiter: find your shade and get used to seeing purple!
The Gaiter way
My Bishop’s experience is slightly biased since I’m on the women’s soccer team, so my thoughts on being a Gaiter revolve around athletics and our athletic community. As cliché as this is to say, in my opinion, being a gaiter means unconditional support. Let me explain what I mean by this phrase.
All year long, I attended nearly every sporting event on campus. Now, something that is usually unnoticed is the sheer number of athletes who support one another. We’re people who have almost no downtime, and one can imagine that the second we get an hour to ourselves, we’d want to get as far away from the field as possible. But at Bishop’s, you can’t separate yourself from athletics.
As athletes at a small school, our group is tight-knit; athletes are especially known amongst each other. And the best part of being an athlete is going out and supporting your friends, win or lose.
I saw games where one of our teams would win by 50 points, and I saw games where our teams weren’t at their best. The most important thing: I could count on at least half of my team being present at any sporting event, making it so much more fun to cheer for our friends. Being surrounded by other athletes in a packed arena is a hard atmosphere to beat. Some of my favourite Bishop’s memories have happened while watching one of our teams play, or seeing the support that soccer gets from everyone else!
Impact beyond the field
The support that I see out on Coulter Field, in Mitchell Gym or in Molson Arena is found all over campus. Every day when I walk into class, I’m surrounded by people who want the best for me and support me. In all my courses, I feel like a person rather than just another student.
In my classes, my professors know my name and interact with me, even outside of our lectures. This, while sometimes a little awkward, makes my learning experience feel so much more personal. And something I’ve learned about myself is that I find the most success when I’m surrounded by supportive people who want the best for me. So, if you want to be more than an unknown face in a crowd, Bishop’s is the place for you!
A home away from home
So, to wrap this up, I’ll summarize by saying that purple is a lifestyle that’s all about unconditional support. At Bishop’s, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who want the best for you, and people who know when to step in and help, and when to let you find your wings. Lennoxville is the perfect place for you to develop into your own person, while having a community that is willing to catch you if you fall.
