OLE MISS

[ch537]

Well this Chicago boy has made up his mind, it is  going to be(ridiculously affordable) Ole Miss for me.  Anybody else out there decided on Ole miss?  Id like to hear from you.   

Also, few questions for those of you in the know. 

1) where are some places to look for apartments, and what prices should i expect?

2) Is the law building as decrepit as I have heard?

3) Is the campus as gorgeous as I have heard?

And if you havent figured out, im going there blind.  No visits.  I was going to go to the open house, but one car wreck later and Im without a car, so that is out of the cards.  Any info about the school would be nice.   
                                   -Soon to be southern gentleman

[scarlett]

Chicago, bless your hart...the campus is gorgeous, the people are extremely nice, the law building is lovely.  Unfortunately, sweetie, you are NOT "soon to be a southern gentleman"... this takes many years of practice (some even believe that if you aren`t born into our way of life you really can never understand it) and being from Chicago, well, that is VERY north isn`t it?  Bless your hart.  As for housing, there are plenty of off-campus spots available, please look at the Ole Miss website, there is lots of valuable information on there.  I have included some interesting facts for you also.

The University houses the largest blues music archive in the United States.
The school grows the only US government endorsed cannabis. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (http://www.nida.nih.gov/) (NIDA) contracts to the University the production of cannabis for the use in the few approved research studies on the plant as well as for distribution to the eight surviving medical cannabis patients grandfathered into the Compassionate Use Program (established in 1975 and cancelled in February 1992).

University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons performed the world's first lung transplant in man and transplanted the heart of a chimpanzee - man's closest genetic relation - into the chest of a dying man.

William Faulkner's estate, Rowan Oak, is owned by the University. The town surrounding the campus is said to have inspired Faulkner and his imaginary Yoknapatawpha County

There is a valid distinction between The University and Ole Miss even though the separate threads are closely interwoven.

The University is buildings, trees and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion and personality. One is physical, and the other is spiritual. One is tangible and the other intangible.

The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss.

-Frank E. Everett, Jr., B.A.'32 LL.B.'34

Good luck to you, Chicago!

Miss Scarlett

[PresClay_00]

it is admirable to strive for it, but don't think that you'll attain or be accepted as a Southern gentleman just because you go to school at Ole Miss.  I'll harden Scarlett's line to say that you do have to be born into it, just as i couldn't become a yankee regardless how long i might live in the north (though i never intend to).  when i was looking at the school, they seemed more than willing to offer assistance, so that may be a very good starting point for the apt search and yes, the campus is beautiful (as are the lovely Southern ladies).

[scarlett]

it is admirable to strive for it, but don't think that you'll attain or be accepted as a Southern gentleman just because you go to school at Ole Miss.  I'll harden Scarlett's line to say that you do have to be born into it, just as i couldn't become a yankee regardless how long i might live in the north (though i never intend to).  when i was looking at the school, they seemed more than willing to offer assistance, so that may be a very good starting point for the apt search and yes, the campus is beautiful (as are the lovely Southern ladies).

Spoken like a true Southern gentleman...

[carrie79]

First of all, let me say that the posts so far in this thread have been fantastic.  What's the bumper sticker I see all the time..."I wasn't born in the South, but I got here as fast as I could."    However, I do think that one who sees the many virtues of the most beautiful place on earth and properly appreciates it might one day be able to call themselves a Southerner...eventually.  LOL

I will be at Ole Miss in the fall...if I don't get accepted by Georgia which seems less likely with each passing day.  I spent a semester at Ole Miss as an undergrad.  Not only is the campus beautiful, but so is the town of Oxford.  I loved it there, and I'm sure you will too.  It's full of Southern charm and it's got a pretty cool counterculture for such a small town.  It's literary, artsy and musical.  It's equally traditional and progressive.  It's unique and I love it.

Welcome and congrats!!   

[scarlett]

 "I do think that one who sees the many virtues of the most beautiful place on earth and properly appreciates it might one day be able to call themselves a Southerner...eventually." 


Your kind words of wisdom are as lovely as a Magnolia and as sweet as my tea! 
Congratulations on your acceptance and I look forward to meeting you in the fall! (assuming you choose Mississippi mud over red clay )

Miss Scarlett

[ch537]

Thank you for your responses. 
    Just to clarify, I do not actually believe that I can 'become' a southern gentleman, it was merely an interesting way to sign my message.  Im going to Mississippi for a change of scenery.  My best friend is from birmingham, and my grandpa is from tennessee, and after visiting them many times I have grown quite fond of the southern disposition and the southern way of life.  I happen to reject prejudice in respect to southern versus northern differences (in fact I happen to like the southern way more), and while im sure that Ill have to deal with being unaccepted to a certain degree myself, I can only hope that over time I will be accepted as someone who has similar values, life goals, and desires. 
     Im sure that there are plenty of northerners who look down on the south, in fact I have dealt with that already when I tell people that I am going to mississippi for law.  Believe me, i've had to justify it over and over in merely a few days.  Isn't there something to be said for the fact that I want to spend at the very least three years of my life down in Mississippi? (and my plan is to permanently move to the south)
I may never be called a southerner or be considered a southern gentleman, but cant someone be a little southern at heart?

My best friend's family has accepted me whole heartedly, I just hope that with time and getting to know me, those at Mississippi will do the same.  signing off -  Southern wannabe. 

[PresClay_00]

You'll certainly be accepted as part of the community (a big part in becoming Southern) as long as you never utter the words "well, back home we..." or "but up north we..." or anything to that effect.  I honestly think that is one of the things that offends Southerners the most, b/c it implies that the way we do it is wrong, which pretty much puts anyone's hackles up.  Also, for reference purposes solely, it's the Confederate Battle Flag, and not the "rebel flag" and it would also serve well not to question why we still fly any Confederate flag (I fly the flag of Scotland beside the First National).

[carrie79]

Your kind words of wisdom are as lovely as a Magnolia and as sweet as my tea! 
Congratulations on your acceptance and I look forward to meeting you in the fall! (assuming you choose Mississippi mud over red clay )

Sounds great, dahlin.  Definitely look me up.

And as for justifying a move to the South...it irritates me that a lot of Northerners believe themselves to be experts on the South based solely on what they see on television and in the movies...which is mostly stereotypical bull.  It's positively nauseating.  Anyway, I think you made a wonderful decision so just tell those yankees to go to hell.   

Hotty toddy!!!

[pkknecht]

Hey Chicago,

I will be joining you at Ole Miss next year, and I think I might know where you're coming from.  Even though I was raised in nearby Memphis, I went to undergrad at Rockford College, just west of Chicago, a town I spent many a weekends in.  I can tell you that Oxford will be a big change from Chicago; in many ways, it might remind you of some of the nicer towns in the west suburbs of Chicago, or even Evanston in north Chicago. 

Keep in mind that Memphis is only an hour away, so you can still get a bit of the big city feel, not to mention great blues and bbq.  The campus is absolutely beautiful; the law school isn't as bad as you have probably heard; it is one of the larger buildings on campus, right across from the Grove (heard of it?) and all of the classrooms are fully wired for internet with plugins for laptops.  They are finalizing plans at Ole Miss for a new law school; unfortunately, it won't be complete until after we graduate. 

The Oxford Square, just east of the campus, has a great small town feel to it, with one-way streets, a big court house at the center and lots of great places to eat and shop.  There are plenty of apartments throughout town, with many complexes clustered to the south on Old Taylor Road (where I just got a place) and to the north of the campus.  Coming from Chicago, you will be amazed at how cheap apartments run in Oxford; there are several two bedroom places for under $500. 

I went to the Open House; you didn't miss much, just an introduction by two faculty members, a few current students, the Dean, and a tour of the school and lunch at the top of the football stadium.  If you need any more information, please feel free to e-mail me.  pkknecht@hotmail.com.  Hope some of this helps, and I look forward to meeting you!

Phillip