Everyone has loyalty to where they went to college. You spent 4 years of your life there and made friends that you’ll have for the rest of your life. But going to a BIG10 school is a whole different level of loyalty—obsession, if you will. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison we literally eat, sleep, and breathe the Badgers. We work hard and play even harder. It’s not easy being one of the top schools in the country for both academics and partying, but we make it look like a walk in the park. Madison will always be my home, and these are just a few of the many things I still miss every day. Once a Badger, always a Badger.

1. Waking up at 6am to pregame on football game days, even though we complained about having an 8am class.

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2. Jumping around at said football games, in between cheering eat shit, fuck you of course.

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3. Spending hours on end at College Library, only because I’m pretty sure I did more socializing than actual studying.

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4. Waiting in line for Ian’s Pizza at 2am and shamelessly ordering more than one piece.

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5. Afternoons spent drinking pitchers on the terrace with that picture perfect sunset that will never get old.

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6. Walking down Bascom in the fall. But not up, obviously, because the calories of one cheeto does not make it worth it.

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7. Running into Bucky around campus.

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8. Making fun of people who went to Minnesota—oh wait, I still do that.

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9. Eating waffles at Gordon Commons. Because there is no greater hangover cure than a waffle and potato rounds.

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10. Getting 25 cent beers at Whiskey Jacks every Thursday—even during finals week.

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11. Sledding down Bascom on lunch trays from Gordon Commons.

First year student Nora Shumway (fleece coat, wool hat) and her friends continue the college tradition of using cafeteria trays to go sledding down Bascom Hill during a winter snow storm with near white-out, blizzard conditions. ©UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067 Photo by: Jeff Miller Date: 2/03 File#: D100 digital camera frame 1631

12. Mifflin Street Block Party. Even though it’s not what it used to be, any excuse to day drink is fine with me.

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13. Ending nights at the Ivory Room with some classic Billy Joel sing-a-longs.

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14. Judging people who lived in the Lakeshore dorms. #SoutheastForLife

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15. Eating Babcock ice cream at any/all hours of the day and night.

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16. Wearing red almost every day and not thinking twice about it.

UW-Madison students cheer during a football game against the University of Illinois Illini at Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Oct. 6, 2012. Wisconsin won the game 31-14. (Photo by Bryce Richter / UW-Madison)

17. Waking up early on Saturday mornings for the Farmer’s Market solely to get spicy cheese bread.

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18. Celebrating sports victories the way they SHOULD be celebrated.

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19. Getting brunch at Bassett Street Brunch Club—and Marigold’s—and Sunroom Cafe.

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20. Wandering up and down State St. in between classes, drinking coffee and buying things I don’t need.

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21. Constantly being a tourist in my own city because this view is everything.

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Author

Hillary Bautch is a Wisconsin girl living in Boston, where she can often be found double-fisting cups of coffee. She takes pleasure in making other people feel awkward and purposely does weird stuff so she can write about it later. Hillary enjoys eating pizza, watching other people fall down on ice skates, and complaining about how much she wants a dog. Follow her random musings and sarcastic rants at @hillarybautch.

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