As the countdown to graduation begins, many seniors are leaving cold Midwestern winters for warmer Southern environments. Southern or Southeastern Conference schools have become an increasingly popular choice for incoming college students.
According to Times Now, southern colleges have increased by 84% in the last 20 years, with the most noticeable increase of 30% in 2022 alone.
The colleges that have experienced the biggest “booms” are Ole Miss, Alabama, Mizzou and Tennessee.
“The SEC is becoming more popular because everyone wants to experience the excitement of being in such a large school,” senior Karli Barton said.
Barton will be attending Alabama this fall and, like many girls going south, is looking into rushing.
“[Alabama takes] rushing very seriously, but I think if I have the right attitude and mindset, it will be an amazing experience,” Barton said.
Barton said that besides the rushing and football games, the lower tuition costs and scholarships offered to her played a key role in her decision making.
Barton isn’t the only one who is taking to warmer weather for college. Senior Jayden Henschen is heading to Tennessee and, like Barton, is pursuing nursing.
“Seeing how many scholarships I got compared to other schools I applied to shocked me,” Henschen said. “It made going to Tennessee an easy decision.”
Henschen said she’s looking forward to the grand atmosphere of a D1 school.
“I’ve seen videos of the stadium when the football team enters, and it gave me chills; that’s when I knew I was going to a D1 football school,” Henschen said.
For others, the big appeal is the weather.
“I’m so done with snow,” senior Addyson Moore said. “I wanted to be somewhere where the sun always shines, and I don’t always have to wear a winter coat.”
Moore committed to Xavier University in New Orleans, a university that granted her a large merit scholarship.
“Getting to go to school and getting a good education is something not everyone gets to have, so I took the opportunity given to me, and I know I’m going to love it for the next four years,” Moore said.
Moore points out that now, instead of worrying about shoveling her driveway, she just has to watch out for hurricanes.
“Is it worse than snow? Yes. But I hate snow and shoveling it, so I’m willing to trade,” Moore said.
Whether it’s the loud and big environment of the southern schools, the warmer weather or the cheaper costs, the southern charm has hit recent graduating classes.
“I wanted to be somewhere where I felt I would enjoy myself,” Barton said. “I am really looking forward to being independent in an area and environment that I want to be in.”