College students can fill their four (or five or six) year experience with so many options. Countless clubs, associations and groups around at Mississippi State University. 

But amidst the frenzy and fury of freshman year, one aspect you must buy into 100 percent is MSU athletics. Make this a priority — you won’t regret it. Well, maybe in the moment of dealing with disappointing losses you may wonder why you’ve dedicated yourself to the Bulldogs, but buying into the Dogs and becoming True Maroon will be one of the most rewarding decisions of your college career.

So here are some tips on becoming the truest True Maroon fan (because we all love the four-step process of becoming a champion).

First of all, go to games. Stay until the end. Speaking from experience, don’t leave after the top of the 10th inning when Ole Miss scores three runs and you think there’s no chance for a comeback, because you will find yourself stopped on a street watching the Dogs score the game-winning run through a window on a restaurant TV. Go Dogs. 

Stay in the rain. Rainy football games may seem miserable at the time, but they will be a memories you never forget. Stay in the cold. The Egg Bowl may be one of the coldest games you attend, but trust me, seeing Ole Miss’s Bo Wallace lying in the end zone after fumbling the football on the final play of the game is worth every frozen finger and runny nose you may suffer.

Don’t leave even if you think a comeback is impossible because you never know. These next four years will be filled with Dak Prescott lead comebacks and more buzzer beaters than you expect (hopefully most of those will be for the Maroon and White).

Secondly, go to at least a few away games. Watching the Dogs on the road will be such a cool experience, and visiting other stadiums (especially SEC stadiums) is awesome. Get a group of friends to take a road trip, and create some of your most vivid college memories. 

In addition to that, go to at least one bowl game during your college career. Those are especially fun. 

Next, go to other sporting events besides the big three (football, basketball and baseball). Friday night and Sunday soccer games and volleyball matches make great bookends to Saturday football games and are exciting to watch. Also, Head Coach Vic Schaefer has made the women’s basketball team into one of the most exciting teams to watch at State. The heart and hustle never lacks in these girls. 

The other most exciting Bulldog team has to be on the diamond — the softball diamond. I mean, how can you not love a team that jumps into the lake after taking the series from the second-ranked team in the country? With a new stadium coming soon, the softball field will be the place to be — especially with its location right next to the tennis courts which always keep you on the edge of your seat.

My final tip would be this: get to know the Bulldog student-athletes. Even though they seem inhuman watching them durireal people just like you and me. If you have a class with athletes, talk to them. Don’t be starstruck. They will most likely enjoy having a quick conversation with a fellow student.

If you see an athlete around campus, say “hey” or tell him or her how great of a game he or she played. Watching your fellow student-athletes compete for your school is awesome in itself, but cheering for a friend makes you feel even more connected to the team.

So your freshman year to-do list may be long, but put this one at the top: be True Maroon. Yell “Maroon” or “White” as loud as you can — for the entire game.