Mississippi State’s New Maroon Camp serves an introduction to campus life for freshman eager to start experiencing college.
Much like an entire high school talks about the prom for weeks after the event, New Maroon Camp remains a hot topic for students even months into the semester, and for those who skipped their prom or New Maroon Camp, such conversations can create awkwardness and doubt.
In the classic chick flick “Pretty in Pink,” protagonist Andie Walsh debates whether or not she should attend her high school prom. Her best friend Iona offers some meaningful advice through a foreboding tale.
Iona tells the story of her friend who is burdened with the nagging feeling that something is always missing. The friend checks her purse, looks for her keys and counts her kids, but ultimately she realizes that nothing is missing. Her paranoia is decidedly a side effect from skipping her high school prom. 
Iona tells Andie, “Don’t overanalyze it. Just go.”
While I promise I do not rely exclusively on John Hughes’ films as the source of all my wisdom, I think Iona speaks truth. Some events in life such as high-school proms, graduations, sweet-sixteen parties and weddings seem like the sort of things you just cannot miss. 
Thanks to Iona’s warning, I certainly did not miss my high school prom.
However, I did miss perhaps the most important transitional period for a Mississippi State University freshman — New Maroon Camp.
According to the New Maroon Camp’s Instagram, 2000 campers registered for New Maroon Camp 2023 this summer, the largest number recorded since the program’s beginning in 2012. 
As a student-led affair, many students who enjoyed their first experiences with the camp choose to work the event later in their college careers. These select students passionately share Mississippi State’s traditions with the new group of students participating in this defining rite of passage.
New Maroon Camp’s website says, “At New Maroon Camp, students learn what it really means to be a Mississippi State Bulldog.”
For those of us who chose not to attend the camp, such a statement can make us wonder. Am I a real Mississippi State Bulldog? Are there some secrets to social success that I never learned? 
I have lived and studied on Mississippi State’s campus for over a year now, and I must admit that I experience this doubt every once in a while when I see the colorful social media posts distinguishing Tatonka from Reveille from Ptolemy. 
I sometimes wish I had attended the camp, braved the icebreakers and met lifelong friends during my first week on campus.
I find myself suffering from the same side effects as Iona’s friend. I will always ask myself, “What if I had gone?” 
Because I do not want to ask this question about other chances that come my way, I have joined all sorts of organizations on campus where I have made incredible friends and lasting memories. In a way, my absence at the camp has inspired my attendance at other events. 
I firmly believe that college is all about choices, but one choice — like skipping New Maroon Camp — does not doom you. The beauty of Mississippi State is the number of organizations and opportunities to find your place on campus. Sure, I did not go to the first camp. You can call me a bad Bulldog. 
However, I have attended just as many events as I have missed, and I learned about the cowbell’s history and the school’s cheers on my own time.
So, if you missed New Maroon Camp like me, you may feel as though you overlooked a necessary rite of passage, but I do not think we have to feel guilty for not attending everything all the time. We just need to make an effort and get involved in our own ways.
For freshmen and seniors alike, I ultimately echo the advice “Don’t overanalyze it. Just go,” whether you attended or skipped New Maroon Camp. 
New Maroon Camp will not make a difference in every single college student’s life, but not attending any events during your time in college definitely will. Make the most of your time. Join the clubs, meet the people and experience college life to the fullest.