Regional things a student should know

[Marsian]

Oh, and if you go to a different region of the country, YOU are the one with an accent -- even if you think you don't have one. So don't mention the "accents" of the people who've lived there for decades.

[mathmom]

Everyone talks about how bad LA traffic is, but it has nothing, nothing on NY. Last time I was there looking at Caltech it took us no time at all to get to LAX in the middle of rush hour. (It did help that they have carpool lanes and there were three of us, but still - it was soooo much easier than any driving around here.)

[ucbalumnus]

Originally Posted by deb922

in eastern PA. What we noticed was that people honk their horns more there. Also people stop getting on the expressway. Not much room to merge but freaked us out the first time we went there.

Yes, stopping at the end of the on-ramp (leaving no acceleration space when one does go) is a most annoying and unsafe driving habit that I noticed in Pennsylvania.

[familyof3boys]

Oh, and if you go to a different region of the country, YOU are the one with an accent -- even if you think you don't have one. So don't mention the "accents" of the people who've lived there for decades.

^^^ Yes!! So true.

[quesadilla]

Do people from Michigan have accents? Many people I know claim that we don't

[stradmom]

In Connecticut, shopping carts are "carriages" and you buy your liquor at a "package store," occasionally involving a "packy run."

[romanigypsyeyes]

quesa, we do- it just depends on where you live. Tricounty area with Detroit tends to have an almost faint Canadian accent. West coast sounds a little southern. UP ... well they have their own distinct accent. We have the most "neutral" accent.

The one thing people have always pointed out to me is the fact that Michiganders say "lookit" instead of "look at the" or just "look". We also like to cram words together and drop the "d" on the ends of words. I found a really funny list of Michigan accents one time, I want to find it again lol.

Edit: we also know how to "properly" pronounce Mackinac lol. Also, here's the accent guide: http://melbel.hubpages.com/hub/Michigan-Accent

[gradygrad]

@Marsian, so funny you bring that up. I almost backed out of attending the university I graduated from because of a similar admonition. I grew up in Virginia and attended college in Georgia. On the first day of freshman orientation, the orientation leader warned us: "Don't make fun of the way they talk." I had no idea there was a "they" and it never would have occurred to me to mimic anyone--so her warning, scared me. I suddenly envisioned myself surrounded by a bunch of hyper-sensitive Georgians. I was only 17, and the reality of being 530 miles away from home hit at that exact moment. That night, I told my mom that I wanted to attend school in Virginia instead. Thankfully, the next morning I made several friends and was once again very excited about my choice. I loved every moment at UGA--so glad I moved past my irrational fear of "them."

[atomom]

Don't be too shocked if your kid comes back with an accent unrelated to the college location. D picked up a strange accent from her roommate. (Her college is in Texas, but it wasn't at all a Texas accent D came home with.)

One other tip. Always check the weather before you go out. Yes, forecasts can be off. But in some places (especially the plains), weather changes can be fast, extreme, and even life-threatening.

btw--one of the first things my freshman roommate said to me was, "People talk funny here. They talk really slow!" (Roomie was from NJ, college in Ohio)

[quesadilla]

The letter "t": Leave it to a Michigander to screw up the pronunciation of a consonant! If the letter "t" occurs in the middle of a word, it has a "d" sound. This is so embedded in my speech, that I can't say a word like "city" with a "t" without sounding like I'm trying really hard for that "t" sound. It's "ciddy."

"Ah" as in father has to be drawn out. In Michigan, you don't have a mom. You have a "maahm." And after school, you go to "haahckey" practice. On a slightly related note, Chicago is "Chic-aah-go" not "Chi-caw-go"

Perfectly described my accent lol. Also liked:

FIPs: This is what Michiganders in the southwestern areas of the Mitten (particularly in Berrien County) call people who visit from Illinois. There are a number of FIPs who are actually very nice, but some Michiganders feel they are rude. The term FIP is an acronym for *ahem* "*****ing Illinois People."

[jrpar]

Huh, I grew up in Connecticut, and shopping carts were carts and not carriages. Maybe it's regional even within CT.
If you are from the greater NYC area, you probably stand on line, not in line.

[romanigypsyeyes]

quesa- had you ever heard that FIP before? I asked my boyfriend from Battle Creek and he said no. I'm from SE Mich but I haven't either.

Also, on the OT: make sure the person knows if they're moving in to an area that's the opposite of the political ideology or level of religiousness that they're used to. When I moved in to a very conservative area, I didn't realize that it would be hard to find a Planned Parenthood (where I had been getting my bc) and that I would be almost openly judged for buying condoms. I also wasn't prepared for the amount of religiousness (for lack of a better descriptor) in the area. I'm NOT saying this is typical, but it might be something to be aware of .

[jaylynn]

In Wisconsin, we called the FIBs-- ****ing Illinois ****ards.

[Vladenschlutte]

You gotta learn how to drive in snow on bad roads if you're going to school in Michigan.

[quesadilla]

Oh no, I've heard of it (plenty of FIPs where I live ) I just didn't realize it was a common thing