High school was a great time, but I sincerely hope that I won’t look back when I’m older and consider it to be the best 4 years of my life (that’s college, right?). Nonetheless, as my first amazing year at Rutgers comes to a close and I get ready to head home for the summer, I can’t help but to feel a tad bit nostalgic. Even though everyone from Old Bridge hates Old Bridge, it’s home to me, and at the end of the day, it is a pretty unique place. With that being said, here are 15 things that only people who went to Old Bridge High School will understand:
1. Old Bridge slang
Seriously, words like gloti, goat, and Spikeball do not exist outside of Old Bridge High School. Do not say them around your college friends, they will really not know what you are talking about. Here’s an example of how your conversation may go:
Old Bridge person- Gloti to your Spikeball game! You are no longer the goat.
Non Old Bridge person- wtf
2. BOTC
“Basically the entire school goes to the gym to watch each grade make up tacky team names, dance battle, and play dodgeball. We got cool shirts though” has become my go-to explanation.
3. 12th period
Yes, we technically had 12 periods a day because our school was so big that not everyone fit in the cafeteria and hallways at once. People from other high schools will never understand this concept. I still really don’t understand this concept.
4. GNC
If there’s one thing that a student body of over 3,000 students can agree on, it is probably that freshman year in the GNC sucked.
5. The great bagel debate
Otherwise known as Bagel Boy versus Bagel Time. If students were as passionate about their studies as they were about their bagels, we would all be attending Ivy Leagues.
6. The courtyard
I basically spent April through June of my senior year hanging out in this courtyard. I remember explaining this area to my friend one day, her reaction being, “Wait, people actually skipped classes in your high school? I thought that only happened in movies.”
7. Cafeteria cookies
No cookies will ever compare to the ones served in the Old Bridge High School cafeteria. Rutgers has four dining halls and I am still yet to find a cookie that even comes close.
8. The staff
If you didn’t have a math teacher who handed out McDonald’s applications, a Penn State obsessed guidance counselor, or a really hot principal, did you even go to OBHS…
9. Traffic
Driving on route 516 on a weekday any time from 7:00-7:35am? Congrats, you’re stuck in traffic! I’m talking standstill, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Like, glaciers melt at a faster rate. Seriously, I don’t think I arrived on time to my first period class once during senior year.
10. Parking passes
Looking back, why the hell did we all pay $100 to waste our gas, sit in traffic, and be stuck behind busses? Oh wait, that’s right…to feel ~cool~
11. Lombardi Field
Can we just talk for a second about the fact that most of our athletic facilities were located at a middle school? Like what?
12. KOSB
We all know the ultimate mark of true Old Bridge student is a KOSB hoodie. Our fan section was so legit that I am almost certain articles have been written about us. Come at us bruh.
13. 2:06
This time will be forever engrained in your brain.
14. Disney
The senior trip to Disney was hands-down my favorite experience in high school. They really do not lie when they say it will be some of the best four days of your life. I could honestly write pages about how much I wish I could relive this trip, but I would probably start to cry. And nobody wants that.
15. Graduating at the PNC Bank Arts Center
Why yes college friends, I did graduate from high school on the same stage that Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and so many more have performed on. And you graduated in your gymnasium.
While coming to Rutgers has made me realize all the reasons why college is so much better than high school, it also made me realize that Old Bridge was an awesome place to grow up. So for all you high schoolers who are just itching to graduate, settle down and enjoy your time here. I promise you’ll have some amazing memories to look back on.