"Oh to, Oh to be, Oh to be a Simmie!" rings out as the giant, red, double-decker bus pulls out of the university parking lot and onto the narrow London streets. The students on the bus chant and sing over and over as I try to decipher their mash of accents to determine what in the world a 'Simmie' could be. After my first night out as a student at St. Mary's Univeristy in Twickenham, I realized that it was me. A simmie, or student at St. Mary's, does not just mean a person who attends lectures and seminars on campus. When you enroll at St. Mary's, you join a warm, welcoming family of 'simmies,' making university a place to call home for the semester, year, or your lifetime.
From the moment you wake up in your hall, your classmates are just a mere (paperthin) wall away. Breakfast at the refectory becomes a game and competition to see who can get the most out of their 3 breakfast points, and lecturers interact with you on a first name basis. Campus life thrives with events all week long including the ever popular quiz night at the on campus pub and bus to club every Wednesday. The purchase of a five pound wristband gets you a round trip bustrip and entrance into a nearby club. The weekly event has become somewhat of a school tradition, and the camaraderie that grows from these chant-filled bus rides builds connections and friendships that last a lifetime.
Weekends can be filled with lounging at the campus pub or coffee shop or spent exploring central London which is a mere 30 minute train ride from the Strawberry Hill station. With never-ending excitement on and off campus, it's no wonder students are so proud to call St. Mary's their home. Although I only spent a brief semester in Twickenham, the students at this university were so welcoming and inclusive, I grew fully immersed and accepted into their culture and day to day life. I know I always will have a place at St. Mary's; for once a Simmie, one's always a Simmie. Now go ahead, become one too.
