Buzz
While the stress of a real job is unparalleled, college life is undeniably tough. It’s no wonder that previous generations, including our parents and grandparents, spent their university years blowing off steam and avoiding work.
With the need to relieve stress and the abundance of free time, universities in both the UK and the US have developed various customs and rituals over the years, helping students stay sane and fostering connections with their peers.
10. Hacks And Rats at MIT
The intellectually gifted and technically adept students at MIT are famous for executing elaborate practical jokes on campus, known as 'hacks.' Some famous hacks include replacing the MIT homepage with a message claiming that the university had been bought by The Walt Disney Company in 1998, routing long-distance calls to a local radar station in the 1960s, and sending a large black weather balloon into the air during a 1982 Harvard-Yale football game.
MIT students, in particular, seem to enjoy the challenge of moving odd objects onto the university’s iconic Great Dome. Some of the more famous installations have included a replica of the Wright brothers' plane, a life-sized fiberglass cow, and the Triforce symbol from The Legend of Zelda series.
Another MIT tradition involves the quirky name given to the university’s 'Standard Technology Ring.' Back in 1929, a student committee of sophomores designed their class ring and decided it should feature an engraving of a North American beaver to symbolize the hardworking and practical nature of MIT graduates.
Allegedly, the artistic interpretation of the design team resembled more of a different rodent, which led generations of alumni to affectionately call their cherished rings 'The Brass Rat.'
9. Penny Throwing at Lincoln College, Oxford
To mark Ascension Day, the day Christians believe Jesus ascended to Heaven, students at Lincoln College gather at the top of their tower and throw pennies at children waiting below in one of the university’s courtyards, called 'quads.'
This centuries-old tradition of charity is believed to date back to the 15th century and was once a much harsher practice. It was once common for students to heat the pennies before throwing them, with the belief that any children who were burned would be taught an important lesson about the sin of greed.
During the same ceremony, students from Lincoln College participate in the tradition of 'beating the bounds,' marching through central Oxford and striking boundary markers with 2-meter-long (6 ft) wooden sticks to mark the historical parish boundaries between St. Mary the Virgin University Church and St. Michael at the North Gate.
It is also a custom that members of Brasenose College are invited to enter Lincoln College and enjoy a small glass of ale during lunch on Ascension Day. This specially brewed beer is infused with bitter-tasting ground ivy to ensure that Brasenose students don’t take advantage of Lincoln’s generous hospitality.
8. Pipe Smoking and Handsome Dan at Yale
At Yale's graduation ceremonies, students are presented with a clay pipe and a small pouch of tobacco. After a short smoke, they are expected to break their pipes, symbolizing the conclusion of their carefree college years. Another long-standing tradition, originating in 1851, involves students burying a sprig of ivy on campus, symbolizing their eternal bond with Yale.
Beyond graduation, the morale of Yale’s football team is traditionally lifted by a bulldog mascot. Yale’s first permanent bulldog mascot, Handsome Dan, was named in 1889. The tradition continues, with the most recent mascot, Handsome Dan XVIII, being appointed in 2016.
Other iconic mascots include MIT’s Tim the Beaver, the Princeton Tiger, and the Stanford Tree. (Although the Stanford Tree is technically the mascot of the Stanford Band, it is also regarded as the unofficial mascot of the university due to the lack of an official one.)
7. The Time Ceremony at Merton College, Oxford
This contemporary tradition, established in 1971 by undergraduates, was created to commemorate the end of an experimental period when the UK stayed on British Summer Time—one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)—all year long. The ceremony involves students donning their sub-fusc (academic dress), grabbing a glass of port, and walking counterclockwise around the Fellows’ Quad at 2:00 AM.
While the ritual may seem entirely pointless, its creator emphasizes that ever since the ceremony began, Britain’s clocks have never failed to transition to GMT after summer concludes.
6. Underground Exploration at Stanford
Stanford students have been venturing into their university's vast network of underground tunnels and pipes since they were first installed in 1881. Over the years, generations of students at 'the Farm' have braved the dangers of insects, rats, and legal risks to drink, play capture the flag, or search for the fabled hidden entrance to the Hoover Library.
Many of the tunnels are dark, claustrophobic, and lined with scalding-hot pipes, making underground exploration strongly discouraged by the university administration.
5. The Toast Throw at the University of Pennsylvania
At every home college football game in the US, students enthusiastically chant and sing their school songs. At the University of Pennsylvania, the school anthem, “Drink a Highball,” features the line, “Here’s a toast to dear old Penn.” Instead of raising a glass, however, Penn students throw actual slices of toast onto the field.
Some suggest that this tradition was inspired by the toast-throwing at live showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Others believe it began during Prohibition, when spectators could no longer bring liquor into the stadium.
4. Dooley at Emory University
Dooley is a skeleton from a biology lab and the unofficial mascot of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The tradition started in 1899, when people began writing letters to the university’s newspaper under Dooley's name.
Dooley is represented on campus by a student dressed as the skeleton, complete with a black cape, top hat, and white gloves. Every spring, Emory students celebrate their mascot with a week of pranks and practical jokes. The skeleton also makes surprise appearances at various campus events throughout the year.
3. Night Climbing at Oxford and Cambridge Universities
Night climbing involves the secretive art of scaling college and public buildings in Cambridge. The tradition began in the late 1800s and was made famous by Noel Howard Symington’s 1937 book The Night Climbers of Cambridge, published under the pseudonym “Whipplesnaith.”
While there is some evidence that Oxford students practiced the sport in the 1920s, Cambridge takes pride in the fact that this form of urban mountaineering has never been as common at “the other place.” After a lull, the 1960s and 1970s saw a resurgence of the tradition, with several books being published that guided climbers through newer, modern routes.
The chapel at King’s College, Cambridge, remains a favorite spot for climbers, despite its height of 29 meters (94 ft). In recent years, the college has had to spend considerable amounts removing traffic cones, toilet seats, and Santa hats from the building.
2. The Primal Scream at Harvard
The “Primal Scream” is a well-known ritual at Harvard, held at the end of finals. Just before midnight, students gather at the north end of the Old Yard to unleash a collective scream. While the tradition has been linked to streaking, this part of the ceremony is thought to have started in the 1990s, not in the 1700s as some have suggested.
Streaking is a long-standing tradition at several US universities. In 1804, George William Crump became the first American college student arrested for streaking at what is now Washington and Lee University. Despite this youthful misadventure, Crump went on to serve as a US Congressman and later as the US ambassador to Chile.
1. Hunting The Mallard at All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford, is known as the university’s most prestigious institution. Closed to undergraduates, its fellows are selected after an exceptionally rigorous selection process. Despite this, the college’s members partake in one of the most bizarre traditions in the university.
Every century, the members of All Souls College, armed with flaming torches, parade through the grounds led by someone holding a staff with a wooden duck affixed to it. This unusual tradition is said to mark an event from 1437, when a massive duck supposedly emerged from the college’s foundations. The next procession is slated for 2101.
