Gameday Atmosphere = A-

Tennessee has always had one of the most unique gameday atmospheres I have seen. Being a yankee myself from Annapolis MD it took some getting used to. What I love most about being in Knoxville on gameday is how well these Tennessee fans own their goofy southern style. You have your cowboy boots and traditional gameday attire but you can always see someone in an orange and white checkered overall. Even if it is disturbing… Guys with abnormal body hair should not wear this without an undershirt. From the current students to the alumni these people bleed orange. Another highlight that needs to be spoken here is Tennessee’s ability to change. I graduated in 2019 when they were a dry campus. This time around you could walk around with a case of natty and what’s crazy is THERE WERE LESS PEOPLE GETTING ARRESTED. 

Good job UT, no people are butt chugging moonshine in the dorms and hitting the town. Lastly, the coolest thing I found about this campus and the overall gameday experience was the sailgating. If you are lucky enough Neyland stadium is right on the Tennessee River and you can simply pull up on your boat to tailgate then hit the game. 

 

Big Facts – Tennessee has one of the most unique fanbases

Big Facts – They aren’t a dry campus

Big Facts – The Vols Walk is one of the greatest game day traditions in college football

Big Facts – The campus is huge so tons of tailgate room

Big Facts – Sailgating is big dick energy 

Nightlife = B-

Nightlife is going to encompass a few things here. The main components are bar scene/ house party’s and just things to participate in if either of those aren’t your cups of tea. Now, not sure what you’d do with your night besides going to bed or watching other games at the frat houses if your plan is to go out so we will focus on the bars and party scene. Okay real talk, Athens Georgia is on our radar and the bar scene in Athens blows UT out of the water. Tennessee NEEDS MORE BARS unless you plan to hit Old city or Market Square which is not quite feasible for drunk college kids. There are only 3 bars to go to on “The Strip”. Those bars are Hanna’s/ Cool Beans/ and Up..Pooptown. Just kidding Uptown you’re actually having a great time. I do not want to discredit these bars at all. They are great, but you better pick your bar wisely because good luck waiting in line for another. 

The party scene well I am sure the 16’ grads have something else to say about this but I do feel like it has died down in recent years. It is still great, DON”T FREAK OUT! However, I remember after games in “The Fort” there were kids climbing ladders to the 4th floor of apartments (Not smart). Block parties that even the cops gave up trying to stop, they would just make sure it did not grow past a certain point. The impression I felt was that unless you’re in a Fraternity and even if you were, these parties weren’t every Thursday/Friday/Saturday. On a Friday night the parties were cancelled… 

BIG FACTS – Tennessee is too large for just 3 bars

BIG FACTS – If the school wasn’t a huge SEC school where everything is just fun the grade would be a D… a BIG HARD D!

BIGS FACTS – NEVER WAIT IN THE COOKOUT LINE. Walk to the front and buy the kids meals who are next in line. Also go to a cookout after the bars. It is basically a bar. 

BIG FACTS – Hanna’s is a combination of Cool Beans and Uptown. Can’t go wrong with Cool Beans or Hanns’s. Uptown is fun but you can definitely find yourself getting puked on by a teenage girl. 

BIG FACTS – Get to the bars early on gameday, if you show up past 11PM you’re in for a long wait. 

Campus itself = A+

I can honestly say this is the most unbiased rating I have. Listening to my buddies who went to other large SEC and ACC schools speak on the campus while touring was very eye opening. A few years ago when I was a senior it was not nearly as put together as it is now. When I left the strip was under massive construction, the new student union was under construction and it just felt like they were patching everything up from the roads to the buildings, but holy crap they did an amazing job. The campus is massive but has a great old school and new school UT mix to it. Everywhere you walk there is a new building next to a historic landmark. Starting from Fraternity row all the way to “The Hill” you have an amazing gymnasium and turf/track field followed by the famous rock where anyone can paint their thoughts. To the torchbearer where The Vol Walk happens segwaying right to the Tennessee River and Neyland Stadium right up to the famous Hill. I used to think Alabama blew us out of the water but after this most recent visit we are right there next to them. Everything was organized and clean. This one brings that GPA up quite a bit. 

BIG FACTS = Every turn you make there is something worth seeing

BIG FACTS = Very clean campus despite the lack of trash cans

BIGS FACTS = Showcase your art skills on the famous ROCK!

BIG FACTS = Everything is open so it makes shortcuts very easy

BIG FACTS = TONS OF HILLS

Fraternity/Sorority Life = B

The fraternity and sorority houses at Tennessee are above average from what we have seen during our college career. The sorority houses are some of the best in the country, even though the aerial view of the srat houses is shaped like a giant penis.

           There are four or five fraternity houses that look state of the art from the outside including Sigma chi, Sig Ep, Phi Sig,  and ATO. The rest of the houses look like glorified starter family homes but nonetheless the amount of raging done inside those walls beats most fraternities that we have seen. Sorority village gets an undeniable A+, while fraternity row is receives a B.

BIGS FACTS = The houses are huge

BIGS FACTS = You can hangout at the houses and tailgate but no ragers

BIGS FACTS = Sorority houses are 10x better, guys can’t have nice things 

BIGS FACTS = Don’t sleep in the basement of a Frat house unless you want to get sick

BIG FACTS = The location on campus is very convenient for gameday!

The city of Knoxville = A-

Knoxville is a big city with a small town feel. Don’t show up expecting Nashville, the campus certainly makes this city. There is a perfect blend of campus life and city life. Knoxville is a big city with a small town feel. Don’t show up expecting Nashville, the campus certainly makes this city. There is a perfect blend of campus life and city life. The places to hit outside of campus are Old City, and Market Square. Market Square for a nice southern style dining experience with a mix of shopping and sightseeing. Old City if you want to get a bite to eat and hit the bars in a more chill way than on the strip. Overall, the city is safe with plenty to do regardless of your background!

BIG FACTS = A good amount of homeless people but they are harmless locals

BIG FACTS = Hiking and climbing are a must

BIG FACTS = Nicknamed knoxvegas and Dirty Knox at the same time for a reason

BIG FACTS = Utilize the Tennessee River if you can

BIG FACTS = Gotta go get ice cream in Market Square 

Overall GPA = 3.2