It is practically a campus ritual to hear an out-of-state student griping about how there’s “nothing to do in Oxford” or that the nearest Target is over an hour away.
These out-of-state students pass it off as a light-hearted joke, but you can tell they mean it. And as someone who grew up in the South, I have started to wonder why so many people choose to come to a small Mississippi town and then act surprised, or even irritated, that it feels like one.
Perhaps the reason is because the version of the University of Mississippi they saw online is not the one they actually moved to.
SEC schools have become trendy in recent years; our university, in particular, increased enrollment by 5.2% in fall 2025. These schools are attracting out-of-state students at increasing rates due to the appeals of SEC football and Greek life.
Platforms like TikTok, especially during “RushTok” season, have glamorized that culture even further, painting SEC campuses as perfectly curated worlds of designer dresses, luxury apartments and dreamy sorority houses.
For many, that image becomes the expectation before they ever step foot in Oxford. Countless students from all over the country decide to come here without realizing the uniquely Southern, small-town nature of Oxford, and then they are disappointed when it does not line up with what they saw on their “ForYou” page.
I love the slower pace of Oxford and the fact that it does not have a skyline or a dozen chain restaurants, but sometimes it feels like that’s exactly what newcomers want to change. Why choose Ole Miss if what you really want is Atlanta or Nashville?
These passive-aggressive comments stem from an issue greater than the frustrations of living in a small town for the first time; many who are not from the South tend to see the region as poor, uneducated or behind — but they fail to acknowledge what makes it special. The real South isn’t filtered through a ring light or wrapped in a bow. It’s about people, rather than presentation.
The South is filled with an abundance of community and hospitality that is entirely unlike anywhere else. It can be easy to mock a small town, but once you realize how much pride and history hold it together, you begin to appreciate it for what it is.
We may not have a mall with American Eagle or H&M, but we have the Square, lined with stunning boutiques and cute shops with richness beyond comparison.
And though there’s no Texas Roadhouse or Cheesecake Factory, you’ll have just as great, if not a better, experience at a locally owned restaurant in town served with a smile and Southern charm.
Ultimately, you do not have to be from Mississippi to love it here, but you do have to meet it halfway. If you choose a school in the South, take time to understand what it means to be Southern.
Recognizing the history and culture here will open your eyes to the soul of Oxford, and you may come to find that there’s more to love than you expected.
MacKenzie McDaries is a freshman Arabic and international studies major from Murfreesboro, Tenn.
