Alright folks.  There’s a lot of bad ass, and not so bad ass mascots out there.  What I’m going to do here is give you some ratings on 5 college mascots.  Lets get right into it!

Artie the Fighting Artichoke

Scottsdale Community College



Artichokes, while not very intimidating, are healthy.  So the real delima here is, what’s more important?  Having an intimidating mascot?  Or encouraging a healthy diet?  I’d say eating healthy.  No one is intimidated by mascot, except maybe babies, and babies are creepy and gross.  The main problem with this mascot is that he seems to be on steroids, there’s no other way to explain a muscular artichoke.  Furthermore, how did he grow arms and legs?  He also seems to be mentally unstable, possibly even totally insane.  His right cleat is untied as well, which just isn’t safe.  He could trip and break is neck.  On the whole, this is an okay mascot because he promotes eating healthly food and he can be used as a face for the mentally insane (just don’t leave him alone with the kids!).

Rating: 3.4 out of 5



Banana Slugs

University of California, Santa Cruz



Look at this this.  It bad ass.  First of all, it’s  a slug reading Plato, and Plato is cool.  Don’t even bother trying to debate this slug, because it will own you.  He read Plato for fun, because he’s sweet as hell.  Along with being a genius, you can see this guy in the movie Pulp Fiction.  Yeah, that’s right, John Travolta wears a UCSC shirt in one scene.  Ok, lets do a bad ass check list.  Reading Plato?  Check.  Immortalized in one of the coolest movies ever?  Check.  What does that add up to?  One B.A.M.F.

Rating: 25 out of 5

University of Arkansas at Monticello

Boll Weevils



I have no idea what this thing is.  Wikipedia says it’s some kind of beetle.  That could be totally wrong, I have no clue.  All I know is that it’s hilarious, yet slightly creepy.  The hilariousness outweighs the creepiness in this case though.  Could you imagine seeing this thing on the sidelines during a game?  I would be so psyched, but I also might be cracking up so hard that I would die.  His shoes aren’t quite cool enough though and that’s holding him back from total greatness.  Lucky for him though, he could totally kick any other mascot’s ass any day of the week, so that more than cancels out the shoes.

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 (Being too hilarious for his own good is what holds this one back from a perfect score)

Rudy Flyer

University of Dayton



I already know this guy knows how to pump up a crowd.  Look at him, Dayton must have the most insane crowds you’ve ever seen when this guy is getting them psyched.  I don’t have any stats, but I’m sure at least 44 people have died as a direct result of Rudy Flyer getting the crowd too excited.  He wears moon boots too.  MOON BOOTS!  No one wears moon boots, because no one is hardcore enough to wear them, expect for Rudy Flyer, who most certainly is cool enough to wear moon boots.  My only problem: where is his plane?  He’s a FLYER.  Could you imagine if this guy flew in on a plane?  The building would fall apart because the crowd would to so loud.  Rudy Flyer has probably slept with well over 5,000 women, and he never called any of them back.  Why?  Because this guy is cold as ice.

Rating: 16 out of 5

Big Red

Western Kentucky



The date rapist of mascots.  Big Red is the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen, bar none.  I really don’t even know what to say other than that.  Big Red probably loves anime, the really weird anime.  Henti also.

Rating: -8 out of 5

If you ask me what is the one most important fact to look for in a university while planning to study abroad. ‘Accreditation’ is my answer, Hands down! Accreditation is now-a-days ‘the most important’ word while planning to apply for schools. Earlier I was of the view that scholarship providing schools or schools in big cities are the best options but I have started believing that, for a 2 year scholarship or for the sake of living in a big town, no one should or can afford to put the entire career in jeopardy. Accreditation decides your career and life in a major way when you are on a foreign soil. A friend of mine who was junior to me in medical school went to a non- accredited school in UK. After his graduation he was not considered for any jobs or higher study options. On the contrary, his classmates who were of British origin got jobs although they had a lower GPA. It does matter for an international student as natives have opportunities irrespective of the accreditation status of the school they went to.

In common terms, accreditation is the official recognition of a school, university or institution for provision of satisfactory education, training or exam preparation. This in turn can help employers/ hiring agencies to know who they are hiring when you complete your education. Should an institution decide to procure accreditation, agencies mentioned below give opportunity to make choices, to exercise volition regarding accreditation. The process of accreditation requires the school to meet certain norms and criterion that are established by various regional accrediting agencies enlisted as follows-

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Navajo Nation, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America.

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Marshall Islands, and other Australasian locations.

Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU)Provides Accreditation to schools in-

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

There is no legally designated accrediting agency in the United States and Europe. The only safe route in USA for applying to schools is a thorough consideration of the aforementioned agencies.I don’t deny the existence of numerous agencies in USA but the once which really are acknowledged widely are mentioned here.

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