My Senior Spring Bucket List and Why You Should Make One Too

I understand the struggle of college classes, trust me. For three years I was chained to my lab assignments, problem sets, and tutorial papers. As a pre-med-two-sport-student-athlete, you could argue that my life outside of school was extremely limited. You’d be right. However, you’d also be right to say that most of my stress was self-inflicted. 

Looking back, I would honestly tell myself to live a little. It’s okay to relax, and there is life outside of school and your future career. The most important thing is to find what makes you happy and do it, regardless of what other people think. Following this earth breaking revelation, I changed some things up in my life and set a goal to have more fun. 

Here is my list of senior-spring to-do’s before I leave my life as an undergraduate student forever. For most of you reading this, I assume you have more time than me. This is my advice to you: life goes by faster than you realize. Do something every day that you enjoy, and make a list for the long run to really get the best out of your college experience. 

1. Try a new restaurant or menu item

I know you have a favorite restaurant—we all do. But, while getting the same curly fries from the same menu every time you go out to eat is reliable, it means you’re missing out on other foods that you may like just as much. Heck, you might like them even more! Having relied on chicken wraps for most of my collegiate life, I had never had a hoagie from The Log before two weeks ago. I have no regrets.

1. Find a new trail and hike it 

Google it, there are trails everywhere. As the sun starts to come out more often and the weather makes it harder to stay indoors, hiking is an easy way to spend time with friends and appreciate the gorgeous scenery! You can also snag a few great Instagram photos for all you influencers-in-training out there. I hadn’t even heard of the Sheep Hill trails before I stumbled across them recently, but the views were definitely picture-worthy.    

1. Visit a local store that you always see but never go inside (every town has one, don’t even lie to me)

You know that store that just popped into your head? Unless it’s off-limits because of covid rules, you’re allergic to the air inside, or it’s sketchy as heck, go inside and see what they have to offer! Local shops can be especially niche, and chances are they have some unique stuff. Depending on the store, you might not find another one like it. Chapter Two Books is a used book store on Spring Street that has come to be my favorite place on campus–both because the vibes are impeccable and because every time I go inside, there seems to be a different selection of books to choose from.

1. Try an unusual ice cream flavor or dessert

Ever heard of basil ice cream? I didn’t, and then I tried it. Do I regret it? No. In fact, it was good and now I can say I’ve had basil ice cream. They say diversity is the spice of life, so go to your local ice cream shop or bakery and try something you haven’t yet! 

1. Go to a local park 

I didn’t know that there were two parks within walking distance of my dorm (Field Park and Spruces Park) until this year, which is embarrassing. Parks are a fun way to feel a part of the community just by walking around. Oftentimes you see families or dogs, and it makes college feel more like a home. It’s relaxing, and it’s another great way to get some Vitamin D on beautiful days! 

1. Join different student group

New student groups pop up every year. Just because you looked through the list of options your first semester as a freshman doesn’t mean you should write-off joining another organization forever. You may even want to re-browse those groups you skipped over a while back, because chances are your college experience has exposed you to some new ideas and passions that you didn’t have before. You might have passed on an option back then that you would find pretty cool now. I’m actually writing this article because I saw HerCampus being advertised in an email a month ago and I decided to join!

1. Identify what is causing you unnecessary stress and drop it 

This is important. If you’re not going to do anything else on this list, you should at least do this one. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed with something, and you’re only reading this article because you wish you had time to do some of the things I mentioned.  Maybe you don’t know why you’ve been stressed lately, but it’s been getting you down and you’re tired of it. Everyone is different. Maybe joining a new student group right now would be too much for you, or maybe dropping something that you don’t like and replacing it with something new and fun is just what you need. You know you better than I do. I’m just the person typing behind the screen. What I will say is that Marie Kondo-ing how I spend my time has made me more genuinely content than I have been in a while, even when hard stuff happens (which it does). Whatever you decide for yourself, keep in mind that your happiness is more important than anything else. 

This is what my list looks like, but yours can be different! Coming up with new ideas can be difficult, but once you have a good idea of what you want, only the fun part is left! I encourage you to make a list that excites you, because if you find something new that you love, who knows what can happen?