It’s the fall of 2022, also known as my last semester at Illinois State. I have a lot of mixed emotions about leaving campus. I know I’ve made so many memories with so many people, but I want to make sure that I really make the most of my time in college before it’s too late. COVID-19 really took a toll on living college life to the fullest. I’ve only had about two full semesters of in-person classes total in my college career, which is crazy to think about. I got about a semester’s worth of college credit classes in high school as well, so that shortened my college experience even further. As an attempt to make up for lost time, I’ve decided to make a senior year bucket list of as many things I could think of that I haven’t done yet in my college career. Some are specific to the school that I go to, but others are also great ideas for anyone graduating college. Here are thirty ideas of things I can do during my last semester.
- To get the vending machine in DeGarmo to work, I NEED coffee, especially right now
- Do more homework outside, the Quad is super pretty
- Bring my dog to the Quad, maybe play some fetch
- Use a fake name for my Starbucks order at the Bone
- Attempt to climb the rock wall again at the Rec, I failed miserably my freshman year
- Not skip any classes, fingers crossed
- Go to a football game with my roommate and get drunk
- Go to my friends’ rugby game to cheer them on
- Get three letters of recommendation for graduate school from my professors
- Find out where I’m going to graduate school
- Apply to graduate schools before December
- Get a new backpack, mine has been chewed up by my puppy
- Participate in a blood drive and not pass out :)
- Take cute graduation pics on the quad with my friends
- Get straight A’s, we want that 4.0
- Do well on the GRE exam so I can get into a good graduate school
- Go to the pop-up chicken shop and eat a fat chicken sandwich
- Work out at the rec at LEAST once
- Do a Zumba/yoga class with my friends
- Hammock on the quad! I’ve never used a hammock before, but it looks comfy
- Karaoke at the bars with my friends
- Use my student discounts on food and groceries
- See a movie at the normal theater, I heard the inside is cool and the movies are cheap
- Get closer to my professors, I got to start networking
- Go on a weekend trip with my friends or boyfriend
- Write a letter to my future self to read later
- Dye my hair for the first time …scary, but exciting!
- Attend a bar crawl, or two
- Visit more small businesses in uptown
- Eat at pizza ranch, not sure if it’s even good, but I’m down for the experience
And lastly…graduate!
I hope this list is able to inspire you all to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. College can lead you to so many opportunities and experiences you might not get normally. It was difficult during the peak of the pandemic to really go out and do anything, so making a bucket list of your own would be a great idea to still feel like you got the full college experience! It also gives you something to do with your friends as well. All of the items on my list can be done with a friend, family member or even with a significant other. I wish you all the best of luck with your college bucket lists and hope my fellow seniors finish out this year strong!