If you’re a Mount Holyoke college student, you’re bound to be thinking: “Am I taking full advantage of the full college experience?” Don’t worry if you think you’re not. Here are ten things you must do before you graduate from Mount Holyoke. These are only some good things you can do, but it’s really all up to you!
1. Go to Sylvester’s/Jake’s in Northampton for Sunday brunch
Seriously. This may be one of the most important, most eye opening experiences. Sunday brunch at MoHome is good, but it’s nothing compared to Sylvester’s or Jake’s. Plus, Northampton is such a cute little town, there’s loads to do! Pick a nice sunny day with your friends, and head into Northampton for a brunch and some window shopping!
2. Go to Thirsty Thursdays
Every Thursday and Friday, The Thirsty Mind (our favorite cafe) holds an open mic. Students from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School, blue-grass loving locals, and occasionally students from Mount Holyoke also head over (I’m there every Thursday, FYI). It’s a really warm environment (it’s literally 78 degrees in there all the time), and it has the best hot chocolate and whipped cream in Pioneer Valley. The show goes from 7-10 pm and it’s great company and great music.
3. Midnight Breakfast!
Held on special occasions throughout the year, Dining Services holds midnight breakfast. This is complete with vegan, vegetarian, and meat-lover options and is a great way to meet up with friends and pig out, or go alone and pig out. Both are totally awesome, because who doesn’t love breakfast?
4. Mountain Day
Ah yes, Mountain Day! Every fall, the president picks a day to ring a bell that signifies no classes! Woo! It’s a day, instead, dedicated to going outside and enjoying the warm weather by hiking up a mountain. There are buses that run to and from the mountain throughout the day. It is vital that you hike the mountain to the top for ice cream and a free hat for at least one Mountain Day.
5. Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tower Theaters
Once a month, on the first Saturday of every month at midnight, Tower Theaters holds a viewing of Rocky Horror Picture Show, our favourite cult classic film! It has a live shadow cast, “The Come Again Players”. It is a scream, a laugh, and a favorite of many.
6. Explore the greenhouse
Being a part of this magnificent college, we have access to some pretty magnificent things,such as, the greenhouse. Filled with tropical plants, to common state plants, there is nothing more beautiful and peaceful than an hour spent in the greenhouse. It’s a great place to go to clear your head, or just to get away for a bit, the greenhouse is always a safe-haven.
7. One of the many Chapin parties
I, myself, am not a partier. I do not like crowded places, drunk people, dark spaces, or anything of that sort. However, I am determined to make it to at least one Chapin party while here. One writer on the Her Campus team just recently told me that it was interesting just to observe how free and self-confident these students were. We see our peers being academics around campus all the time, but it may be worthwhile to participate in events where you can show your true colors!
8. Experience the library during finals week
This one you only really have to do one time. Please, for the love of all that is Good and Holy, shower during finals, exercise, eat, socialise, keep yourself maintained. Don’t be one of those people that locks themselves in the library and makes everyone around them sad, stressed, and annoyed because you smell and are in a bad mood because you haven’t eaten anything other than a Twix bar in five hours. It is interesting, however, to go into the library during finals week, look around, and really experience the amount of stress everyone around you has. Though we’re all stressed out during finals week, it’s consoling to think we’re all stressed out together.
These are only a few things you can do before you leave Mount Holyoke College! It’s certainly not a full list, but it’s a good start. You only go through college once, so you should take the fullest advantage!
If you would like to write for Her Campus Mount Holyoke, please email mt-holyoke@hercampus.com.