Thursday, February 3, 2011

The final countdown (cue dramatics)

Way back in September, my freshman-year RA (holla holla, Rachel Fus!) sent me and all my former floormates a guide to having a highly productive and memorable senior year. I remember wanting to print out the whole thing and tack it to my wall because when something's not in my immediate vision, I tend to forget it exists. Lo and behold, my brain dispelled the information a week later and allowed the incredibly thoughtful message to be sucked into the black hole that is my Facebook inbox. Luckily, I was reminded this week by a friend of all the awesome and useful tips that Rachel had gone to great lengths to give us, her Brockway babies, and I anxiously went to retrieve them. Her advice spanned four categories: social, academic, prep for the future, and graduation. I'm going to copy-paste the "social" part here so I'll have it on hand to check things off of and hopefully anyone who stumbles upon this won't despair for the seemingly-void-of-culture-and-life that Syracuse is sometimes (unjustly!) misunderstood to be. I'm even willing to sacrifice a most sacred activity in my life -- deep, precious sleep -- to fulfill a majority of these before I graduate. That's dedication, ya'll.

"Take a minute to reflect on your last three years at SU. What were you thinking that first day when you walked in the B*Rock? What were expectations? What were goals? What have you loved doing?

You’ve got one year left, I’m betting you’ve still got a lot of things you want to accomplish. Keep track. Make a bucket list (if only because it’s SO much fun to check off those little boxes) Here are a few suggestions:

  • • Go to Senior Sunday at Faegan’s (especially the last one)
  • • Commit to finishing beer tour early in the year
  • • Go to sh*t (you think you’ll have insane lecturers and free concerts and expensive art galleries at your fingertips next year – yeah, try again)
  • • Eat the free apps at Rachel’s (in the Sheraton) at Friday Happy Hour
  • • Learn the Alma Mater
  • • Belt it out at Singers karaoke night
  • • Ride the mechanical bull at Daisy Dukes
  • • Go to the New York State fair for all the agriculture/livestock/funnel-cake kitschy good times you could ask for (also, rockin’ concerts!) http://www.nysfair.org/
  • • Take advantage of the trips to lake placid and white water rafting, you’ll never be able to do them again for so cheap & with a chauffeur
  • • Dinosaur BBQ (need I say more)
  • • Go on the best Spring Break you can afford (unless you’re becoming a teacher, you’ll never get “spring break” again)
  • • Document the year: take pictures, start a journal ( I have a collection of tickets and programs, etc spanning back to my first day. I doubt anyone is as much of a pack rat as me but I love looking back at it)
  • • Play golf or tennis at Drumlins (it’s free!)
  • • Eat some tasty food during Restaurant Week
  • • Explore the Wescott neighborhood east of campus, Armory and Clinton Squares downtown, or, if it’s your thing, the Everson Museum of Art.
  • •See the shows: Danceworks, A Capella After Hours, First Year Players
  • host a party! (your friends will thank you)
  • • Take a fun elective like Human Sex or Beer & Wine Appreciation
  • • Show Jimmy Boeheim your appreciation
  • • Go to a lacrosse game (we hold the record for most National Championships)
  • • Play in the snow (snow football, sledding on dinging hall trays, build a snowman – odds are you won’t have this much snow in your front yard ever again)
  • • There’s a whole big world outside of campus. See some of it:
  • • Smell the roses in Thorden Park (just don’t do it after dark)
  • • Get a slice at Cosmo’s when you’re heading home after the bars
  • • Treat yourself to a leisurely brunch at the All-Night Eggplant (which is neither open all night nor does it serve eggplant, go figure) off Erie."
Time to get crackin' -- let's make it worthwhile?
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