As the semester is coming to a close and the time until graduation is growing shorter and shorter, seniors are hit with the realization that this chapter of life is almost over. However, before the walk across the stage and the toss of the cap, there is still time to squeeze the most out of senior year.
Whether you are craving one last Friday night out with friends, a moment of sentimentality, or something in between, here’s a senior bucket list to help you make the most of your final moments on the University of Utah campus.
The last weeks of the semester often feel heavy. They tend to be coupled with piles of homework, final exams and endless papers to write. However, for seniors, these weeks are our last. The post-grad world is daunting and these last few moments as students tend to feel like the end of something. Senior year is full of lasts. Last first day, last football game, last time dancing in your dorm room at 2 a.m. with your roommates. It’s too easy to get caught up in the stress of what is coming next and forget to live in the “right now.”
Say YES more often. Be open to opportunities and don’t be afraid to steer away from your schedule. Say yes to the random Tuesday night dinner invite, even if you were going to stay in. Say yes to bar hopping on the Thursday night before graduation just because you can. These unplanned, and often unusual moments, could become the experiences you’ll look back on in the years to come. They might be the moments that remind you that while college is about preparing for the future, it’s also about being present in the “right now.” So, say yes. Say yes to anything and everything you can.
Thank a professor that made a difference. Your collegiate journey has been cradled by a staff of professors that have each left a mark on your life, in one way or another. Take a reflective look at the courses that you feel have made the biggest impact on your life and shoot that professor a grateful email or drop by their office hours. Let them know that they matter.
Write a letter to your future self. Pick up a pen, grab a sheet of paper and head out to a favorite spot on campus. Immerse yourself in the inspiration that the campus holds and write a letter to yourself set to be opened one year from now. Write about your hopes, career aspirations, goals and anything else you can muster up. A year might not seem like a long time, but so much can happen, and this letter might serve as a vessel of motivation to remind you how far you have come.
Take it all in. The last weeks before graduation often place an especially harsh spotlight on the lasts, so grab your favorite drink, take a final walk around campus by yourself and reminisce on the nostalgic spots that represent your firsts. Your first football game, your first class, the spot where your first unlikely college friendship blossomed.
Finally, in these final days, surround yourself with the people who matter. Picnic on the hill in Presidents Circle and laugh until the sun goes down. Dress up, go out to dinner and dig up all of the best memories from freshman year, or dress down, put on face masks and spend the night in simply enjoying each other’s company. Take too many pictures and videos. Capture everything. Harness every last moment and keep them with you forever.
Take a moment to remember it all. All of the firsts, all of the lasts and everything in between.
