Last week was my last first day of school. It’s kind of surreal to think that this is my last semester. As a fifth year senior, I’ve had a lot of first days of school. This last first day made me think about some college experiences that I wouldn’t do without. Here is a list of some experiences all students should have before the end of the year:

Eating way too much food in the dining center

The food served on campus is delicious and you almost always overeat. Just try not to get pizza every time. The freshman 15 (or 20) is a real thing, and I get it almost every year.

Working out in the WRC

I think it’s pretty great that we have this free amenity right here on campus with a full fitness center. While I am not by any means extremely fit, going to WRC is a good way to at least attempt to work off all the calories consumed at the dining center.

Wearing sweats to class

There are always days where you don’t want to get out of bed but you remember that there’s a quiz in that one class that you’re kind of worried about passing. So put on those sweats, and hightail it to class. I try to dress up to make a good impression for my professors now since I hope to rely on them for letters of recommendation but we all have those days where putting anything beyond your sweats is just beyond a struggle.

Pulling an all-nighter

That late, late night prepping for a presentation or writing that 20 page paper was grueling but the experience was worth it. I always had a friend that would pull an all-nighter with me and we became closer with every night we stayed up. My recommendation to pull through that 2 a.m. slump is to literally run around your dorm or apartment building. That always woke me up.

Drinking too much

While I am not much of a partier or a drinker, I still have done this. It was a worthwhile experience. I learned that I am not invincible and that a whole bottle of tequila will still make make me sick. I also learned that I’ve got great friends that will take care of me.

Experiencing a hang over

This goes along with the previous experience. You don’t know what a headache is until you wake up with one heck of a hangover after drinking too much. Kudos if you can get up and function like normal with a hangover. Greasy food and an aspirin works wonders though.

Kissing your crush under the campanile

Campaniling is a time-honored tradition on the traditions challenge. My significant other and I shared our first kiss under the campanile and it was a unique experience to say the least.

All of these experiences are significant to my college experience anyway. They weren’t all fun but they are all memorable. 

Here’s to another year full of memorable experiences at UNI.