I just graduated with my Bachelor’s, and four years at college have taught me a lot! But between all the technical jargon, job search skills, and resume building, there have been some of the best experiences of my life. It’s no secret that college is the time for getting messy and making memories, so I want to share with you some of the best ways to do so.
Now I know it goes without saying, but I feel as though I should say it anyway. None of these experiences should come at the detriment of your health or safety. Just use common sense, and all should be well. That being said, let’s get into it:
1) Stay up way too late
Some of my best memories at college came from staying up waaaay too late. I mean, when your first class on Tuesday is at 3 PM, you might as well just kill time with friends till 5 AM at least!
It was a tradition my Freshman and Sophomore year for my friends and I to take a walk every night at midnight up to our college’s town where all the bars were. We wouldn’t even drink; it was just for the ambiance, the mood, the time, and space.
And in my last semester of college, a friend and I tried to keep beating our ‘record’ for how long we would stay up before actually getting to sleep. First, it was 8 AM, then it was 10 AM, and eventually, we made it to 11:30 AM, at which point we basically just called it an all-nighter, and the game was over.
The conversations I’ve had at ungodly hours in the morning in college have really been some of the best parts. The depth of those conversations, the emotional vulnerability, and getting to watch the sun rise and set is an experience you absolutely cannot miss.
2) Watch drunk people
To sort of build off the previous point: being a spectator is so fun, especially late at night. As I mentioned above, it became tradition for my friends and me to walk up to the college town at night pretty much every night.
Those nights hold some of the best conversations I’ve ever had. However, in addition to the amazing conversations, arguments, and heart-to-hearts, there were also a lot of drunk people!
Directly across the street from the largest bar on campus is a bench pointed in the bar’s direction. Needless to say, many nights ended up with the three of us on that bench watching drunk people do the dumbest stuff you can imagine. We’ve seen people streak, we’ve seen people yell and push cops, we’ve seen make-outs turned fights. If you can name a stereotypical movie college bar scene, we’ve probably seen some variation of it.
It’s not hard to see that there were definitely many laughs those nights. We even had a game in the wintertime, where we’d keep track of how many people were underdressed for the weather. As you might expect, our numbers got really high, really fast.
People-watching is some of the most fun I’ve had at college, so definitely set aside some time to do so, whether it be with friends or by yourself.
3) Participate in college traditions
Every college has its traditions! And while I am not even remotely a superstitious person. Abiding by the traditions of your seniors and heeding the stories of your predecessors is a really fun and nice way to build camaraderie and a sense of kinship with your peers.
At the college I went to (Miami University), one of my favorite traditions I attended every year was The Running of the Gingers. For starters, Green Beer Day is an all-day party that Miami celebrates on the Thursday before spring break. And at midnight Thursday, to conclude the all-day party, all the gingers run through campus along a sidewalk with a crowd cheering in the wings. Being a part of that crowd every year was so fun. I didn’t even have any friends who ran, but getting those videos, laughing with friends on the sidelines, and meeting new people was the absolute best.
On a more wholesome note. Miami University’s arguably most famous tradition: “If you kiss your true love under the Upham Hall Arch, you will marry, and the bond will never be broken.” I’ve hopefully now contributed to the first half of that tradition right after I graduated, so I’ll be sure to update in a few years.
Seriously, though, the traditions at Miami are what have made me feel most like a family with my peers. They’ve added so much fun to even the most minuscule tasks, stories, walks, and games. If your college has a bunch of traditions, start participating early!
4) Open unlocked doors
What is arguably the most questionable item on this list: just start trying door handles. Some of the coolest places I’ve been to college, I’ve gotten to because I just tried to open a door I thought would be locked. You’d be surprised at what kinds of places you have access to as a student.
For starters, at Miami, my favorite place I’ve been privileged enough to get to and hang out with friends is the roof of the engineering building: Benton Hall. At the very top of one of the staircases, there is a door that leads into the ‘attic’/roof maintenance area. Most of the time, this door is locked, but every now and then it’s open to the public. If your timing is right, you can get in and make your way onto the actual building roof. This is the absolute best view I’ve ever had in Miami.
There are also underground maintenance hallways in Miami where you can do the same thing. Find a door down and check to see if it’s locked. If it’s not, then you now have access to an underground labyrinth across the whole campus.
I’ve made my way into some wild places this way, and every time it’s been an amazing experience with friends. Absolute 10s across the board. If there was ever a time to just start trying stuff, it’s college, so go ahead and get on it.
5) Take trips with friends
GO AWAY! Go do something with your friends! After you’ve made a bunch of new friends at college, budget out some time to go do something with everyone. You’ll never have so many friends living so close together, with so much free time ever again in your life (probably). Take some time, plan out a trip with your friends, and just drop the money if you can.
In my senior year, my group planned out a trip to Vegas together for a week. We all pitched in for room and board, bought our flights, and landed in Vegas on January 9th. The whole week was absolutely spectacular. We have to go to every big casino on the strip. We went to Old Vegas for a night. The six of us budgeted out our money for one big fancy dinner. We even went to a Star Wars Burlesque show, which was a surprising highlight of the trip.
That Vegas trip will go down in my personal history as one of the best times of my life. We had a blast blowing our money on Blackjack, going to shows, and trying all sorts of new things.
I know this list is not supposed to be in any particular order, but If I had to rank any of these experiences, this would be an easy number one. Set aside the money and time to go do something with friends before you graduate, and it becomes 1000x harder.
Wrap Up
Now I know it’s easy to say, “you have to do this,” and “you can’t do that,” but in all transparency, college is truly what you make it. Your experience is going to be whatever you want it to be. If you go out of your way to party and explore the nightlife, you’re going to have a dramatically different experience from the introverts, who might just spend their time inside playing D&D.
I found my place in college was somewhere in the middle. Watching people do the crazy stuff rather than doing it myself. I didn’t really drink, but I did get to watch people be drunk. I didn’t break into buildings, but I got to hear the stories of those who did. And honestly, being there for that much makes the whole experience worth it to me.
So while I think you should take everything I’ve recommended here with a grain of salt, I also think you should go out and make those once-in-a-lifetime memories. There really is no better time than college!
