Hike around Griffy Lake, kiss someone special in the Rose Well House at midnight and explore the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. These are just three of the 56 items on the IU bucket list.
Every summer, the New Student Orientation program provides freshmen with a list made up of things every IU student should have done by the time they reach the end of their senior year.
Having reached the middle of the spring semester, time is almost up for the class of 2017, which begs the question as to whether their lists are complete.
Taegan Anthony, a senior majoring in psychology and gender studies, said she remembered to do a few things on her list.
“I remember dipping my feet in the fountain and putting my feet on the art museum wall,” Anthony said.
Further than that, Anthony said she thinks the IU bucket list is a good starting point but is not essential for a complete experience. She said it’s good for freshmen coming in because college is a whole new experience.
After that stage, Anthony said she believes the IU experience has a different meaning for each person. For her, that was community service.
“I tried to get more involved in the community rather than the campus,” Anthony said, “I did more volunteer work.”
However, Bridget Kennedy, a senior majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management , said she tried to complete it but has not finished it yet. Kennedy said she found her interest in the Marching Hundred instead.
“I’m in band, so I get a different experience than I would have from doing the bucket list,” Kennedy said.
However, she did have one thing that she had done from the bucket list that was her favorite: ordering freshly baked cookies during a late night conversation with friends.
In a similar way to Anthony and Kennedy, Julia Bogen, a senior majoring in linguistics and East Asian languages and cultures, have not completed the bucket list. She said she had a different set of interests that did not match some of the items on the list.
“I’ve never been to a basketball game,” Bogen said, “I do more cultural events like the Lotus Festival.”
However, Bogen said she did many of the things on the list without making an active effort to do them, such as enjoying the restaurants on Fourth Street. Bogen said she thinks IU is so much more than a bucket list can sum up.
“IU has so many events that are beyond that,” Bogen said, “You can really find your niche no matter what your interest is.”
Despite having different experiences, these seniors said they have had the complete experience even without completing all of the traditions on the list yet. Bogen said finding an experience exclusive to the individual is the best way to go about four years at IU.
“I feel like a lot of people feel pressured to get a certain experience,” Bogen said. “I feel so much happier without the pressure to go to certain events or parties.”
