As you sit in your 7th floor stack sprawled over biology notes, or on your favorite couch in the reading room catching up on sociology, you’ll probably find yourself wondering where the year has gone. Have second semester finals actually arrived? For our senior Collegiettes™, it probably feels like just yesterday that you stepped onto Emory’s campus as a nervous and naïve freshman, and had a full four years ahead of you to take advantage of all that Emory and Atlanta have to offer. However, as we all know, time flies when you’re having fun, and you may have passed up on some opportunities that you now wish you hadn’t.
After surveying Emory students of all grades, Her Campus Emory has created a list of the 100 things that you must accomplish before accepting your diploma. Take our advice and you won’t be missing out on anything!
Here goes…
Get involved.
1. Try out for a team or club. Who cares if you don’t make it? You’ll never be a part of anything if you don’t try.
2. Do research. Emory offers a wide range of research opportunities for undergraduates. Who said college was just about taking classes?
3. Volunteer!
4. Protest, petition or peacefully demonstrate. Stand up for something you believe in and voice your opinions.
5. Get in the news. (Not the blotter. We mean positive news coverage). This could be a campus publication or a local one.
6. Get your name or picture on the official Emory website.
7. Go to an Emory basketball game decked out in Emory gear. Paint your face and stomach too! It’s never too late to kick up the school spirit.
Get to know your school and community.
8. Visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
9. Have a picnic on the roof of the observation deck of the Library (10th floor).
10. Climb the Rock Wall in the WoodPEC (preferably before the Campus Shots Tours, see #76).
11. Celebrate a holiday you’ve never celebrated before. Emory exposes us to so many different cultures and religions. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend to explain their traditions or rituals, and even participate if you feel comfortable.
12. Swim in SAE’s pool. So underrated that they have one.
13. Memorize the words of the Emory anthem.
14. Give a tour, official or not. Even if it’s just to your sibling or friend, it’s fun to share your school with someone else and show off your knowledge of Emory.
15. Study at one of the biggest Starbucks on any college campus (that would be ours, located in the New Oxford
Road Building).
16. Catch a t-shirt at an Emory athletic event or Wonderful Wednesday.
17. Visit Longstreet Means if you weren’t lucky enough to live there. There’s a fireplace in the lobby, go see for yourself!
18. Shower in the library. Who knows why there are showers in Woodruff Lib, but might as well use them!
19. Go off the high dive at the Clairmont pool.
20. Watch “Run the Row.”The pledges of every fraternity run from the DUC to their respective fraternities all together. It’s quite a sight to see.
21. Attend school performances. From First Friday A capella Concerts to Ahana Dance Showcases, you’ll be amazed by the talent of your fellow students.
Meet LOTS of people.
22. Meet someone in every fraternity and sorority. You’ll no doubt be disappointed if you realize upon graduation that you hung out at the same frat for four years. College presents the opportunity to meet so many new people at once, an opportunity that you’ll probably never have again. Branch out while you can!
23. Go to President Wagner’s office hours. Let your voice be heard and get to know the man who runs it all!
24. Get taken on a real date! 2 AM booty calls get old real fast, and you deserve better.
25. Hook up with someone three years younger than you. As a 22 year-old girl, this kind of behavior will no longer be acceptable the second you enter the real world. Take advantage of the opportunity now!
26. Hook up with someone three years older than you (obviously). What freshman girl doesn’t want to get with a senior?
27. Get let out of class by none other than Dooley himself during Dooley’s week. Be sure to shake his
hand on the way out.
28. Attend office hours with your professors, even if you don’t need help. There is definitely something to be said for having your professors know you by name and face. Get to know your teachers. Chances are, they’ve done some pretty cool stuff.
29. Go to lectures, speakers, reading series, networking nights and more! Emory hosts some really impressive visitors each year, people you’ll definitely want to meet!
Take advantage of all that Atlanta has to offer!
30. Take a tour of the Coca Cola factory. Yum.
31. Visit the Aquarium AND spend the night. Yes, you can schedule sleepovers, check out the website.
32. Enjoy the beautiful Atlanta Botanical Garden.
33.Check out the High Museum of Art Atlanta.
34. Get tickets to Atlanta Sports events. Go to a Braves, Falcons, Thrashers or Hawks game with your friends and make up for the lack of athletic events you’ve attended at Emory (most likely).
35. Take a tour of CNN.
36. Shop for ridiculous outfits for Halloween, mixers, frat parties, or just life in Little Five’s many thrift stores and costume shops.
37. Stop by Andretti for indoor go-karting with friends. Enjoy games, racing, dancing, drinks and DJ for special prices every Monday night if you’re over 21.
38. Walk from campus into the Highlands. It’s a scenic route, a great form of exercise, and there’s plenty to do and eat once you get there!
39. Make an appointment at Natural Body Spa. With all the hard work put into classes, jobs and extracurriculars, a girl deserves some pampering!
40. Participate in a walk or run for a charity with your friends. It’s great exercise and you will be helping to raise money and awareness for a good cause.
41. Take the “Driving Ms. Daisy” Druid Hills Walking Tour. Visit the streets where this famous movie was filmed, in our very own neighborhood!
42. Enjoy a riverboat cruise on Stone Mountain Lake.
43. Bike ride in Piedmont Park.
44. Play paintball.
45. See a performance at Fox Theatre.
46. Shoot the Hooche. Spend the day floating or boating on the Chattahoochee River.
47. Go to concerts. As many as you can.
48. Check out Atlanta’s wide variety of movie theatres. See “Movie Theaters Around Emory: The Good, The Bad, and The Quirky” for more info.
49. Spend the day at Six Flags! Make sure to hit all the main rollercoasters.
50. Check out Atlanta Steeplechase, which takes place once every year. You won’t want to miss it!
51. Take a tour of Sweetwater Brewing Company and don’t miss the Sweetwater 420 Fest each spring.
52. Paint pottery in Emory village.
53. Walk around Atlantic Station.
54. Visit Atlanta Underground for a glimpse into the city’s history and a whole lot of shopping, food, clubbing and more.
Leave Atlanta!
55. Road trip to UGA to experience a real college sports game.
56. Survive Mardi Gras. Not up for discussion.
57. Attend the Kentucky Derby!
58. SPRING BREAK. Punta Cana, Acapulco, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta – we don’t care where. Just do it!
59. Drive to Savannah. Just three to four hours in the car and lots of fun stops along the way.
60. Make it to PCB (the trashiest place on earth) and back, whether for a frat formal or just a weekend with friends.
Eat, eat and eat some more.
61. Eat at Cafe Montag at the 1599 Building or Organic To Go in the Grace Crum Rollins Building. You won’t believe it’s Emory dining!
62. Try something from every station at the DUC and at Cox.
63. Attempt the Double Bypass Burger at Vortex in Little Five Points. You’ll have to check out the
menu for the full details, but let’s just say that the buns are grilled cheese sandwiches, and eight slices of bacon are involved. Good luck!
64. Eat at Maggie’s during the day. Yes, it is a restaurant and is open during daylight hours. (Editor’s note: we recommend the corn dogs).
65. You haven’t really lived in Atlanta until you’ve eaten at the Original Varsity.
66. Have dinner at a professor’s house. It will probably be painfully awkward but at least it’s free food, and something to cross off the list once you’re done.
67. Eat at every restaurant in Emory village at least once. It’s just a minute away, what do you have to lose?
68. Eat a REAL southern meal. For starters, we recommend the grits at Flying Biscuit.
69. Wafflehouse.
70.Try every flavor at Bruster’s. Probably not on the same day.
71. Sample or buy food from the Farmer’s Market on Cox Bridge each Tuesday. This is a great way to add some variety to your every day Cox sandwich and chips.
72. Steak ‘n Shake. Preferably after a long night at Mags.
73. The kitchens in your dorms are there for a reason. Take a trip to Publix and make a delicious home cooked meal with your hall mates.
74. Eat a meal in a frat house kitchen. Don’t you wonder what they’re served and what mealtime is like?
75. Attend Taste of Emory during Dooley’s week.
Party hardy.
76. Take a Campus Shots Tour. Visit your freshman dorm, the WoodPEC, the Library, wherever you
choose, and take a shot with your friends in honor of the memories spent there. A shot per stacks floor? This game could be over pretty quickly….
77. Crash a B-school Keg party.
78. Dance on the table at Maggie’s.
79. Frequent MJQ on Wednesdays.
80. Get invited to a fraternity date party or formal.
81. Visit the Clermont Lounge…one of Atlanta’s oldest landmarks and best-kept secrets.
82. Establish a first-name basis with Mason (Maggie’s bouncer. If you don’t know who that is, temporarily disregard this entire list and get to Maggie’s NOW).
83. Get into Famous. Do Karaoke.
84. Sign your name on the ceiling of Maggie’s. When you come back to visit in five or ten years, you’ll be happy to see that you left your mark on your former home.
85. Go Salsa dancing!
86. Hang out at Brick Store Pub.
87. Host a pregame or party. This should probably wait until junior or senior year unless you’re living in a frat. Dorm parties don’t usually end well.
88.Be at Maggie’s to witness a certain fraternity’s pledges drop their pants.
89. Try the Margaritas at Los Loros.
90.Get a shout out from a DJ at a club or just Maggie’s.
Be a rebel!
91.Go for a dip in the Med School Fountain (Editor’s note: this should happen at night).
92.Who said the stacks are just for studying? Research a new “subject” up on the ninth floor, if you know what we mean…
93. Streak across the quad (Consider laying out at the pool or in Lullwater for a few days prior to the big event).
94. Dress up the Dooley statue in Asbury Circle. Check out the HC Emory Fashion Blog if you need some outfit advice.
95. Go to the highest point in Lullwater.
96. Sleep in an Emory building.
97. Spend the night at a frat. This does NOT have to mean spend the night in a frat boy’s bed.
98. Have ONE one night stand. Maybe two.
99. Deactivate Facebook for one week just to prove that you can do it and to remind yourself of how productive your life was pre-Facebook.
100. Get to home base on home base.
Hopefully with these tips and ideas, you can make the most of your college experience, and leave Emory with no regrets.
Seniors, it’s not too late for you! Graduation is still two weeks away, so get out your pens and start checking things off the list!