It’s almost over.
Your last semester crept up on you faster than the Four Loko your roommate thought would make for an interesting pre-game liquid that one ladies’ night. Soon you’ll be trading in your favorite beer-stained gameday shirt for a suit, tie and a new professional attitude. We are all getting closer to adulthood, folks.
It’s time to set down our liquor pitchers and step off the table at Grog one foot at a time.
But before we jump into the lava we all love to call a “real life,” there is still time to enjoy our youth and all of its glory before walking across the stage.
So, let’s raise our cups one more time. This is your Senior Year Bucket List.
Via: pixabay
1. Have sex on the Ben Hill Griffin 50-yard line. Preferable when it’s really, really dark.
2. Buy everything you need for dinner at the Union Street farmer’s market on Wednesday. Gainesville is home to a ton of amazing local goods and fresh produce. Take advantage and fill a tote with all the ingredients for a healthy Gainesville meal.
3. Climb the O’Dome roof. We recommend doing this sober, not wearing heels and being very, very careful.
4. Spend a day at Paynes Prairie and don’t leave until you see an interesting animal. Acceptable options include: wild horse, bison and gators bigger than four feet in length.
5. Make it to the top of Century Tower. We’re not sure how, but befriending the guy who plays the chimes is probably a good starting point.
6. Do the famous “Later Gator Flip” on the Later Gator bus after a night out. Grab two of the handrails and somersault backwards while the crowd cheers wildly. Tutorial from a drunk guy named Ben available here.
7. Take a picture with GPD. They’ve served and protected you given you an MIP, so the least you can do is have one Kodak moment together.
8. Have a long, slow hungover brunch. If you’re not sure where to go, this quiz can help.
9. Shack in a dorm. It’s embarrassing every other year of college, but as a senior, it’s a right of passage. Turn the walk of shame into a walk of pride.
10. Learn how to line dance at Cowboys Saloon. Pro tip: drink lots of cheap whiskey before hitting the dance floor.
11. Hook up with a UF athlete. This is vague on purpose. If it happens to be the ball boy from the tennis team, it still counts.
12. Sing karaoke at Fat Daddy’s. Get there early, don’t scream into the mic and don’t sing anything by Journey.
13. Get a free pizza from Papa John’s. If you go near closing time, there are many abandoned pizzas ready to be claimed by you. (We’ve all been that drunk person that orders one and then falls asleep.)
14. Graffiti Norman tunnel. Be creative and avoid Ghandi quotes, song lyrics and references to how much you love your big.
15. Have a cocktail by yourself at a downtown bar. Fight the urge to take out your phone and, you know, actually be comfortable sitting alone for a little while. You’re an adult now, so embrace your solo sophistication.
16. Write a thank you note to someone that helped you get to where you are today. Whether that be a professor, Study Edge tutor, pledge ride or the guy at the Kangaroo that always rings up your hangover Gatorade, tell them you appreciate them.
17. Go on one of these cool dates in Gainesville. If you’re #foreveralone, grow a pair and ask out a stranger.
18. Go to a professor’s office hours and overshare. They tell you to get to know them, so really get to know them. Ask them point blank what you should do with your life, if they’re happy with their career choice and shed a few tears. Oh, and ask for a recommendation.
19. Enjoy Krishna lunch on the Plaza of the Americas. It’s inexpensive, colorful and delicious.
20. Go see a show at the Phillips Center or Hippodrome. If you haven’t cultured yourself since arriving at UF, this is the time to get started. Take advantage of the student discount and go see a play, dance performance, concert or speaker.
21. Watch the bats fly from the bat house across from Lake Alice at sundown. It’s eerie, but beautiful. Try your best not to get pooped on.
22. Make a trip to the butterfly rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Aside from being one of the best free dates in Gainesville (if you have your Gator 1), it’s an all around awesome place to see. Pro tip: it’s humid in there so be prepared for your companion to see the real you.
23. Drink a combo slushy at Fat Daddy’s. Feel free to do this before you tackle number 12. If you’re not sure which kind of blackout brain freeze you want, here are the different options.
24. Do a zipperhead at Salty Dog and request “Wagon Wheel” on the jukebox.
25. Pretend you’re a freshman for an entire night out. Complain about Gator Dining, tell people how much you love Man’s Food and take SNAP to and from the bars.
26. Take a weekend road trip to a nearby city. Gainesville is decently close to a lot of different places, so go explore. Pro tip: use our weekend getaway guides.
27. Jump off the high dive in the O’Dome pool. Your swan dive doesn’t have to be perfect, but at least you can say you did it.
28. Enjoy every day. Some say your college years are the best years of your life, so make every moment count.
Featured photo courtesy of: flickr
