As a Wake Forest student, you most likely innately possess an overachieving spirit that will probably compulsively make you want to complete this list as soon as possible. Just remember you have lots of time between freshman orientation and graduation to mark each item off.
1. See the sun rise from the ZSR atrium. If you’re discreet with your laptop screen, only you will know whether that all-nighter was because you were finishing a research paper or completing a Netflix marathon.
2. Attend a performance by the campus comedy troupe, The Lilting Banshees. Their creative placement of posters around campus will certainly grab your attention and make you wonder how exactly they managed to get that thing literally 20 feet into a tree or on the ceiling of your building’s lounge.
3. Befriend Aramark employees. They work hard to ensure you have Starbucks caffeine at 1:00 a.m. and Subway at 3:00 a.m. So be sure to thank them, and appreciate all of those snazzy decorations when the Pit does a theme night!
4. Earn a coveted intramural championship t-shirt. No one has to know that all you contributed to your 3 vs. 3 volleyball league was moral support from the bench every Tuesday at 10:00 p.m.
5. Pit-sit from open to close. There’s unlimited food, coffee, shelter, wifi and power outlets — the five things any college student needs for basic survival.
6. Cameo in a Dean Shore photo. He runs the campus barber shop and in his free time takes photographs at campus events for his Facebook page.
7. Take a trip to Hanging Rock. Less than three miles there-and-back, the hiking trail is great escape from the busy, bustling city life of Winston-Salem. If you angle the camera carefully, you might just be able to convince your followers that you hung off the side of a mountain by your fingertips.
8. Complete a punch card for a free drink at Campus Grounds. They stay open later than Starbucks, and the Hatch’s Hazelnut might just be liquid gold in its purest form, especially when paired with a banana bread from Camino.
9. Volunteer for a Campus Kitchen shift. Whether you tag along to rescue some aging bananas from the back of a grocery store, or repurpose some green beans from the Pit, you’re contributing your time and energy to a great cause.
10. Live in a dorm on the Quad. It builds character to forgo fancy elevators and spacious rooms for such close quarters. Not only will it take you less than five minutes to sprint to wherever you need to be, but you’ll also have frequent heart-to-hearts while elbow to elbow with your suitemates. Plus, there’s nothing like waking up from your afternoon nap to the sound of the Wait Chapel bells.
11. Use the ZSR Media Room. They have a surprisingly impressive collection of movies and tv shows on DVD. Since How I Met Your Mother is rumored to be leaving Netflix by the end of the year, you might just have to check out the box set.
12. Win a trivia night at Shorty’s. The burgers and beer (once you turn 21) are great, as is winning a gift certificate for you and your friends!
13. Participate in Humans vs. Zombies in the ZSR. There will never be a better reason to go down to the stacks, stake out your spot and let fire with your nerf gun on unsuspecting peers.
14. Win a prize basket in the raffle at aWake All Night. Hosted by Student Union in Benson every semester, this event is a great chance to practice your poker skills, get a stuffed animal with a cute t-shirt or try a new carnival game you’ve never had the chance to before.
15. Visit the bells in Wait Chapel. You’ll get a great view of campus and Winston-Salem’s skyline, plus you might get to sign your name on the instrument that makes music for you every day at 5:00 p.m.
Finally, have your name published in the Old Gold & Black. Get quoted for our weekly Word on the Quad, write a Letter to the Editor or join our staff!
