Janet Wood ’13
With a less than two weeks left until graduation, reality has started to set in. Soon, Oglethorpe will not only be my university: it will be my alma mater.
As a senior, everything from conversations with nostalgic friends to commencement updates constantly remind me that this formal departure from my second home is imminent. That being said, I find myself reflecting on not only my Oglethorpe experience, but the parts of OU that I have not yet experienced.
During a discussion in my senior psychology class the idea came up to create an Oglethorpe bucket list—a list of things that every Petrel must do before the long-awaited graduation day. I’ve asked OU students and alumni to submit items to the bucket list, and compiled them below. So Petrels, next time you’re looking for a good Ogle-adventure, why not scratch a few things off “OUr” bucket list?
- Walk around campus at night and discover how breathtaking Oglethorpe looks after dark
- Pull an all-nighter in the 24 Hour Room
- Have a picnic, play Frisbee, or just enjoy the weather on the quad with some friends
- Enjoy telescope night on the roof of the library
- Sunbathe with some friends at the baseball stadium when no one else is there
- Run through the sprinklers on the quad
- Go to lunch at that one restaurant you’ve been meaning to try ever since you got to Oglethorpe
- Watch a meteor shower from the Traer courtyard or soccer field
- Take MARTA downtown and explore the city—no plan, no destination, just a free afternoon and sense of adventure
- Visit all the Atlanta hotspots (i.e. World of Coke, CNN, Piedmont Park, Georgia Aquarium, Rocky Horror Picture Show, High Museum, etc.)
- Try to take a picture of the Ogle-turkey, Ogle-kitty, Fratcoon, or whatever animal is roaming the campus at the time
- Show your support: go to an Oglethorpe play, cheer on the Petrels at a sporting event, go to Greek Sing, visit the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art
- Be an active member or participant of something
- Drive to Buford Highway and try a new food that you’ve never heard of and cannot pronounce
- Have a mini photo shoot in Little 5 Points
- Be adventurous. Go white water rafting on the Chattahoochee River, skydive, rock climb at Atlanta Rocks, etc.
- Be in a campus publication
- Climb a tree on campus
- Take a road trip with a friend and spend the night in a new city
- Count how many Oglethorpe T-shirts you have…I promise it will be more than you thought
And don’t forget, there’s always Alumni Weekend to finish checking off the list! So, what would YOU add to the list?
Thank you to the contributors of this list: Katie Goddard, Tori Lloyd, Justin Sabree, Betsy Rosillo, Rieddhi Shah, Christian Hartnett, Joshua Steltzer, Morgan Coffey, Marisa Manuel, Dr. Zinner’s History and Systems class.
