Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

MORRIS & WEBER: A Hilltop Bucket List of Memorable Moments

Lauren Weber & John Morris
Lauren Weber & John Morris

Every year we find ourselves forming mental to-do lists of all the things we are dying to try. Now, the following suggestions may not fall into the same category as keeping up with that marathon-training schedule you’ve set up or finishing your homework before dawn. But as seniors, we want to get you thinking about all the random experiences that make life at Georgetown unique. If you check some of these off your own bucket list, you’ll leave the Hilltop with some great stories — just don’t get caught doing a few of them.

First on the list: Show up to any events in which your friends are involved. Whether that means attending countless a cappella concerts (which we highly recommend, by the way), cheering at a swim meet or buying a ticket to Rangila in November, it means a lot to your friends when you cheer them on.

Sneak into Lecture Fund events. You know that long line outside Gaston that ruins your day and maybe makes you skip a meal? Find a few secret passages in Healy or hide in Riggs or the classics department until the event starts.

Invest in a black light. Everyone loves a good highlighter party.

Take advantage of the Georgetown Waterfront Park — it shouldn’t just be a place you run through on your way to the monuments. The waterfront has a lot to offer: It’s a perfect spot to picnic, it has good restaurants and it’s a nice, quiet place to study. It can even serve as a setting for a casual first date. Just grab some Pinkberry and go for a walk along the Potomac.

Scare a friend at night on the “Exorcist” stairs. But not while they are walking up or down them. Or after 2 a.m. You know what — maybe just strike this one to avoid any lawsuits.

Explore Georgetown’s secrets. Whether that entails poking around the underground passages or sneaking inside some of the buildings you think you know inside and out, find out what Georgetown’s hiding — just don’t say we sent you.

Take a professor to The Tombs. For one, because it’s The Tombs. Not that you need another reason, but relationships with your professors can make your experience here great. Just because you think your professor is a genius doesn’t mean he or she wouldn’t love to grab a meal with you to talk over your interpretation of the readings or catch up on what’s going on around campus.

Take the time to reflect in Dahlgren Chapel or Dahlgren Quad. Whatever faith tradition (or non-faith tradition) you follow, we all can benefit from taking a few minutes out of our days for contemplation, Georgetown style. It might be hard to do on a regular basis, but trust us, you’ll be glad you did.

Answer that 3 a.m. phone call. No, not because you want to be the next Hillary Clinton, but because you might be able to help a friend in need, and it will often lead to a hilarious story that you could be telling for years. It will also almost always lead to some excellent friendship blackmail.

Get to know as many people as is physically possible. Speaking of the Clintons, ol’ Bill (SFS ‘68) spent his first days on the Hilltop at the front gates introducing himself to everyone in the freshman class. While that’s surely an aggressive strategy, to put it mildly, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to someone that you recognize. Chances are they’ll recognize you, too.

Reenact the Lincoln Memorial scene from “Wedding Crashers” when Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn share a bottle of champagne as they watch the sun rise. Most of us will try this on the morning before graduation, so don’t worry if you wait to cross this off your list for now. But the main reason to recreate this moment in front of one of D.C.’s greatest landmarks is simple: because you can.

And, finally, do not waste another minute. There may not have been a single thing that interested you in the above list, and that is more than okay. If that’s the case, it’s time to make your own list. Your four years here will fly by faster than you can imagine, and the only thing that you’ll actually regret at the end of your experience is not taking advantage of everything that a true Georgetown education has to offer.

See you on the Lincoln Memorial steps.

Lauren Weber is a senior in the College. She is chair of the Board of Directors for The Hoya. John Morris is a senior in the College. He is chair of the Board of Directors for Students of Georgetown, Inc. TO OUR FRESHMAN SELVES appears every other Friday.

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