10 Things You Should Do In Your Last Semester Of College

1. Take a class because you can.

Most second semester seniors have a class slot to spare, and if you are one of those seniors, take a class because it sounds interesting and the professor is great. A class not in your major, a class in a department you’ve never adventured to, a class taught by a professor you loved for a general requirement that you want to take again. The underlying point of an education is to learn and to become well versed in a multitude of areas to become a more well-rounded and intelligent person. Learn for the sake of learning, come to class excited, and savor the last bits of academia you’ll have for a while.

2. Befriend a freshman on campus.

Take the freshman pledges in your fraternity or sorority under your wing. Be nice to the freshman in your student organizations. Grab a senior friend and go to the cafeteria and sit down for a meal with some freshman. You have four years of experiences that most freshmen would love to hear, and it’s kind of fun to relive all the crazy and stressful experiences you had when you were in their shoes. Plus, you might get a free meal out of it with all those swipes they have to use by the end of the semester.

3. Meet up with someone you were close with Freshman Year.

I mean, obviously don’t YOLO and rekindle things with your Freshman year significant other who you cheated on, but if you have a close friend from Freshman year or a roommate you left on good terms with, make sure you at minimum grab coffee with them before you graduate. It’s nice to go back to where you started at college, and even though you and this person don’t lead similar lives, you still shared an incredibly important period of your lives that helped you become who you are. In twenty years, these are the people you will be seeking out at your college reunions. My favorite part of graduation was sitting next to my old roommate, a good friend who I hadn’t really seen since sophomore year.

4. Get drunk and go to your freshman dorm.

When I was a freshman, some kids did this and I thought it was hilarious. Especially if you still keep in touch with your old roommate, this can be hilarious to relieve memories from when you were a freshman, and lets face it… You have kind of always wanted to go back. Better yet, if the people that live there now are kind of chill, you can tell them about all the crazy stuff that happened when you were a Freshman there. Just don’t gross them out with stuff you did on the bed that they now sleep in.

5. Donate to the school.

Yes, most of you will be paying off debt for the next ten years, but if you’re graduating then you did something right—and your school did something to help you get where you are. Some schools have a senior class committee that handles this, but even if not, donate to an academic department, student organization, university office, or facility that was particularly helpful to you. Donate because you are proud of yourself and you are proud of the name of the school on your degree. For the rest of your life you will always be an [Insert Mascot Here]—own it.

6. Get wrecked at your campus bar.

You all should have done this the first week of senior year (or realistically, the day you turned 21) but make sure you have a night to remember at the place that you and 90 percent of your classmates spent every Thursday night at. Take advantage of all the insane deals that only exist at university-affiliated bars and savor the crappy vodka, the domestic beer, and the great friends you’re there with. Going out after college is completely different and you will never have that one bar that you love to hate as much again.

7. Don’t take a full course load.

If you planned our your classes well, take advantage of that organization by only taking three or four classes your last semester instead of jamming it chock-full of every last requirement you need in order to graduate. This isn’t to say that you should be an academic fuck up, but enjoy your campus, your city, and your other classes a little bit more by giving yourself a few extra hours a week. I rocked my last semester by only having four classes (most students at my school took 5) and was able to have an on campus job and an internship while staying involved with my fraternity and having my highest GPA out of all eight semesters. Congratulate yourself on three and a half years of hard work and enjoy your last few months as an undergraduate student.

8. Have a beer with a professor

I don’t know about other schools but I had some professors who were absolute bros. They were so interesting to listen to in class and had awesome backgrounds that they brought into classroom discussion. My biggest regret is not asking some of them to hang out outside of office hours to talk about all of the cool stuff they did. I did this with a professor when I was abroad and it was awesome, but I just assumed it was a European thing. But why should it be? By May you’re practically a real person anyway so professors will treat you like it. It also definitely solidifies a reference if you ever need to call on them for that.

9. Write a thesis.

Some people do this before their last semester, but if you have the option to write a thesis, do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to get special honors for it or not, write one. This was the only class I have ever taken where you don’t have to learn about anything you don’t want to, and it’s something that you can talk about for the rest of your life. Writing a thesis solidifies that you also grasped the skills of your trade and it gives you an expertise in something that no one else has. Also, if your major lets you write a thesis, chances are at some point in your career, the skills you acquired through this will become absolutely critical.

10. Go to the dentist.

Most seniors don’t automatically graduate into a job that has benefits, and unless you’re going to graduate school, you won’t have dental insurance since the Affordable Care Act doesn’t cover it. In all seriousness, get your mouth cleaned and get any last-minute cavities filled while you still can.