Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

After the excitement of freshmen move-in and Viking Venture winds down, the initial week of classes may be the first dose of reality for many new Berry students. Those first few days after moving into college are filled with a whirlwind of events and introductions, and for many students, these days can feel more like a summer camp than school. With classes now underway, new students may find that the reality of college is not what they experienced during those first few days; classes can quickly become overwhelming, and it can be challenging to find a balance between school, work  and extracurriculars.    

Berry offers many different activities throughout the year, and participating in all of these activities is often referred to as “The Berry Bucket List.” This list differs between students depending on their personal interests and goals. For some people, their personal bucket list may be to hike all of the different trails that Berry offers. For others, they may want to participate in all of the Mountain Day events. 

Freshman Rachel Harville has a number of activities that she is looking forward to participating in this semester. She performed in dance concerts during high school, and she plans to audition for The Berry College Dance Company’s winter concert. Although she hasn’t performed  ballet in a long time, Harville is hoping to perform in jazz and contemporary pieces. 

“I haven’t taken a dance class in two years,” Harville said. “It’s been a minute since I’ve been at a bar, let alone a center. I would be fine with not getting ballet, but I would really like to do a contemporary piece because contemporary is my favorite type of dance.”

In addition to performing in the dance concerts, Harville also plans to participate in Berry’s Outdoor Leadership Development Courses (BOLD) and some of the different fitness classes that are offered. 

“I got to the top of one of the BOLD climbing courses,” Harville said. “By the end of my experience here, I hope to make it to the top of all of them.”

While some students are looking towards extracurricular activities, Freshman Sophia Eaton is still deciding on what she wants to do. Her first goal is learning how to juggle participating in theater and attending classes. Once she grows more accustomed to her busy college schedule, she plans to discover Berry’s hiking trails, explore Rome, make new friends and try new things. One event Eaton is excited about is Mountain Day. 

“I hear it’s really fun and a huge event,” Eaton said, “I want to know what the hype is about.”

Senior Hannah Woods has been keeping a list of things she wanted to experience at Berry since her freshman year. When the list started out, it was mostly made up of activities like hiking to the Old Mill and attending the Mountain Day carnival, “Marthapalooza.” Woods said that over the years she has added different things that aren’t necessarily Berry staples, but activities that she wants to take advantage of before she graduates. Just last week she attended one of the group yoga classes for the first time. 

“This Tuesday was actually my first time going,” Woods said. “It just never worked into my schedule until now. Being a senior and about to graduate, I’ve been trying to make an effort to prioritize things I haven’t done.”

Associate Director of Career Education and Development Hope Willoughby graduated from Berry in 2009. Willoughby said that while she came in with college credits and graduated a year early, she wishes that she had taken more time to appreciate her years as a student. 

“My advice for current students would be to not be in such a rush to get the next place,” Willoughby said. “Take time to enjoy a lot of the opportunities that are here. If what other people say is definitely on ‘The Berry Bucket List’ isn’t your cup of tea, you don’t have to do it.”

While Berry offers a lot of different activities throughout the year, Willoughby said that Krannert Center Activities Board (KCAB) was only getting started when she was a student. KCAB works to host a lot of different events throughout the year, but there are many activities outside of these organized events that students can participate in. According to Willoughby, taking elective classes outside of her major helped her gain some unexpected skills. She took a few different physical activity classes during her time at Berry, and found that spending the extra time exercising or playing a sport helped her unwind after a long day. During her senior year, Willoughby took Introduction to Agricultural Science, where she learned how to properly cook a steak, a skill that she has carried into her life after college. 

“When I think about some of the most fun times I had in college, particularly in the classroom, it’s some of things I learned in those elective courses that I didn’t have to take,” Willoughby said. 

While many students look at The Berry Bucket List as a number of events to attend, there is so much more for students to take advantage of during college. This time period serves as a bridge between the teen years and adulthood, and the many events that Berry offers allows students a place to discover unexpected interests.