With graduation right around the corner, many seniors are spending their final days in Oxford reflecting on their time at the University of Mississippi and planning how to make the most of their fleeting days as students.
Many students, including general business major Emma Schweiger, have created to-do lists for their last days at the university.
“My friends and I actually have a bucket list of things we want to do, so we have a few random restaurants that we want to go to,” Schweiger said. “We have Taylor Grocery; we want to try the catfish. We want to go to the Snackbar oyster happy hour, and we want to try Quack’s hot dogs.”
For many students, including Schweiger, making the most of their time in Oxford goes beyond classes and routines. It is about building a running list of experiences — a mix of local staples, offbeat traditions and spontaneous outings — that turn everyday college life into something more memorable.
“We’ve done bingo at Moe’s (Original BBQ), a Swayze beer shower, rode the bull at (T)he Library (Sports Bar) and things like that,” Schweiger said.
What starts as a few ideas quickly grows into an ongoing effort to check off as much of the town as possible. But for Schweiger, the list is not limited to off-campus spots; campus still offers plenty of mystery.
“Another thing I really want to do is walk around campus and walk into every single building because there are still so many buildings that I feel like I haven’t been into,” Schweiger said.
The campus is the heart of students’ time in Oxford, the backdrop against which class, game days and casual weekends unfold. Schweiger hopes to cherish her time on campus in her final days as a student.
“I’ve been loving just getting food on campus and eating in the Grove; it’s been a fun tradition, but it’s very simple,” Schweiger said. “I want to walk around campus more and soak it in more as a college student because I know I’m going to obviously come back, but it won’t be the same as walking around being an actual student.”
As senior year comes to an end, small goals begin to mean more as they mark the final stretch of a chapter that cannot be redefined. The transition brings a mix of reflection and anticipation as students look back on what they have experienced while preparing for what comes next.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Schweiger said. “I’m gonna miss all of my friends and being in close proximity to them at all times, but I’m definitely excited to be in the real world and explore and have that freedom to do what I want.”
For many, college is made up of defining years of everyday, mundane tasks that carry more weight over time and shape how students look back on their college experiences.
“I know I’m definitely going to miss it, but I’m going to look back and be happy that I did my four years here,” Schweiger said.
In addition to the friendships that students build during their years of Ole Miss, they also bring their relationships from home with them to Oxford. Schweiger described her favorite memory from her time at Ole Miss.
“My whole family is from Florida, and my parents grew up as Florida fans,” Schweiger said. “I had my parents here and my friends from home, and it was a perfect weekend having everyone here.”
For most seniors, this is the first time in their lives that they will not be in school, and their time at the university means a lot for both their futures and their pasts. Sophia Vance, an integrated marketing communications major, has mixed feelings about leaving Ole Miss.
“It’s very bittersweet, but I feel like it’s well deserved,” Vance said. “Oxford has probably been the best four years that I think I’ve had, and I’m very thankful for all the friendships and opportunities that Ole Miss has gotten me, but I’m also very excited to see what (postgraduate) life is going to look like.”
With graduation approaching, attention begins to shift toward what comes next and how to spend the time in between.
“I definitely want to travel,” Vance said. “I’m someone who’s never really been out of the country, I’ve only been to the Bahamas once, and that was last summer, so I definitely want to be spontaneous and just travel whether it’s outside of the country or inside. I just want to take some time to travel before I have to settle down and get a 9-to-5 job.”
As a tradition, seniors may seize their last chances to experience spring beer showers at Swayze and or jump into the Phi Mu Fountain.
“I just want to say ‘Yes’ to everything and make the most out of the time that I do have with my friends, so (I am) definitely making more plans like grabbing dinner or hanging out and using my time as much as I can,” Vance said.
Vance’s mindset reflects a broader sense of appreciation for how much her experiences have shaped her.
“It’s something that’s changed me for the better, honestly. Coming from a small town (near) Nashville, (Tenn.), to this big university with people from so many different places, it just brings a lot of perspectives and points of view that I might not have been able to experience elsewhere,” Vance said. “I’m very grateful for all the connections that I’ve made through my time here at the university.”
For many students, those new perspectives translate into making the most of campus traditions and shared experiences. Molly Edmondson, a biological science major, began crossing off her senior bucket list as a junior.
“My friends and I, after Double Decker last year, we were all hanging out, and we decided to do the senior bucket list all in one go … We got chicken on a stick and we took a shot on (William) Faulkner’s grave,” Edmondson said.
Although she has completed these goals, Edmondson still believes there is much left to do in Oxford.
“One of the things I want to do before I graduate is to try out all of the places that I haven’t tried yet in the four years, like to try as many restaurants and coffee shops as possible,” Edmondson said. “I would love to go sit in Lamar Hall and pull an all-nighter studying again, or go to Heartbreak Coffee and sit with all of my friends and talk instead of studying.”
That mix of nostalgia and appreciation is what ultimately defines the college experience for many students.
“When people say, ‘It’s the best four years of your life,’ they really mean it. I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been like had I gone to another college or none at all,” Edmondson said. “It’s such a special place, and when people call it the Velvet Ditch, you really don’t understand until you’ve been there.”
