Wright-ing on the Wall | An end to ‘what if’

I want to make an appeal to my fellow second-semester seniors.

We’ve worked hard to earn our degrees from this place. Yes, that may be a tad bit presumptuous with this semester only two weeks old. But look at the scoreboard; this one’s pretty much in the bag. And though it’s important to remain focused as we enter our final inning of late-night exam cramming and paper writing as undergraduates, now is also the time to take an account of all the other things that we’ve left undone — the things that never quite made it onto a class syllabus.

My roommates and I refer to our inventory of essential deeds as the “bucket list,” in reference to the Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson film in which their dying characters attempt to complete tasks on a life to-do list before they kick the bucket. But perhaps a more fitting name for our version is the “tassel list,” a collage of things we’ve always wanted to do before we turn the tassel on our caps at Commencement. There are those endeavors that we want to experience while we have independence but not real-world responsibility. And then there are those other things that we will only be able to justify to ourselves if we do them in college.

Building your tassel list is a straightforward but critical three-step process.

First, think hard about what you’ve always wanted to do before you graduate. Please, don’t list anything related to your academic or future professional career. Seriously, you’ve done that enough.

Next, write it down and put it in a prominent location in your room or apartment. This may very well be the most important step. Seeing your list in writing as you pass it each day will guilt you into overcoming the fears of the boldest items and completing the tasks.

I’m in no way encouraging criminal activity or any act that could be construed as such. (Morally questionable but completely legal ventures? Maybe.) Nor am I endorsing activity that injures a third party in some way. The list my roommates and I made actually includes a service-oriented task. We plan to volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter, because we enjoy giving back.

I haven’t made any suggestions for your tassel list. The beauty of it is that it’s utterly subjective. For example, we’ve got a Segway tour along the Schuylkill on ours because that’s my suburbanite roommate’s idea of adventure. But who knows? Something more adrenaline pumping may be what floats your boat. The list is simply a way of helping you try those things that you may ultimately regret passing up.

A 2008 study published by the National Institutes of Health found that, over time, feelings of regret are often greater for opportunities left unexplored (Should I have finally asked out my crush from NSO during one of those Feb Club nights?) than for mistakes (I shouldn’t have asked my NSO crush out; that relationship scarred me for life). Knowledge of other paths unchosen outweighs regret over taking a risk that results in displeasure. If we try something and dislike it, we only wish we had never tried it, but if we never try at all, we always wonder “what if?”

Having yet to receive that job offer or grad school admission, most of us don’t know what next year will bring. But while we’re reminding ourselves of the uncertainty of our immediate futures, we should make the most of the precious time at hand. And let’s be honest, that GPA isn’t moving much these days anyway. Relax a little and enjoy these moments.

Go ahead and make your own tassel list. And the final step: Just do it already! In the long run, it’s going to beat the alternative. Jonathan Wright is a College senior from Memphis, Tenn. His e-mail address is wright@dailypennsylvanian.com. Wright-ing on the Wall appears on alternate Mondays.

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