Prioritizing your collegiate experience has its benefits

Sampling each delectable 21 Choices flavor. Stargazing from the rooftop of Bovard. These are just a few of the adventures USC students can take

But what if a student were to organize these goals and fashion a schedule to achieve them? Undergrads at USC would do well to create a bucket list for their college years to ensure that they maximize their university experience.

“I believe in goal setting because it creates a positive frame of mind,” said David McAlpine, a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism and neuroscience. “A lot of people leave college life with regret. I don’t want to graduate and wish I would’ve made time to visit the Hollywood sign or take pictures on the walk of fame.”

Up next on David’s list: To visit Downtown’s 24-hour IHOP, where USC students can procrastinate their studies with the best kind of indulgence ­— pancakes.

Some argue that being enslaved to a bucket list prevents individuals from taking real pleasure in their experiences or living spontaneously. But harboring a checklist mentality can actually amp up a person’s carpe diem attitude.

Seeing your goals committed to paper — or computer screen — can have a sobering effect. It seems that when one recognizes his ambitions to get an internship or earn an A on that next midterm, the prospect of spending another 30 minutes perusing — rather, stalking — your acquaintance’s Facebook photos becomes considerably less appealing.

And not all intentions on a bucket list should be so solemn. It can be valuable to spice up your academic and career goals by challenging yourself to buy a lottery ticket on a whim or watch a Dodgers baseball game with friends from nosebleed seats. You could even up the ante by doing these things on a school night — an act of rebellion against nagging parents and 8 a.m. lectures.

Even by pursuing frivolous goals such as these, USC students have the opportunity to experience enjoyment from accomplishing their ambitions. Weighed down by the trappings of homework, extracurricular activities and internships, it can be a challenge for students to pause during the semester and reflect upon the quality of each day.

It is difficult enough to find time to breathe, sleep or eat a meal not prepared at Everybody’s Kitchen, which makes it nearly impossible to assess whether undergrads are making good use of these four years to live abundantly. By managing goals in a quantitative way with a bucket list, students can ensure that they will relish the experiences that are of highest priority.

Achieving small goals not only adds to the enjoyment of each day, it also provides students with long-term health benefits.

In a study performed by the Society for Public Health Education, doctors found that individuals who maintain a list of specific, achievable feats as well as pipeline dreams are more likely to perform higher than those who do not set goals at all or consume themselves with vague intentions, such as “to succeed.”

Furthermore, the process of executing these goals releases endorphins, “the happy hormone,” in the brain and can also improve cardiovascular health.

Graduating seniors and freshmen alike can experience the benefits of a bucket list, as it encourages students to cherish moments with friends and keep a balanced perspective about what is truly important ­— just a hint, it’s not our grade point averages.

“Obviously there’s stuff that I wish I did,” said Lindsey Farmer, a senior studying cinema-television production. “But in just living and enjoying my time at USC, I’ve had experiences that I would’ve never imagined and achieved goals I never would’ve thought to put on a list.

Even if you haven’t kept a bucket list for your undergrad years, there are other ways to ensure that your life as a college student is enriched with diverse experience.

Take time each day to do something that scares you, and be brave enough to laugh it off when the day approaches you with unexpected challenges.

Kelsey Clark is a sophomore majoring in print journalism.