

The Ole Miss bucket list has been a long-standing tradition at the university for several decades. Students, alumni, even parents help keep it alive.

Some freshmen are first told about the list by their orientation leaders. They are also warned to not get caught.

Ole Miss freshman Mackenzie Foltz and her friends decided that they wanted to complete part of the bucket list this year. Foltz has eaten chicken on a stick and climbed into the Phi Mu fountain so far. She hasn’t completed everything off of the list, but most people don’t their freshman year.

Foltz said, “The list is fun because students want to check everything off of the list so that they can say they did it.”

Other items on the list include sneaking onto the football field, going on top of the library, visiting Graceland II and the underground caves.



Bre Aldridge is an out-of-state student here at Ole Miss. She said, “ I think the bucket list is a good tradition because it helps us to bond with our friends and make memories.” Aldridge has not completed many things off of the bucket list but has said that she would like to complete them all before she graduates.

Aldridge thinks that the list is just a cool thing to do and looks forward to completing it. With graduation is coming up at Ole Miss, the pressure is on for some students to complete the bucket list.

A senior and native of Oxford, Justin Kyle Tanner, was given a head start on the bucket list because he experienced some of it with his relatives. His father was the first one to share the list and now Tanner has completed it. Tanner now helps others work on their lists. “Best thing to do is to get your mattress when it’s snowing outside and slide down the hill by Crosby,” said Tanner.

The bucket list has changed over the years because some items have been forgotten, added, or are no longer possible. The top of the library and sneaking onto the football field may not be possible in a few years because of increased security and risks. However, finding the “Doorknob to the Universe” is still on the list.

The “Doorknob to the End of the Universe” is actually on the Ole Miss App under the map. It is one of the few tasks from the list that is actually well known and written down.

Many students pass down the tradition of the bucket list because they want it to continue and not be a forgotten tradition instead of a current one. The bucket list is something unique to Ole Miss and should be continued because it can be considered a legacy of sorts for the university.

Courtesy Meek School of Journalism and New Media

