By CAITLAN SUSSMAN

As the semester heads into full swing, and the days of wearing flip-flops to class and tanning on the Arts Quad give way to Ithacas notorious precipitation and less-than-warm weather, you may be tempted to sit in your room with the heat on, lamenting the black cloud of prelims that looms around the corner, or to curl into a ball on a comfy couch in Mann Library equipped with a onesie and a 20 oz. can of red bull. I am here to tell you that both of these are bad ideas.

This is not to say that studying is not important. We came to Cornell first and foremost to learn. But learning does not simply come from hours spent in a classroom or a library. Seeing academic accomplishments as the only goal of our time in college neglects the fact that we live on one of the most beautiful and exciting campuses in the world, located in a city that offers so many cultural, artistic and personal growth opportunities. So what better way to get the full Ithaca/Cornell experience than to cross items off the Big Red Ambition list?

For those of you unfamiliar with this staple of Cornell life, the Big Red Ambition is a compilation of 161 items that Cornellians should see or do in their four years here. Some are inappropriate (re: the infamous #1) and some are illegal (#123: pizza from a blue light phone, anyone?), but most will genuinely enrich your experience at Cornell and provide a welcome distraction from the monotony of your daily routine. This is not necessarily a list to be completed fully, but can be seen more as a set of guidelines to supplement your time at Cornell. But the more you complete, the more rewarding it will be for you.

This week, I am here to give you five reasons why you should complete the items on the Big Red Ambition list. Trust me: Ive done 87 of them.

[Disclaimer: I do not condone or support any activities on this list that may be unlawful or potentially disruptive to others.]

1. Work Towards New Goals

We set ourselves goals in college every day: Study for a certain number of hours, ace that History paper or get above the mean in that Bio prelim. However, setting your sights on purely academic goals can become stifling and overwhelming. The Big Red Ambition allows you to feel the same sense of achievement, but in a way that is not primarily competitive in nature and does not come at the expense of others. Whether its completing the Pinesburger Challenge (#99; quite the spectacle) or charging your Banfis meal to CornellCard (sorry, Mom and Dad!), youll feel great about yourself afterwards, and get a welcome break from school.

2. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone

It is far too easy to get stuck in the Cornell Bubble on the Hill. We are so immersed in our education that trying new things and having new experiences outside of academics get pushed to the sidelines. Everyone needs to take risks once in a while. The Big Red Ambition list lets us step outside of this comfortable place, without leaving upstate New York. Sledding down Libe Slope (#5), experiencing the Apple Festival in The Commons (#23; the homemade apple cider is delicious!) or seeing an opening at the Johnson Museum (#45), have the potential to greatly expand your horizons, both personally and intellectually. That, if nothing else, is why we are here at Cornell.

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BIG RED AMBITION | Five Reasons Why You Should Complete the Big Red Ambition