Here are 10 things all Bobcats have to do before the end of their freshman year.

The Post wants to help you get the most of your freshman year. Below is a list of must-dos during your first year in Athens. Some of them can only be done when the whether is nice, so get started.

Tack this list to the wall of your dorm room and cross things off as the year progresses. 

  1. Take a trip to Bong Hill: A hike to Bong Hill is a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the fall or spring. It seems like every Bobcat has posted a picture to Facebook or Instagram from the top of the hill, which gives you a stunning view of Ohio University's campus and the surrounding area. Directions are easy to find online, but be warned: It’s quite the walk, and the last couple hundred feet are a steep uphill climb. 
  2. Hit Court Street with a totally random crew: Freshman year is the only appropriate year to trek to Court Street with a group of complete strangers due to the fact you don’t know anyone. Take advantage of that.
  3. Hike to The Ridges, probably with another group of strangers: At this point, you’ve probably heard that The Ridges — Athens’ own abandoned asylum — is super haunted, or something like that. It’s not, but it’s worth checking out (and so is the Kennedy Museum of Art).
  4. Lounge on College Green for no particular reason at all: Have you ever fantasized about looking exactly like a brochure-type college student? This is your shot. Take a book, a few friends and a blanket to College Green and lie there for hours on end. You won’t get the chance to do this later. 
  5. Find an excuse for formal wear, and use it: Whether the occasion be a date party or a nicer-than-usual dinner among friends, your days of donning suits and dresses aren’t quite over — if you don’t want them to be. 
  6. Attend a sporting event: Not only are sporting events free-of-charge with your student ID, cheering on the Bobcats in the student section can get pretty wild. At football and basketball games, you will also be treated to OU’s own Marching 110, and keep an eye out for free stuff beforehand.
  7. Sleep on the 4th floor of Alden: There are weird egg-shaped chairs on the 4th floor, and they are the best place for naps. If you don’t feel like walking back to your dorm, grab a hot chocolate, get cozy and rest your eyes for a few hours. 
  8. Explore all of the academic buildings: There are a lot of strange hallways, hidden tunnels and empty floors around campus. There may even be a few buildings you will never enter during your four years here, so spend the first one getting to know your campus and all its little secrets.
  9. Eat a Paw Paw: Try the weird fruit that grows wild in this region. They will look rotten when ripe, but people claim they taste like a banana mixed with a strawberry. There is also a music festival named after the fruit September 16 to 18.
  10. Stare at the Seigfred mural: There’s a strange mural painted on the archway beneath Seigfred Hall. An art professor painted it years ago. There are steps across from it perfect for lounging.
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