BIG RED AMBITION: A Lack of Ambition

As the year winds down (and my birthday rapidly approaches), I am constantly thankful that I have one more year of college left (sorry, seniors). Not just because college is “four years of all-expense paid vacation” (thanks, Dad), but also because I have a few too many items left to check off of the Big Red Ambition List. However, throughout my examination of my 161 spreadsheet and strategizing sessions with friends, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that there are some items I simply will not be able to accomplish. C’est la vie, it makes my life easier…and now it’s not entirely my fault if I don’t check off every item. But Sun Editors, please update the list.

Let’s start at the beginning with #3: Camp out overnight (re: sleep on AstroTurf) for hockey tickets. I was not there for this, but the way my brother tells the story, in 2005 the rush for the line was so intense that it rivaled the stampede scene in the Lion King. Needless to say, that tradition has since been rid of – the Lynah Faithful shirts from my freshman year say “No Line in ’09.” So that one’s out.

Let’s move on to # 12: Order ice cream at the Dairy Bar. Well, I’ve done this, but I’m not above a shout out to Cornell Ice Cream and the CUCP (Cornell University Chocolate Pudding, as my dad lovingly refers to it – it’s really, really out of this world chocolate pudding). The Dairy Bar has been under construction for far too long. When is this construction ending? On behalf of everyone who has not yet been to the Dairy Bar, and my father, it would be really sweet (pun intended) if we could hurry up construction. 

#37: Take a class you think is impossible just for fun. I mean, come onnnnn…we can’t see median grades anymore because enrollment plummeted for classes with lower medians. So all you masochists, enjoy, but this one is so not for me. 

#16: Wear flip-flops to class in January. As I learned during Rush my freshman year, people actually do get frostbite, so until it’s 60 degrees in January, no thank you.

Now, #90: Males: Get thrown out of Balch Hall. Apparently for us with two X chromosomes, there actually are only 160 things on the Big Red Ambition List. Uhhh…rude.

#110: Fail your swim test, just for kicks. This is totally possible, so it doesn’t exactly fit in with the theme of this post, but unfortunately (or fortunately?) I passed my swim test. If someone has in fact failed for funsies, though, respect.

Well, aside from these and a few others I did not have enough space to mention, I will do my best to check items off the list throughout next year. Happy Slope Day, everyone (wish me luck with my digging up of the Bacardi)! And I think I can now check off #61: Write an angry letter to the editor of The Sun. Success.

Jaime Freilich is a junior in the College of Human Ecology. She may be reached at jfreilich@cornellsun.com [5]. Big Red Ambition appears on Wednesdays.