Last year, Chandler Thompson spearheaded an effort to increase the feeling of belonging and identity with students at NC State using a list she called “54 Things To Do At NC State“.  It’s a neat idea, but when you look at some of the items, they aren’t necessarily things you want to do (like pulling an all-nighter in D.H. Hill).

Still, these probably are things most students will end up doing and when you first get on campus, that’s the best time to check off as many items as you can.  WolfpackWorld has been relatively quiet recently with the exception of back-up quarterback Tyler Brosius taking off to play baseball (whatever) and the basketball team departing a couple days ago for Spain.  Therefore, I took a moment to pick out my top-5 of the “54 Things To Do At NC State” and give some tips on how best to get them done in the first days you have on campus.

#42 – Make a late night Cook-Out run.

If you’re going to Cook-Out and don’t order a shake, something is wrong with you.  They have 39 different shakes on the menu, plus any limited-time flavors they may be offering during special seasons.  If you aren’t feeling a shake, their BLTs are amazing.  Either way, you’re going to gain about a pound each visit, so this is a great place to start on your freshmen 15.

#31 Ride the Wolfline around campus.

Many students fail to use the Wolfline simply because they never took that first ride and have been cautious of getting on ever since.  When it comes to public transit, Wolfline is about as friendly and clean as it gets.  It’s free to ride and definitely the quickest way to get from one side of campus to the other.  The easiest way to figure out the routes are to just jump on the bus a few times.

#11 Whisper in the Wolf ears.

Here’s an easy thing to check off your list and something best done early on in the school year.  If nothing else, you want to be able to explain to your parents what the Hell those things are before they come visit campus.

#2 Paint the Free Expression tunnel.

If you want to paint something for the Hell of it, go any time it’s convenient for you.  If you want to paint something and ensure it actually stays there, you’ll want to show up at 2AM.  Either way, the Free Expression tunnel has been a staple of tradition and controversy at NC State for generations (Google “Dungeons and Dragons, Free Expresson Tunnel” sometime).  It’s easy to do and probably the best opportunity to express yourself without it being attributed to a user handle or some web-forum.

#46 Learn NC State’s Alma Mater.

You can learn the Alma Mater if you want, but for years there was a running inside joke that no one knew the words to the Alma Mater besides the famous “N. C. State…” in the last strain of the song.  If you are going to actually look up the words to one of the NC State songs, this is the one to look up.  The “two fight songs” we have you’ll learn by just showing up to football and basketball games.

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Again, this is just a few of the top-5 that popped out as the easiest to get done when you first get to campus.  There are lots of things to do on campus that aren’t on the list… but we’ll get to that later.