As we approach graduation, our minds are filled with nostalgia and memories. There are the obvious things to be bittersweet about: saying goodbye to your friends, moving on to adulthood, leaving behind such a familiar place. But our university is full of quirks, things we might take for granted now but will look back on in five years and remember with fondness. This list encapsulates a few of WKU’s most unique attributes. Happy graduation, Hilltoppers! 

1. The weird statues on campus:

Why does the bunny at the top of the Hill have such large ears? More importantly, why is there a bunny at the top of the Hill? What exactly is that thing in Centennial Mall? AND WHERE DID THE CRANES GO?!

2. Slogging through a river on the way to class:

Nothing says “happy Monday!” like trudging through rushing water as you try to make it on time to your 9:10 a.m. economics class. Unless you end up working in a national park, chances are you won’t have to brave those kind of rain side effects ever again.

3. Interrupting countless photo ops:

Our campus is beautiful in the spring, but we’ve literally run into people trying to make that perfect Instagram of the blooming cherry trees. It’s impossible to walk past the Big Red statue in Downing Student Union without accidentally ruining a mother’s proud photo of her 16-year-old.

4. Sidewalks that turn into de facto streets:

We love the work the WKU facilities and grounds employees do, but we thought sidewalks were where you go to avoid getting hit by a car or whatever those all-terrain vehicles are actually called. Some days we wish we had a golf cart of our own.

5. Guthrie’s “songs”:

You can probably recognize the first few notes of The Beatles’ “Yesterday” or “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music,” but that’s before the other 12 bells kick in. The more complex melodies serve as a reminder that the Hunchback of Notre Dame’s job wasn’t so easy after all.

6. Eau de Purina:

You wake up early, ready to start the day. You leave your dorm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. You breathe. The scent of dog food wafts into your nostrils. You open Twitter; everyone wants to know why campus smells like the back of PetSmart. You sigh.

7. Swag Brandon Doughty:

WKU’s record-setting quarterback is gone and trying to make a name for himself in the NFL. His legacy remains, though, especially in the rap song that bears his name and the lyrics that get screamed every time you mention number 12.

8. Conflicting health choices:

You might never have a free gym membership again, but you also might not live within walking distance of nine fast food restaurants, either. Nothing’s more difficult than the struggle between wanting to work out and wanting Chick-fil-A for the fourth time in a week.

9. Dodging delivery guys:

Not only do you have to elbow your way past throngs of slow-walking students on your way to class, but you also have to juke the confused Jimmy John’s guy. He’s looking for a professor’s office in Cherry Hall but somehow ended up wandering around next to the Writing Center. Does he need help with a paper? No, he’s just trying to deliver a sandwich and pickle.

10. Always fielding the question: “What IS Big Red?”:

We love Big Red. It eats babies and dances like nobody’s watching. But unfortunately for us, the secret behind Big Red’s existence isn’t whispered in our ears as we shake Gary’s hand at commencement. It will forever be a mystery for us Hilltoppers.