Tick it off: The UNSW student bucket list
You haven't truly had the quintessential UNSW student experience until you've ticked off this bucket list.
Published on the 12 May 2026 by Madeline Kahl
What is the measure of success in a university? Perhaps graduating with a HD WAM average, or landing an internship at one of the Big Four. Or most important of all: completing every item on the UNSW Bucket list.
See where you rank in the list below. Add one point to your tally whenever you tick off an item.
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One thing about UNSW students is that they develop a sixth sense for freebies on campus. Whether it's food hubs, cost-of-living support, or old-fashioned society sausage sizzles, if there is free food to be found, a student will find it. The true mark of a great free-food hunter is getting all your meals for the day from campus activations. That is truly peak UNSW-maxxing.
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It wouldn’t be a uni experience if there weren’t times we were being academic victims. From missing Moodle notifications to completely forgetting about assignments, we’ve all been there. There is nothing more humbling than emailing your tutor to beg them to reopen the assignment so you can get your work submitted. It will get better (I think).
See also
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Who hasn’t seen these iconic furballs at UNSW? Our UNSW campus is home to a group of furry friends who help protect against mice and other pests. They are truly the microcelebrities of campus. I want to say, out of everything on this list, you have truly failed at uni life if you haven't had a quick selfie. I mean, who can help themselves, really?
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There is nothing quite like spending all day at O-Week, collecting every freebie, meeting so many new friends, finding heaps of new societies and then trekking it all the way home on the light rail, just to get home and crash immediately. And for some, to go again the very next day!
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Everyone has an UNSW light rail horror story. Everyone. Whether it's being stuck with high school students by catching a light rail at 3pm, or doing the dreaded run to the light rail doors exactly when they close. But you truly haven't had the true UNSW experience unless the light rail has completely stopped moving, and no one knows why.
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The joys of UNSW life truly don’t get better than a post-assignment drink at the Roundhouse. Nothing like grabbing all your group assignment members and celebrating that the 10-week group project is finally over. For some, it also includes completely embarrassing themselves at the pool table, but what happens in the roundy, stays in the roundy.
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This is less of an UNSW bucket list item and more of a universal human experience. The stairs from the lower campus to the upper campus are nothing short of an Olympic feat. Three flights of pure agony just to get from one side of campus to the other. Huffing and puffing the whole way there, sweating through your shirts, even bringing out the inhaler on the side of the walkway.
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We have all had that one lecture where we snap. We’ve been trying for the past 45 minutes to stay focused, but the lecturer has only reached slide three of a 45-slide deck. You try to fight your will, but you lose the battle. Open your browser and pick your poison: Instagram, Discord, Zara, YouTube, you name it. Without a doubt, I always know that the NYT Wordle awaits me. UNSW lecture gods, please forgive me.
Final grade
There you have it. The whole UNSW experience summarised into a single bucket list. Now it truly isn’t the UNSW experience if there isn’t an assignment at the end, so how do you stack up?
- 1-3: Did you even go here…?
- 4-6: You're getting there!
- 7+: You are the embodiment of UNSW!!!
Last edited on 1 May 2026
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