101 Things to Do at Principia
Fun, frivolous, and even educational, here are 101 things to do while at Principia College.
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Make your own music in our professional-grade music studio.
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Play in the dodgeball tournament.
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Submit a movie to our annual student-run Film Festival, complete with awards and a red carpet.
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Perform in Plus One, a student-run a cappella group. You might even make a music video with the group.
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Take part in the Halloween flash mob in Alton, often choreographed and performed by Principia students and community members.
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Join the Principia Water Ski Club.
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Climb on our rock wall.
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Host your own radio program on Principia Internet Radio.
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Have dinner with a renowned speaker like Henry Paulson, Madeleine Albright, or astronauts from the Apollo 13 mission.
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Hear top bands at the Pageant in St. Louis.
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Join the PAC Board and help plan the oldest student-run conference in the world. Topics range widely, from cybercrime to sustainability.
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Join one of 40+ on-campus clubs and organizations—or form your own.
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Audition for Lazy Zipper, a student-run improv group.
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Perform at a Starbrooks open-mic night.
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Visit Forest Park, named the Best City Park by Thrillist. “Nowhere else in America will you be able to walk manicured green space, look at a Van Gogh painting, and visit with polar bears and red pandas—all without spending a dime.”
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Bee-come a member of Principia’s Beekeeping Association—one of the many Sustainability Center activities on campus.
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Volunteer at Three Rivers Community Farm on campus.
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Play an intercollegiate or intramural sport—you’ve got lots of options!
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Enter our annual cardboard canoe regatta.
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Soar through the wooded hillside on the zipline in nearby Grafton.
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Engage in summer research alongside a Principia professor. The College will cover room and board.
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Pitch your business ideas at an innovation challenge.
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Choreograph a dance for our annual Dance Production, performed and produced with maximum student involvement.
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Cheer for the St. Louis Cardinals at a baseball game, or watch the St. Louis Blues play hockey. (The stadium is less than an hour from Elsah).
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Attend the largest Christian Science Sunday School in the world.
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Study sea turtles in Trinidad with world-renowned expert and Principia faculty member Dr. Scott Eckert.
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Attend the St. Louis Symphony once a semester—for free!
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Design, test, and build a solar car and drive it in national and international competitions.
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Broadcast live election coverage on Principia Internet Radio.
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Grow fruits, veggies, and flowers in the community garden.
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Participate in the Howard House Lizard Run, the Lowrey Rumpus, or Buck Breakfasts—a few of our most popular house traditions.
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Run for Student Government.
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Get hands-on training in GIS, radio telemetry, and other biotelemetry instruments, and earn technical climbing and chainsaw certifications through our Land Stewardship program.
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Go out for the rugby team.
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Volunteer at the Grassroots Grocery co-op in Alton.
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Conduct church services as a CSO Reader.
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Explore the cosmos through Principia's world-class telescope.
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Study with our Annenberg Visiting Scholars—experts on topics ranging from social change in China to multimedia art in action.
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Help direct the annual International Perspectives Conference.
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Go ice skating at the Steinberg Skating Rink.
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Take one of Principia’s signature classes on the Life of Mary Baker Eddy or the Christian Science Movement.
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Enjoy the Transylvania Treats variety show and Halloween party.
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Work in the campus greenhouse.
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Join the mediation team and compete around the world.
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Perform original work at a poetry slam.
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Play rec tennis in Hexberg.
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Belt out your favorite hymns at Sunday evening hymn sings.
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Participate in an internship in the U.S. or overseas, or go on an externship—like the popular one-week immersion in the film industry.
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Join a dance class.
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Write for the Pilot, our student-run magazine.
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Attend the homecoming dance.
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Dress up for Spring Formal.
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Create your own pub shake. With more than 13,000 served each year, they’re popular!
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Perform musical works in progress at weekly Music at Davis concerts.
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Enjoy a latte at the popular Maeva’s Coffee Shop in nearby Alton.
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Help local elementary school students become better readers.
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Play pool in the Student Center, right next door to the College Store.
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Defend your house’s reputation in House Olympics.
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See the stars up close at the on-campus observatory.
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Round up your friends for some karaoke in the Piasa Pub.
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Learn how to play our 3,069-pipe Casavant organ.
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Play Frisbee on the Chapel Green.
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Play top-of-the-line Steinway pianos across campus.
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Become a Resident Assistant (RA) and help freshmen get acclimated.
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Start a snowball fight on the Chapel Green.
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Hone your photography and videography skills as part of the Media Services team.
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Conduct firsthand research on a topic of your choice while studying abroad.
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Go apple picking at Eckert’s Farm.
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Play pickleball.
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Play in the annual Ultimate Frisbee tournament.
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Attend the Whole World Festival.
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Do everything from kayaking to climbing with the Outdoor Club.
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Add your voice or instrument to the mix in choir, band, or orchestra ensemble.
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Go for a jog on our cross-country trails.
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Submit a poem or essay to the Mistake House literary magazine.
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Tap trees and collect maple syrup from our FSC-certified forest. Then create and market maple syrup products in Sugarbush Management class.
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Engage in class discussion with world leaders when they visit campus.
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Prepare for the future with mock interviews, résumé fine-tuning, dress-for-success tips, and more at our annual Career Conference.
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Hear Christian Science Monitor correspondents discuss the news at Monitor Night Live.
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Enjoy sun, sand, surf—and spiritual refreshment—during the spring break retreat trip.
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Play beach volleyball—Principia’s newest sport. (Varsity play is for women only, but everyone can participate in intramural competitions.)
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Challenge yourself on the Velcro wall and obstacle course—or try human foosball or jousting—at the Winter Carnival.
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Suit up and dive in at Crafton pool parties.
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Warm up around the bonfire at the Half-Time Shed.
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Attend FergCon, an annual gaming night sponsored by Ferguson House.
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Explore our 2,600-acre campus, from sunny bluffs to shady woodlands.
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Become a member of the campus Fire Brigade, established in 1935.
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Zip around campus on your longboard.
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Help plan the annual Earth Day celebration.
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Shop for vintage clothing in the “Loop” in St. Louis.
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Enjoy pasta-your-way in the Dining Room.
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Learn to play the carillon (bells) in the Chapel
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Serve on your house board.
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Stargaze with friends on the Chapel Green.
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Take part in supporting land conservation efforts.
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Watch the sunset overlooking the Mississippi River.
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Take part in community service activities on and off campus.
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Decorate your house for the holidays—all of them!
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Get paid to plan social events for the rest of the campus.
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Bowl a strike at a Pajamarama-themed bowling night in Alton.
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Work out at our state-of-the art athletic facilities (with a pool, batting cages, track, workout rooms, etc.). Then relax in the hot tub.