Take a Lucky Flight to UW–Madison for Exam Luck / 🇺🇸 USA

Bring a little good fortune to the moment before an exam. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, students visit the Lincoln statue on Bascom Hill during finals and rub its foot for luck. The figure has become a familiar place for personal hopes in the middle of university life.

Take your own learning into this Lucky Flight. Think about something you have understood, a problem you can now solve or the time you have kept giving to a difficult subject. Looking toward the statue's feet can be a way to gather those thoughts before moving on. Give yourself a moment to recognise what you have already done and the knowledge you are preparing to use.

Open the university's official introduction or a verified view of campus. Find the seated Lincoln figure in front of Bascom Hall. Take a slow breath and move your eyes toward its feet. The exam-season custom at this site is to rub a foot with a wish for luck.

During your online visit, bring one thing you have learned to mind. Quietly wish to use that knowledge calmly when the time comes. Spend the final minute in silence, letting your attention settle. Add your arrival stamp when the visit is complete. Before returning to study, choose just one point you would like to review. Let the journey lead back to a manageable next task rather than a crowded list of worries.

The Lincoln statue was unveiled on campus in 1909. Sculptor Adolph Weinman created the figure, which shares its form with the statue at Hodgenville in Kentucky. It was later moved to the space in front of Bascom Hall and became part of the hill's familiar landscape.

Over the years, students have made it a companion to their milestones. Some bring exam wishes, others mark graduation or whisper their hopes for what comes next. Different stages of learning gather around the same bronze figure.

This is a different Lincoln from the bust at the tomb in Illinois. Here, the setting is a university hill and the wish is closely tied to student life. A historical figure takes on a distinct local character through the people who meet it.