It’s no secret that Homecoming may be the highlight of most collegiettes’ fall semester. It’s the one-day where the whole campus bands together to celebrate their school and engage in some festivities in the process. Homecoming is scheduled for this Saturday, and with a carnival next to the football field, and multiple sports games up for viewing, there will be no shortage of fun activities to tailgate for. However, Homecoming can be confusing to freshman, for few have experienced a social celebration like this day before coming to college. To all those seeking a guide to make the best out of their first time repping Tufts, here are the Dos and Don’ts of Homecoming.
Do Dress Up!
One of the most fun parts of Homecoming is wearing a shirt that uniquely expresses the role you play on campus. Every Greek organization makes its own tank top or shirt to show off their spirit for both their chapter and Tufts, but since freshman can’t rush until second semester Greek apparel is not an option. The Tufts Student Union usually makes a tank that anyone can buy, which is always a good option because one can customize it by cutting designs in it, or dressing it up in a unique way. In that spirit, hitting up the bookstore for a Tufts lax piney or raglan would be the perfect option too. If you’re feeling especially creative, consider designing your own tank top with your friends featuring some inside joke or relevant slogan! For example, if you’re tight with your hallway, then make a tank top celebrating Houston 3 East or something in that vein. The point of Homecoming is to have fun and celebrate your Jumbo spirit, but you might as well look good doing it!
Don’t Sleep In
Homecoming is one of the few Saturdays of the year when you really should be waking up in the fairly early morning. Anyone still in bed at 10 AM is missing the point about celebrating all day. Since Homecoming falls on a holiday weekend this year, that means there will be plenty of time to sleep in Sunday and Monday mornings (and you’re going to need to make up that sleep). So set your alarm and get ready for an early start, you’ll thank yourself later for all the fun you won’t miss out on!
Do Visit Different Tailgates!
When I say all of Tufts will be celebrating Homecoming, I literally mean ALL of Tufts. Whether you want to go hang out with your wilder friends, or you’ve already made friends in the Greek system, or you just want to hang out with your hall mates, this is the day to branch out and meet new people! Even if you just wander around campus, you’ll probably be sucked into some celebration. Or, you can cut straight to the chase, and make your way down to the soccer and football fields and watch the games! There will be plenty of University-run parties and barbeques as well. On that note, the point of Homecoming is to celebrate Tuft’s athletic “prowess,” so you should probably make it to a game at some point. It’s the one day of the year when Tufts kids have school spirit, and who would want to miss that?
Don’t Overdo It
In case you couldn’t tell by now, Homecoming is pretty amazing. I know that it was personally one of my favorite memories of freshman fall. That being said, it can be easy to get sucked into the hype of the day and make stupid decision regarding how much celebrating one can take. Homecoming is also a huge alumni event, meaning that there will be a lot of parents and families all over campus as well. This is not the time to be THAT freshman stumbling around the streets and generally embarrassing yourself. It makes both you and Tufts look bad, and no one wants to witness that. So have fun, enjoy the revelries, but keep your wits (and friends!) around you. As long as you proceed with some degree of caution, you’re sure to have an amazing time! Come Sunday morning, you’ll most likely be wondering why Homecoming can only happen once a year.
Images are from gotuftsjumbos.com, flickr.com, lacrosseplayground.com, thecollegevoice.org