Fall is arguably the best season of the year in New England (as shown here) and at the Univerity of Connecticut, and there are plenty of tell-tale signs that fall has officially come on campus.
1. You can’t find a seat in the library anymore because everyone is cramming for midterms
Syllabus week is officially long gone, and so are the days days when you could get away with pushing off homework just one more night so that you could spend time with friends. The beginning of fall sadly also means the beginning of midterms, and spots at the library are taken up fast as everyone begins to spend long hours studying–we can all relate to the midterm struggle.
2. Pumpkin. Everything.
From ‘Dunkin to Dining Halls, once fall hits, pumpkin quickly becomes the most popular flavor–of everything. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin soup–you name it, any kind of food that you would normally eat during the year now has that special fall flavor added to it that you’ve been waiting for all year.
3. People begin complaining about how cold the weather is–after they were just complaining about how hot it was last week.
Everyone secretly loves the fall weather–the weather also known as “sweater weather”. But with Connecticut’s whacky weather patterns, one week it will be 80 degrees, and the next week there will be a freeze warning–it’s rarely a smooth adjustment to fall weather. This shock of temperatures makes it harder to appreciate the cold after how hot it was, but once we adjust, we realize fall has the best weather of the year.
4. You find yourself stopping to take pictures of the beautiful fall foliage on your way to class.
Although UConn’s campus is beautiful at any time of the year, fall is when UConn is at its best. As soon as the fall foliage takes over, suddenly any tree on campus is turned into an instagram-worthy picture. And walking to your 8am class sudennly doesn’t seem so bad because of the beautiful scenery around you.
Photo taken outside of CLAS quad
5. You find your room eerily quiet because it has gotten cool enough to finally turn your fan off…
6. Until you realize that the school has turned the heat on, so to keep from melting you turn your fan right back on.
Thought that once fall came it would finally be cool enough to turn the fan off? Think again, because as soon as fall comes and the school turns on the heat, it’s as if it’s summer in the dorm rooms all over again. Keeping your window open and fan on isn’t just something for summer, it’s the only way to keep cool during the fall and winter too.
7. You find yourself changing your outfit at least 3 times a day because the weather can’t make up its mind.
At this time of year, at 8am it may be a chilly 40 degrees, but by noon it will be up in the mid 70s again–only to go back down to 40 degrees by the time you go to the library to study for the night. Going through such dramatic temperature changes means that by noon, you’ll be sweating in your jacket that kept you warm at 8am. So now you’re not having to pick just one outfit for the day, you’ll have to decide on at least three different options to stay consistent with the temperature. Having trouble finding the right outfits? We can help you here.
8. At least one of those outfits will consist of either a flannel, a vest, boots–or all three.
Once fall hits, these outfit combos are oftentimes the first that many girls go to. And we don’t blame them, these items are comfortable, cute, and they’ve become practically the trademarked look of the season.
9. You get an insane urge to go apple picking and to eat apple cider donuts.
It isn’t fall until you’ve gone apple picking, or at least had an apple cider donut. Thankfully Wright’s Orchard is within 10 minutes of the UConn campus, and donut shops like Faddy’s and Sweet Madeline’s come to campus often enough to fulfill our cravings.
10. You see that everyone around you is suddenly hunting for internships for next summer.
Now that summer is officially over, many companies have opened up their doors for applications for next-year’s summer interns. This means re-vamping your resume, building interviewing skills, and networking with alumni–as well as trying to maintain a good GPA. Just when you thought you could take a breath and relax after this summer, it’s time to start trying to lock down your dream internship for next summer.
11. Every party you go to has a flannel-related theme.
Oktoberfest, flannel fridays, flannels and handles, lumberjack, you name it. Somewhere along the line, flannel shirts became the typical theme of fall, and so what better way to celebrate the best time of year than with a flannel-themed party.
12. All of your friends begin talking about Halloween costume ideas — and you find yourself spending countless hours looking for the best costume.
Planning the best costume can take a lot of time, and since Halloween falls on a weekend this year, it’s even more necessary to have multiple costumes to use for the whole weekend. With a tight budget and limited time, this may seem overwhelming at first, but whether whether you’re choosing to DIY or buy a costume, or whether it’s as a group, or by yourself, Her Campus has you covered.
13. Basketball fever officially hits campus.
UConn, a.k.a The Basketball Capital of the World, gets to show the rest of the country that we mean business during late fall with the beginning of the basketball season. Even though we have to wait through most of the fall for the season to begin, with events like First Night going on in October, everyone can’t help but get excited in anticipation. We have one of the best basketball teams in the country, so it’s no surprise that UConn students are some of the best fans out there when it comes to supporting their home team.
14. You realize that Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays are coming just around the corner, which means you’ve already started a countdown for them in your calendar.
After working hard for half a semester, you’re looking for anything to keep you motivated to keep working through the hours of homework and studying. Looking forward to spending time at home with family and friends–even if it is still weeks away–is a great way to keep looking forward, especially when it comes to that essay you’re writing at 2am.
15. At the same time, you find yourself missing summer.
Warm weather, going to the beach with friends, not having to worry about homework…the summer season always seems far too short, and now you have to wait a whole year for it to come again.