Fall marks the beginning of school once again. Going back to classes, homework, stress. At the same time, and arguably more importantly, returning to campus means football games, tailgates, reuniting with friends. Coming back to school is an awesome occasion for those reasons – the wafting smells of burgers on the grill and the constant high fives ringing through the later summer, early autumn air.
That’s my personal favorite time of the year because I get to see all my friends who were studying abroad in the summer, doing incredible research for new technologies or simply chasing down their career dreams through internships and summer jobs. It’s a different level of excitement and exhilaration, especially as a senior. It’s getting down to crunch time to figure out what I’m doing next year and somehow have an answer to, “so what do you want to do after graduation?” (which, let’s be real, I’m not mentally prepared for that question yet).
The fall quarter is also a time to forge new friendships. So many new faces arrive on campus to replace the ones who have graduated and moved on to the real world. This means there are so many new lives to touch, people to meet and memories to create. Returning to school is more than just returning to classes and work, it’s hitting refresh on your internet screen or like a rebirth in a way. It’s a new year with new opportunities and new challenges to face.
Fall quarter is easily my favorite for those reasons. I’m not tired of classes yet, I’m still settling in to my new home for the year, I’m telling my friends about my summer adventures. Getting back into the swing of school is nice as well. I get to start new classes and learn new things.
Personally I love to show new students the ropes of Northwestern and Evanston. Many first year students come in fairly green and energetic. After a few weeks, they still have that energy but have already grown immensely those few weeks.
The fall is full of opportunity and excitement. Nothing quite beats returning to school for the upcoming year.
–Mike Marut