Two words: Gilmore Girls.

It’s that time of year again. The weather is cooling down, the days are getting shorter, the trees are turning gold, and you’re losing your mind over midterms. A lovely sight to behold. If you’re looking for fun fall-inspired activities to get you into the spirit of the season and help you ignore the looming presence of upcoming essays and exams, look no further. Here I have developed a guide of sorts to being a faithful follower of the Church of Autumn, containing various distractions inspired by Barnard and Columbia alumni. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and most importantly, enjoy the season as fully as your upcoming midterms will allow.

1. Rewatch The Show

We need to start with the obvious one: Gilmore Girls. THE quintessential fall comfort show. I could’ve put this one with the next item, which is about movies that feel like autumn, but I felt it deserved a standalone mention on this list. There’s a reason why the girlies faithfully go back to it every back-to-school season: the colors, the vibes, the academic inspiration that will pull you through this wave of exams—it’s all there. And it’s even better when you know that one of the Gilmore Girls graduated from Barnard! There’s a comfort in watching Lauren Graham (BC ’88) don warm-toned knitwear and low-rise bootcut denim to speedwalk around town and drown herself in coffee just like you do every morning on the way to your 10:10. She’s literally you. Let this validate your caffeine addiction, you’re completely fine. But also maybe drink a glass of water if you haven’t yet today.

Let’s face it, you really don’t have the time to rewatch a series you’ve already seen four times, but think about it this way: Rory’s academic weaponry will motivate you to study harder, so putting it on in the background is actually an investment and will make you work more efficiently. Writing your third essay of the week will feel a little better when Rory is enduring group projects with Paris right alongside you. So take a break this week to celebrate the superior season by watching a season (or two) of Gilmore Girls.

2. Watch movies that feel like fall

Fall is the perfect time to use the changing weather as an excuse to lock yourself away and watch movies all day. There’s truly nothing better than embarking on a movie marathon when you have ten missing assignments. So, to aid in your inevitable procrastination, I have compiled below a collection of films with autumnal/academia vibes that Barnumbia alumni have been involved in.

• Little Women (2019): Written and directed by our lord and savior Greta Gerwig (BC ’06) and also stars Timothee Chalamet if you want to count the one year he spent at CC. Apparently, he lived in Hartley. Extra credit if you can recite Laurie’s confession to Jo in its entirety. “It’s no use, Jo!”

• Mistress America (2015): Starring Greta Gerwig. It’s literally about a Barnard freshman figuring out her first semester in the city. There’s a scene in Hewitt dining hall. Barnard baddies, you’ll recognize those dimly lit quad hallways. Awesome outfit inspo too. Watch it and try to name all the places they filmed on campus and relive the excitement of experiencing this campus for the first time through the eyes of a hopeful first-year.

• Lady Bird (2017): Written and directed by Greta Gerwig. I’m sensing a pattern here. Although this movie takes place over the course of a year, the private school uniforms give it an academia vibe throughout. There are also some Thanksgiving scenes and they make my heart warm.

• Dead Poets Society (1989): Everyone’s probably heard of this one, but did you know that Robert Sean Leonard went to GS? I wonder what Neil Perry would’ve thought about the Core. Anyways, bring tissues.

• Good Will Hunting (1997): Casey Affleck went to CC for two years but never graduated. He was a side character in this, but I’m including it anyway because it’s just that good. It’s another academia-centered storyline that features Robin Williams as the father figure/mentor role, plus there are tons of sweaters. What more could you want?

• Mona Lisa Smile (2003): This one takes place in Wellesley, but stars Julia Stiles (CC ’05) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (CC ’99). It might be worth mentioning that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended Wellesley in real life, and now teaches a class here at SIPA. RIP the blackboards in IAB 417.

3. Read books (because you want to)

As the leaves turn and the weather cools, the cult of dark academia makes its inevitable return, claiming its victims one by one. Before you know it, everyone is wearing at least one article of leather clothing at all times and there is a noticeable rise in the sweater vest and button-down combo. You suddenly want to drink black coffee and scribble illegibly in a beat-up notebook in the darkest corner of the Butler stacks. Maybe you’ll start keeping a book in your back pocket and memorize Howl or The Hollow Men. Why not? Embrace the seasonal pretentiousness with some literature that you swear you’re reading outside of class on your own, purely to satisfy your personal intellectual curiosity. It’s getting colder and darker and you’re always tired—who even cares anymore? Ignore your class readings and crack open one of these books written by Barnumbia alumni instead.

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (GS. If you want to be unique, read Franny and Zooey, too.)
• Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (CC ’48)
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac (CC ’44)
• The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (BC ’40)
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (BC ’02)
• The Namesake and Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri (BC ’89)
• The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (MA ’52)
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (BC ’28)

(I have read exactly one of these. Do as I say, not as I do.)

4. Cook something festive (instead of just buying all the pumpkin-flavored Trader Joe’s items)

Fall means warmth, harvest, and preternatural amounts of pumpkin and apple recipes. Even if you’re really busy, it’s absolutely worth it to take some time out of your week to cook up something festive for yourself. Don’t know what to cook or how? Good thing Alex Guarnaschelli (BC ’91) has tons of fall recipes that are reasonably cookable in a seven-by-seven suite kitchen. If you’re looking for an easy sweet treat, try this foolproof apple crisp recipe. Even if your skills in the kitchen are limited to making ramen and cutting onions badly (like me), there’s really no way to mess this one up. If you’re in the mood for a fun little drink, try her pumpkin-spiced Irish coffee. Much more fun and probably cheaper than the Starbucks PSL (depending on the brand of whiskey you buy). Also, it’s coffee so you’re allowed to drink it in the morning, those are the rules. If you’re feeling really crazy, try this baked apple recipe. It’s literally whole apples baked, which sounded wild to me at first, but it’s basically apple pie minus a few steps if you think about it. If you try out any of these recipes, let us know how it went!

That’s all I can think of. Shoutout to fall for being dope and awesome and fun during a time of extreme academic distress. Best of luck to everyone this midterm season!

Fall Header via Wikimedia Commons
Gilmore Girls via Flickr
Baking via Bwarchives