With school back in full swing, there is something that is almost magical around campus right now. A slight chill in the air, the sun setting a little earlier than usual, and the copious amounts of pumpkin we can finally consume with no regrets. Yet, the best part about fall for me is taking the time to embrace it on campus. Let me show you how! 

Fall. Quite arguably the best time of the year in New England. Think reruns of Gilmore Girls in your dorm room, pumpkin chai lattes and deciding whether you really need to read Harry Potter again (you do). And while I personally love fall (I was born October 5: a true fall baby), I think it is important to remember that fall may not be everyone’s favorite season, but it can be a season that becomes enjoyable for everyone. There is a space of calmness that envelopes itself around Barnard and Columbia University’s campus that I just can not resist. And I think it is also because for the first time in a month, I finally feel like I have my schedule in order. I finally feel like I can start to breathe. Well only until midterms start. But we don’t need to worry about that right now. We are focused on fall and fall only. 

But the thing is, there can exist a time to enjoy fall even when the craziness is going on. The first thing that I like to do is purely just find places to enjoy the foliage. I think it can be so hard when the weather gets colder to WANT to be outside, but I can tell you that our campus is the most beautiful place to see the leaves change. Find space outside of Avery Library or the walkways tucked behind Kent Hall and just enjoy the breeze that goes through the trees. Even just popping yourself down outside of Barnard Fall. I think it is so essential to be outside even when it may be getting colder and darker because the outside is still the place where you can separate yourself from school–even for just a moment. 

And while leaves are beautiful and all, I found that another thing that helped me embrace fall even when I just wanted to lie in my bed was shifting my music–yes, I am taking time to write about this. Music is an essential part of every college student’s life. The playlists of our lives are unique and different but I will say there are a few ways to allow your walk to be even better on campus. That is playing the Noah Kahan, the Maggie Rogers, RED TV and of course, any other song that embodies this space you want to create. Yes I am including my playlist, shameless plug just go with it: 

Trust me even though BRAT summer is over, everybody should allow themselves to have a Little Women fall, complete with existential crisis music and everything in between. 

Finally, since our campus is also beyond the gates, I want to motivate you to seek out fall in the way that also speaks to you. Try a new coffee shop around the Upper West Side area (think: Plowshares Coffee, Picky Barista and Niko Coffee). Not only are you supporting a local business, but the odds they have SOMETHING fall related you just can’t resist. Go into Book Culture or the new Shakespeare and Co and seek to get out of your comfort zone or reading slump (im working on the later). But I do have an endless list of dark academic books that I love and need to read so plz do not hesitate to ask what they are. Finally, make sure to stop by the farmers market that lines the streets of Broadway from morning till early afternoon on Thursday and Sunday where the local breads, steaming cider and fresh apples will grace our presences soon again. Not only do you find the best apples in New York I have ever had, but you truly feel like you are getting a taste of fall for real. Brought straight to you from the source. 

And while I know some of you are going to wish summer was still here, find the little ways you can allow for fall to be an enjoyable experience even amidst a typically stressful time on campus. Carve the space or carve the pumpkin and dedicate space to nurturing the cozy, academic and calming atmosphere that fall brings to even the coldest of hearts. Because as L.M Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, once said: “I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.” And I think she was onto something. 

Image via Ursula Vollmer