It is my favorite time of year, dear readers—spooky season—and with it comes cold weather, not enough sweaters, and a certain longing for home. We’re coming down to the wire, and honestly, I’m stressed. It’s harder to get sleep, exercise, and social time between the mountains of homework sitting on my desk (aka my Canvas dashboard). What’s more, intramurals have begun; sickness is running rife around campus… Let’s get into how to survive October in your freshman year.

Firstly, fall is gorgeous in Iowa City. Between the river, the plentiful trees turning their many shades of gold, orange, and red, and the crisp, clean breeze that only comes with autumn, Iowa City is a good place to be this time of year. Just don’t do what I did and think you won’t need a coat until Thanksgiving! Bring at least one with you when you first move.

I have really been enjoying biking and walking, even as the weather grows colder. The weather has been sunny and clear, so the days heat up to a comfortable temperature if you’re wearing a sweater and jeans. On windy or rainy days, an extra layer is necessary, but overall, fall has been very pleasant so far.

With the changing of the seasons, however, comes sickness. Two of my roommates have caught nasty coughs, so I don’t know how I’ve dodged that bug for so long. Part of it, I know, is staying active. It’s tempting, as work piles up and the weather gets worse, to stay inside all day, but fresh air is your best friend for both mental and physical health! Whether you run, bike, or walk, it is important to keep doing those things for as long as possible. If you photosynthesize like me, take advantage of the sun while it’s still around! Season slumps come for the healthiest of us, so build breaks into the long homework sessions and study hours. Your brain and body will thank you.

Speaking of homework, you’re going to have a lot of it. Midterms have just finished, and the end of the semester is in sight. This means projects, presentations, and exams. These all require a lot more effort than routine homework, as you all know, and so being smart with your time is of the utmost importance. My tendency to procrastinate has been dying a slow, painful death by the sword of my looming coursework, so I suggest you learn from me and strive to be proactive! Tackle assignments early, work ahead if you can, and chunk heavier work into pieces to avoid getting overwhelmed. Homework is a whole new world in college, and it takes time to adjust. My biggest tip is to Put. Away. Your. Phone. Even placing it facedown beside me works wonders. When I am doing homework, my mind wants to go just about anywhere else, and so cutting off those wandering pathways is a great way to force myself to dial in and work.

It’s not all work, though. I have been playing intramural soccer! Technically, we have only had one game so far, but it is so good to be back on the field. We lost… but still managed to have fun. Intramurals are a low-commitment, strictly for-fun way to play sports you love, and I highly recommend joining. You also meet lots of new people! None of our team knew each other beforehand, and we’ll only become better friends and teammates the longer we play. Here we come, playoffs!

Lastly, happy Halloween! Whether you are going out or staying in, be safe and have fun! Tonight, I am carving pumpkins with friends and watching Monsters Inc., while tomorrow I will participate in my first-ever haunted house as a scare actor! I’ll be acting as a mannequin who gets closer every time the lights go out… watch out! I think it’ll be a blast. I haven’t acted much since I’ve come to college, so I’m very excited!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you in the next one!

Kiah<3