Opening Thoughts

October has many fun activities at the University and downtown Iowa City. We have Homecoming the first week, midterms during most of the month, and the best holiday, Halloween. October is one of my favorite months, not just because it’s one month away from my birthday but because of the season change and Halloween spooks and scares waiting for everyone.

Homecoming Activities

Our homecoming theme this year is The Golden Age; we’ve had many activities throughout the week to get people’s spirits up for the football games. Things for students, facilities, and alumni. Some activities included the Parade, the Multicultural Block Party, and the Homecoming Game.

Other events were going on that week, but one of my favorite parts of Homecoming this year was being a part of the parade. I was with the Dance Club at the University of Iowa. We did a pom dance going down the street; it was so much fun. The Dance Club has been a campus for a little bit, and it’s a way for dancers who don’t major in dance to do what they love to do.

The Homecoming Game was so much fun as well; it was my first official football game at Kinnick Stadium, and let me tell you guys, even if you don’t like football, you will love the energy at Kinnick Stadium.

Midterms, Papers, and Projects Oh My!!

When October hits, it usually means midterm season is in full swing. Most classes are doing midterm exams, papers, and even projects. Not gonna lie; I’ve been struggling this midterm season primarily because of the weather and a lot of other personal problems. Midterm season is never easy, so I’ll give you some tips on surviving midterm season.

Midterms

So far, I’ve had at least 3 midterm exams for 3 out of my 5 classes. I know that most people don’t like exams, but I personally think that exams are one of the best ways to test your knowledge. They were for my psychology classes and my natural science class. Honestly, for me personally, it can get hard to study and find the discipline during the middle of the fall semester. So, one of the things that hold me accountable for getting my work done is having my friends in my classes check up on me and vice versa. Mainly because during the spring semester, we have a middle-of-term break that can help us with school work. But one thing you can do is reward yourself by getting food, hanging out with friends, and other rewards after you have done enough school work during the week. That’s what I do when I feel I can’t do my work on time.

Papers

So far, I’ve only had one paper that I needed to do for my Foundations of the English Major classes, and it was a struggle to say the least. It was a research and close reading assignment, and the topics were pretty easy to choose, but still, finding the sources to back up your reasoning was more challenging than I expected. Like I said before, with the midterm studying, find a reward system that helps you feel motivated to do your work. When writing this last essay, I struggled, to say the absolute least, but I made a reward system for every time I finished one or two paragraphs within the paper itself.

Projects

Honestly, I haven’t had a midterm project since last Spring semester, but some classes do have midterm projects. I have a paper connected to a final project later in the semester. If you find yourself struggling with the motivation of the project, just remember to reward yourself with treats and hanging out with friends. I know it can be hard to try and push through the Fall semester, but it is a reward when you feel that weight lift off your chest. That way, you can enjoy Halloween with friends and family.

Halloween

Halloween this year falls on a Tuesday, but everybody will celebrate the weekend of the 27th to the 29th. One of my great friends had a house party, which was so much fun. Even though Halloween is a lot different from when we were kids, it can still be so much fun. That’s one of the best parts about Halloween as a college kid. We can dress up from our favorite movies, TV shows, fairytale characters, and even memes that have become popular within the past month or two. The city comes alive during Halloween, and it was very active during Halloweekend this year. My costume this year was a Ravenclaw student from the Harry Potter franchise. My wand even lit up at the end so we could brighten our path.

Even if Halloween isn’t your favorite holiday, you guys should find a costume and dress up. It’s so much fun whether you and your friends are going out or having a casual night with movies and games. Halloween is such a fun holiday and day in general. It is just one of the things that makes October in Iowa City so unique.

Closing Thoughts

October is one of my favorite months of the year, and these are just some of the significant things that make the city come alive during the month. My favorite part of the month was a tie between the Homecoming Game and Halloween. I hope you guys decided to come up here to the University that you go to the Homecoming activities and the Halloween fun all around town. Thanks again for reading this post; I hope you all have a wonderful day, week, month, and year!