It’s officially fall in Happy Valley, which makes our beautiful campus even more appealing and brings some of the best times Penn State has to offer. Here are my eight favorite things about the best season — fall:

1. Fashion – Ladies and gents, it’s finally time to put away your shorts and flip-flops. No longer will you to stop in the bathroom before class to dab off the sweat you accumulated from walking in the blistering heat, and going out at night doesn’t mean hopping into a sauna for a couple of hours. With the cooler weather finally coming in, get ready to whip out your favorite Penn State sweatshirt and sweats. It’s hard to argue that fall isn’t the best time of the year for fashion.
2. THON– With October brings back Penn State’s heavy involvement in THON, from canning weekends to getting the committee calls you’ve been anxiously awaiting since your interview. I think as Penn State students, we can all agree that starting the countdown for THON weekend is better than starting your countdown for Christmas (or whatever else you’re celebrating).
3. Homecoming – Homecoming weekend — a time when Penn State students go even harder than usual. With alumni returning, the football game, and the parade, everybody’s minds are all on Penn State. It’s hard not to want to celebrate all of the traditions of such an amazing school.
4. Hayrides – To all the clubs and orgs out there, I’m sure you’re all pumped about riding around on a tractor with your best friends in your flannel button up — completely sober of course. Bon fires, hot dogs, hot chocolate, and seclusion in the woods. Enough said.
5. Pumpkin Spice Lattes – For all you Starbucks junkies, your favorite warm flavored drinks are finally back. There’s nothing better than walking around campus and having that seasonal delicious drink warm you up on a cold fall day.
6. Weather – Everyone knows that weather at Penn State is really drastic. It’s either blistering hot, freezing cold, or raining and windy. For this short amount of time, the weather is actually bearable and campus looks beautiful with the changing leaves, before winter sucks the life out of everything and the rain from summer and spring prevents us from even being able to look up and see campus.
7. Halloween – Whether you want to break out your slutty teacher outfit or your full body dinosaur suit, everyone loves that one weekend where you can get away with anything you want to wear. Also, Halloween is on a Wednesday this year. Who decides which weekend we celebrate? Maybe we’ll get lucky enough to celebrate for two weekends instead of one.
8. Television – All of your favorite TV shows that you missed all summer long are finally coming back on. Get ready for your usual Funday Sunday to be cut short so everyone can park their asses on the couch to catch up on Breaking Bad and Dexter.