One of the best parts about coming back to Penn State following a break is the promise of an eventful sylly week.

For those unaware, sylly week — short for syllabus week — is defined as the first week of every new semester. With new classes beginning, professors are often apt to leave the first week up to explaining the syllabus and assigning little homework.

Exams are distant clouds on the horizon during both fall and spring sylly weeks. But is one of these weeks of freedom better than the other? Two of our staffers weighed in.

Fall Sylly Week — Ryen Gailey

Fall sylly week is far superior to spring. For freshmen, it’s the first real opportunity to experience college parties, and I think it’s easier than people think to find parties and places to go out.

The anticipation of coming back from summer break as a returning student means you’re reunited with your friends, favorite frats, and in no need of a fracket. It doesn’t compare to the spring sylly week where you’ve only been apart for three weeks instead than three months.

Coming into the fall semester, you’ve been cooped up with your family for too long, working too many hours, and craving jungle juice and your crew of friends more than ever. Even better, when a sylly week ends, as it often does, with the first football game of the season, the excitement in the air is electric.

Another major plus is that it’s obviously significantly warmer out in late August, large crowds migrating downtown are much more common than they are in the summer months.

It sometimes seems impossible to drag yourself out of the warmth of your apartment just for Natty Lights and sweaty parties in the winter. In the fall, however, you haven’t heard that horrible frat dubstep mashups in a while, and it might even sound exciting for the first few choruses.

Fall or spring, both sylly weeks can still be a tremendous amount of fun. But the warm-weather, fresh, and exciting former will always prevail over the latter.

Spring Sylly Week — Emma Dieter

Sylly week is no joking matter. As a senior, I like to consider myself a sylly-seasoned professional, understanding of its ways and intricacies. I’ve even pulled off the perfect sylly week not once, not twice, but thrice throughout my college career.

I know. I know. It’s an impressive feat, and I’m pretty proud of myself for it. Not sure how proud my mom is of it, but that’s neither here nor there.

Over the years, I’ve slowly come to the realization that spring sylly week far outranks its lesser companion, fall sylly week. For one, with spring sylly week, you’re already moved in and ready to go. There’s less unpacking and setting up to worry about, which means there’s more time to go out. It’s simple math.

Plus, you’re already situated with your friends and roommates. Your “going-out” group is pretty much settled and you’re fully prepared with your gang to head into the week.

The cold weather only adds to the excitement, because what else is there for you to do in the middle of the winter besides drink? Case closed.