Written by Adam Robbins
As the weather cools and the leaves begin to turn vibrant hues, students welcome autumn. Living in the South my whole life, I had never experienced the North’s changing of the seasons until I moved to Hillsdale as a freshman. What makes autumn in Hillsdale so alluring, and how do students like to spend the season?
With the change of weather comes a wave of activities and events. As a freshman far from home last year, I began to feel homesick a few months into my semester. Lack of sleep, sickness, and looming midterms began to weigh on my mind, and it became tough to find solace being so far away from things that were familiar and comforting.
As Homecoming Week approached, however, things started to change. Campus was abuzz with talk of the events on the horizon, chief of these being Mock Rock. As my dorm, Niedfeldt, banded together for Homecoming Week, the strangers around me turned into familiar faces, and I realized that I was not alone. Students worked around their busy schedules to make time for practices and service hours, and I felt inspired to work hard, learn the dance moves, and help out where I could.
After Homecoming, the leaves changed, the wind became a bit cooler, and the days became shorter. I began to see people wearing comfortable sweaters and sitting together by the fireplace in the Grewcock Student Union with warm drinks. Some students delighted in evening walks when the air is crisp and dapples of sunlight dot the sidewalk under a canopy of crimson and vermillion leaves. On my way to classes, I passed by new friends and acquaintances who brightened the crisp autumn mornings with warm greetings.
In October, I enjoyed going to Oktoberfest hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Hertel and the German Department. Among the events hosted by the Student Activities Board, there is Fall Fest, where students carve pumpkins, eat sweets, and drink cider while enjoying the cool autumn air and the bright autumn leaves. In November, on Day of Thanks, students show their appreciation to Hillsdale College donors for the opportunity to attend the College. Dorms also celebrate autumn with events like Niedfall, hosted by Niedfeldt, and Simpson Asylum, hosted by Simpson. At Niedfall (Pumpkin Palooza following this year), students enjoy the autumn season by listening to music, eating food, and playing games while raising money for the Helping Hands Pregnancy Center in the city of Hillsdale. Simpson Residence transforms into a haunted house for students to find spooky thrills.
And as my first fall season as a Hillsdale student came to a close, my classmates began to arrange study sessions where we would sit in a toasty classroom and work through our study material for midterms and finals. After the hustle and bustle of the day, I would find some quiet spot and listen to music or admire the bright canopy of leaves glowing like a conflagration. I remember one evening very clearly, when I sat on a bench outside of Lane Hall and watched the sun cast its rays, gold like honey, through the fierce orange and red leaves of the tree beside me. The grass was still an emerald green, and I remember the scent of distant chimneys on a slow breeze that shook the branches above me and caused them to shed their vibrant leaves. Eventually, midterms passed like autumn and scattered into the wind as winter strode in with heavy steps.
Although I longed for the familiarity of home at the start of my freshman year, I spent this past summer pining to return to campus and see familiar faces and watch the changing leaves. I couldn’t wait to spend the season with the friends I had made my freshman year. Autumn at Hillsdale College is a great time to get closer with friends and make lifelong friendships out of new acquaintances. Autumn in Hillsdale is so alluring because of the people and the place. We are all moving every which way, pursuing different modes and ends for our lives. As the leaves change, we pick our heads up from our books to look at the colors of the season, and we go out to take in the clear autumn air. With our eyes pulled up, we notice the people walking at our side—friendly faces we’ll look to for confidence and support no matter the season of our lives.
Adam Robbins, ’27, hails from Atlanta, GA, and enjoys writing short stories and poetry, reading, and the English language. He plays classical guitar and specializes in Classical, flamenco, and Spanish music. His favorite author is Dostoevsky, and he enjoys studying literary and philosophical works from across the ages. He likes to spend his warm sunny days golfing with friends or going on walks.
Published in November 2024
