Autumn: the most aesthetic and fashionable season. New fashion trends every day, holiday plans, leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice and chai lattes. Fall is the perfect season to try new things, make your last plans outdoors with friends before the weather gets too cold and romanticize every second of your life. Here are my seven must-do autumn activities to achieve the perfect fall aesthetic this year!
1. Drink a Hot fall drink
I know my die-hard iced coffee girls are out there — I am one of you — but fall seasonal menus will be gone before we know it. As much as I love an iced latte or matcha, I think we might just be missing out on some of the best that the fall menus are offering. On some of the colder days this fall, a hot drink is a must to make it through the walks across campus.
My favorite coffee shops to recommend (from a South campus girl) are Gata Mágica CafĂ© and Lounge and Stauf’s Coffee Roasters. I also love Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea and am dying to try Kafe Kerouac, a recommendation from my coworker. My favorite place off-campus is Fox in the Snow Cafe, a basic (but classic) choice in Italian Village.
Wherever you go, branch out from Starbucks! There are so many small businesses and independent coffee shops in the area that are perfect study spots or meetup places, and the baristas know so much about their menus and can give recommendations for everyone, including the biggest coffee fans and first-time cafe-goers. Grab a hot drink this week to celebrate the season!
2. Read a New Book
Finding time for reading can be an overwhelming task when balancing school, a social life, work and clubs, but it’s always such a good feeling to spend an hour (or a few) with a book. It’s so important to disconnect from our devices and find new ways to spend our time. As much as I love a good Netflix series — my current rewatch is “Suits” — there is nothing that beats the accomplished feeling of having set aside time to read or finish a book.
There are fall reads for every genre under the sun. Autumn is the perfect season for classics like “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde or “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. It’s also a great time for a read like “Everything I Know About Love” by Dolly Alderton, which is my favorite book to recommend, or something darker like “If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio. If you’re a romcom girl, there are always books like “The Dead Romantics” by Ashley Poston or “Ready or Not” by Cara Bastone. Whatever your genre of choice is, there is always a fall read you can find!
3. Get a Fall Manicure
Fall colors, Halloween and Thanksgiving inspo and ever-evolving nail trends make this season the perfect time to find your new favorite mani shape, color or style. Fall oranges, browns and reds are out of season as soon as December breaks, and this is your only chance to take advantage of those colors before next year!
There are girls in every corner of campus who do nails, as well as professional salons and independent techs that you can always find. As one of those students doing nails as a side gig, there’s definitely something to be said for finding a friend alongside someone right on campus to do your nails for a potentially lower price. But the professionals are, of course, professionals for a reason, and if your budget can include a nail tech once a month, it’s a good investment! Nail days are always some of my favorites, so don’t underestimate the value of taking some time and setting aside some cash to do something for yourself.
4. Take a Mental Break
Speaking of doing something for yourself, we can all relate to feeling a little burnt out and academically exhausted after midterm season. It’s so important to take some time to yourself to decompress and not think about your schoolwork, job or other responsibilities.
Taking a break is different for everybody: for some people, it’s gym time, for other people, it’s reading and for others, it’s taking a long shower and having a self-care day. No matter what your favorite way to have me-time is, set aside real time for it this fall. Sleep in, call off work, clean your whole room or spend time with your best friends. Don’t let time for yourself and your peace slip through the cracks!
5. Listen to a Fall Album
There are so many albums dropping this fall, and many are fall classics. From Tyler, the Creator’s new release “Chromakopia” on Oct. 28, to Gracie Abrams’ “The Secret of Us” deluxe edition, to the “brat” remix album Charli XCX just released, there’s no shortage of new music to enjoy this fall. And I know I’m not the only one religiously watching clips from the last leg of the Eras Tour and the Short n’ Sweet Tour.
In terms of fall classics, “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer is in constant fall rotation for me. “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “Evermore” are also pretty standard for this season. Some other older albums I’d recommend for fall include “Kansas Anymore” by Role Model, “Hozier” by Hozier, “Atlanta Millionaires Club” by Faye Webster and “Cleopatra” by the Lumineers. No matter what kind of music you’re into, there’s so much fall music out there that is the perfect soundtrack for this time of year!
6. Get Outside
The best part of fall is the weather. As fickle as Ohio weather at this time of year might be, those perfect fall days where you can sit outside and be not too warm or too cold is an opportunity to get out of your room before the weather gets too cold to be outdoors. Find a cafe with outdoor seating or take a blanket out on The Oval with friends. Doing your work outside can be the change of pace you need to get your motivation back after exams.
Sweatshirt and sweater season is the perfect time to try new outdoor spots on campus. You never know when you’ll find your new favorite spot!
7. vote!
Early voting in Ohio began a few weeks ago, and thousands of people have already made their voices heard around the country through absentee and early voting. No matter how you vote, make sure you do it somehow! Registration was an important first step, but make sure you follow through with what you started and cast your vote. Learn about the issues on the ballot in your district (Vote.org is a great resource for this) and educate yourself before making your final decision. Don’t let yourself regret staying home this election cycle.
No matter how you spend your fall or what activities you choose to make time for, from this list or beyond, don’t forget to romanticize it and live in the moment! Whether it’s your first fall on campus or your last, this fall will never happen again. This is your one chance to live it, so take advantage of every second.