It is November. The leaves are falling along with the temperature (and some snow, too!). Midterms have passed, as has Halloween. What does that mean for a Williams College student? This must mean that Homecoming is coming, of course! Why the excitement? Read on to find out.

1. School spirit.

Whether you actually like football or not, you will find yourself wanting to pile on every purple and/or gold article of clothing you own. You will also likely chant "Go Ephs" or "Let's go, purp" at least twenty times over the course of the day.

2. Football.

I come from the Midwest, where college football is highly anticipated and valued. Football is not as big of a part of my college experience at this school as it would have been back home, so it is nice to have a slice of that excitement about the sport for this one weekend.

3. Tailgating.

This is the one weekend of the year when people park their cars, pop their trunks open, blast music, grill and chill. Teams and friends get together and have fun for once instead of grinding away in the library on a Saturday afternoon.

4. Alumni.

Many alumni come back for the weekend to catch up with other alumni or current undergraduate students. You can reconnect with those who have left recently, and meet new people who graduated long before you will. They are interesting to talk to. And it is wonderful to see how they keep coming back long after they have received their diplomas.

5. Community.

If you have been feeling down because of all of your work recently, you will feel excited about being a Williams student all over again. And you can almost sense the entire campus swept up in the same feeling. Homecoming is a truly unifying experience. So Happy Homecoming and let's go, Ephs!