While most students would argue that December and April/May are the busiest months of the year [finals, prepping for a new semester, or getting ready for that summer job/internship], I would definitely argue that October is the busiest. So much happens in October -- one day it's the first of the month, and before you know it, it's November. Here's the laundry list of events in October:
1. October 3rd, National Mean Girls DayOkay, this isn't actually an event that makes October busy, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to refer to Lindsay's oh-so-famous line.
2. Homecoming WeekHomecoming Week is a lot of fun, mainly because of the Nearly Naked Mile and, of course, the Homecoming football game! The Nearly Naked Mile is a one mile walk/run for United Way, a charity focused on donating clothing to the local Salvation Army in Bloomington. To participate in the run, you must donate two articles of clothing or ten dollars. You can run as nearly naked as you wish -- I saw several guys in banana hammocks, girls in bras and underwear, and many people in shorts (and sports bras for girls.) It's a lot of fun, and you get an awesome long sleeve when you sign up!
3. The Jill Behrman Color the Campus 5k Walk/RunEvery year on the third weekend in October, IU and Recreational Sports holds a Color Run in honor of Jill Behrman. Jill was a student at IU, and she worked for Rec Sports. She went out for a bike ride one day, and she never came back. Three years later, it was discovered that she was murdered. This was the sixteenth year for the JB5K, and IU hosts it to honor Jill and to promote violence awareness on campus.
A 5k is 3.1 miles, but don't let that discourage you if you're not a runner! You can walk, run, or do a combination of both. It's so much fun, and if you run it, it's a really great feeling to finish the whole thing and feel like part of a cause. This year was my very first [completely run] 5k, and I finished in just under 26 minutes! The run is through campus, and it's beautiful because the trees are turning colors at this time of year. At the finish, there is catered food, water, and extra color powder to throw on yourself and your friends! You also get a cool tee shirt when you sign up for the Color Run.
4. Halloween (also referred to as Halloweek/Halloweekend)
Halloween at IU is SO MUCH FUN. Halloweekend is definitely the second best weekend of the year (just behind Little 5 weekend.) It's the one time of year when it acceptable to walk to class in a giraffe costume [I saw many people in costume throughout the week], to eat way too much candy corn and pumpkin shaped Reese's, to go out in a risque costume and not be too judged, and to make all of the Hocus Pocus references that your little heart desires. Who doesn't love a month that includes ABC Family's 13 Days of Halloween (thank goodness for Halloween Town 1-4, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and Twitches), pumpkin shaped candy, pumpkin spice everything, and awesome costume parties?
5. MidtermsMidterm week is the second week in October, and it is a long week. The lack of sleep is made up for with immense amounts of your caffeine of choice. The presence of fear and panic is strong. By the end of the week, your brain is mush. In addition to midterms being in October, it's also the busiest month of the first semester. Each class is reaching it's most productive point, and in turn, you have the most homework/tests/group projects. Think of a semester as a bell curve: October is the climax of all educational matter.
So even though October is arguably the most fun month, it is also the busiest month. My advice is to work hard and reward yourself by playing hard! Participate in all of the fun activities on campus, and go to parties during Halloweekend! Just make sure you study until you feel brain dead and you're certain that your blood volume has been replaced by all of the coffee you've ingested. Channel your inner Fat Amy and slay the month.