V. September

"As a client, I thought the [Writing Center] was only for grammar and particularly catered to ESL students, but after taking the course I learnt so much about writer agency, empowerment, and the community that the WC builds and fosters." —Varshini, undergraduate writing center consultant


When I was younger, I used to struggle with a seemingly simple question: “What is your favorite season?”

I never had trouble with the other get-to-know-you questions adults would ask us kindergartners; I had an ever-changing but always-certain lineup of favorite colors, and my favorite number was unequivocally five. But when I said my favorite season was winter, I never felt like I was telling the truth.



Because the truth is—I’ve always loved season changes more than any one season itself. I scan the weather forecast every December, waiting to frolic in the first snowfall of the season. Each springtime, I revel in the freedom of venturing outside without a coat for the first time in months. And to me, stepping on the first really crunchy leaf of fall is one of the pinnacles of the human experience.


Now that I’m older, I’ve concluded that my obsession with the changing of seasons is tied to my obsession with the passage of time. For years I’ve anticipated the future and mourned the fact that I can never return to the past. For years, I’ve tried to wrap my mind around my own mortality, the fact that I, along with everyone else who has ever lived, will die.


Each season shift is a reminder that time passes without feeling—it’s simultaneously an arbitrary measure establish by humans and an inevitability dictated by nature. I ponder this truth whenever the seasons transform, but especially in September, which marks the best season shift of them all. I never feel more vibrant than in the fall, when Pumpkin Spice Latte pictures populate my Twitter feed, when ghost emojis become more common than actual words when the autumn breezes sing with shared anticipation of all that’s in store. Fall is about cooler weather, a semester of hard work followed by a blissful winter break, all the best holidays back-to-back, and the knowledge that all my Northern Hemisphere friends are reveling in the same natural wonders of weather as I am.



For me, early fall is paradoxically about enjoying the moment and appreciating change—and sharing the excitement with others. There’s no better time to be alive.