5 Essential Fall Experiences on Campus

To our first-year students, welcome to Syracuse! Whether you’re a lifelong resident of Central New York or just making it your temporary home for the next four years, we hope you’ll come to agree that there is something undeniably magical about the fall semester on campus. There are also certain rites of passage that are undeniably Orange. By the time December rolls around, you’ll likely have experienced all or most of the things on this list. If not, there is always next fall!

1. Football game in the JMA Wireless Dome

Grab your friends and get loud because fall Saturdays in Syracuse are synonymous with cheering on the Orange football team. The home opener is Saturday, Aug. 31, when we take on Ohio University at 3:30 p.m. Join Otto’s Army, the official student section, and snag your student season pass—which also includes tickets to every home men’s basketball game and complimentary admission to all home women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, ice hockey, volleyball, tennis and softball competitions!

2. Involvement fair on the Shaw Quad

Every semester, Student Engagement hosts an involvement fair to connect students with opportunities to get… well, involved, with recognized student organizations (RSOs). This year’s fair spans three days: Monday, Sept. 9, will highlight RSOs in the cultural, performing or special interest category; Tuesday, Sept. 10, will include those dedicated to public service, publications, club sports, sports interest and esports; and Wednesday, Sept. 11, will feature Honors, religious and fraternity/sorority-related RSOs. Festivities are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each of the three days on the Quad (rain location is Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center).

3. A visit to the Barnes Center at The Arch

Whether the purpose of your visit is to get a workout in, receive a flu vaccine, participate in a counseling session or take advantage of one of the facility’s many other services, it’s only a matter of time before the Barnes Center becomes a staple of your life on campus. The center provides integrated wellness services and programs that support a holistic and inclusive student-centered experience promoting lifelong growth and development—which thankfully, includes pet therapy.

4. Apple and pumpkin picking

A fall field trip to a local pumpkin patch or apple orchard is a must during your time in Syracuse. Abbott Farms in Baldwinsville, Beak & Skiff in Lafayette and Navarino Orchard in Syracuse (among many others!) all offer apple picking. Later in the season, Tim’s Pumpkin Patch in Marietta and The Pumpkin Hollow in Syracuse are two favorites for pumpkins and fall fun. All of these destinations are within a 30-minute drive from campus, but if you’re lacking transportation check the Community Calendar for upcoming outings to such places, which are sometimes sponsored and coordinated by the University.

5. The season’s first snow

If you grew up nearby, this will be about as exciting to you as an all-nighter in Bird—but if you’re one of the many students who come to Syracuse from warmer climates, perhaps you’ll be experiencing your first-ever snowfall later in the fall semester. When it happens, put on your favorite scarf, get a mocha java from People’s Place and prepare to wow your friends and family back home with your snaps of our beautiful campus covered in the season’s first snow. And then get used to it—because it will be here until April!