Blog

The Game Day Waffle

Of course, “fall” at Michigan is synonymous with “football.”

As an incoming first-year, I had essentially no idea what to expect from my first college football game day. I’d been to NFL games and those at smaller schools, but the Big 10 football experience as a student was something I’d heard so much about from current students and alumni alike, it teetered on overwhelming.

In my first semester, I found myself ushered into the delightful world of Michigan football, and several campus game routines that I’ve missed so dearly over the past year: It may be the silliest little game day ritual of them all, but the iconic South Quad dining hall has one breakfast option that reigns superior to all others on game day: the belgian waffle. The gameday line is longer than any other day as endless first-years take turns with the special waffle makers that print a big block M on the waffles. I’m convinced they’re good luck charms for the football team.

Festifall

One of the first hallmarks of a new school year is the few afternoons right as classes start when the Diag fills with endless booths, each staffed with a few (very enthusiastic) people looking to recruit more members to their student org. It’s how I discovered some of the organizations I’m still very involved with as a junior, and a great opportunity to meet some of the infinite clubs, intramural sports teams, social groups, and academic organizations on campus.

Cider Mills

As soon as it starts to get the slightest bit chilly in Ann Arbor, students start to plan trips to nearby cider mills, the seemingly magical places all around Michigan where one can pick pumpkins and apples, find apple cider, and eat the most legendary donuts I’ve ever had. As someone who loves to bake, I’m pretty sure the apple pie I made with cider mill apples might be the single best thing I’ll make in all four years of college.

Watching the Colors Turn in the Arb

When I asked my lovely first-year roommate, who is from California, what she was most excited about starting college at Michigan, she replied “seeing fall here.” Being from Colorado, I’d seen the leaves change every year, but still was struck by how stunning Ann Arbor is for that perfect stretch of time in between the day someone first excitedly texts you that they’ve seen the first yellow tree of the season, until a few weeks later when the last leaf has fallen in the Diag. In the Nichols Arboretum especially, I always excitedly plan long walks with friends to spot which trees are first to turn a whole host of colors.