Homecoming: Expectations vs. Reality

Author: Alanna Fichtel

Homecoming is here already, and school spirit is running high (maybe). It’s still warm, prelim season has yet to begin, and there’s plenty to look forward to. Here’s a guide for what game day will actually look like.

The Weather

Expectation: It’s always rainy and cold on homecoming. You know you’ll be chilly in your jean shorts and knee socks, but you’ll sacrifice warmth for looking cute. As inconvenient as carrying a raincoat all day is, you’ll hope it’s just overcast but won’t actually rain.

 

 

Reality: The forecast is for sunny skies and high temperatures! You’ll be able to sport your shorts without a problem. However, this prediction sounds a little too good to be true, so there will likely be some incidence of clouds. After all, sunburn-capable weather is strictly reserved for slope day.

 

Tailgating

Expectation: Crowds of people will be packed in parking lots like you see in pictures of your friends who go to Big Ten schools. There will be so much to eat and drink, you won’t know what to have first.

 

 

Reality: It will be a little less packed and more low key than at Michigan or Syracuse, but Cornellians still know how to have a good time. The food lines will be long, and remember: the drinking age is 21…

 

The Football Game

Expectation: The stands will be filled with students cheering on Big Red from the beginning of the game to the very end. Basically everyone you know will be there, so you can’t skip it.

 

 

Reality: Football just isn’t our thing. By the time the game starts, the energy you had at 9 in the morning will be waning. You’ll be too tired from tailgating to sit at a game where you don’t even know what team we’re playing (It’s Bucknell, btw).

 

Passion Pit

Expectation: A lot of your friends won’t go because they’re not big fans. They’ll say they’re too tired from the day and need a rest.

 

 

Reality: Your friends who didn’t buy tickets will be scrambling at the last minute to find them because they decide they don’t want to miss out (#fomo). Even if you weren’t a big fan of Passion Pit before, you’ll leave the concert with the songs in your head, wanting to do it all again.

 

Post-Concert

Expectation: Netflix in bed. Cheering at the game and singing at the concert took all your energy and you’ll want to stay in.

 

 

Reality: Your night is just getting started! A nap sometime during the day is obviously key, but then it’s time to rally. The crowds in Collegetown will (almost) make you feel like it’s o-week all over again.

 

 

Homecoming is one of Cornell’s biggest events and a time to celebrate with friends about how great it really is to go here. Maybe it’s not the homecoming some other big schools have, but it still has a lot of potential, as long as you make the most of it. CU there!