Welcome back to Cal, returning students! No matter what brought us to Cal in the first place, some things keep us coming back year after year, semester after semester. Is it the dorms? Is it the people? The location? No matter what, there are always reasons to return to Cal in the Fall semester. This Fall 2016 semester is no exception - here are some familiar and new reasons to be excited about being back.

The campus is at its most beautiful.

Over summer, people have been working to fix cracks in the sidewalk, plant grass that was trampled last year, repainting buildings, and more to make sure Cal is looking picture perfect when parents come to drop off their kids. With all this beautifying done, coming back to Cal feels like being a butterfly dancing in a field of flowers. A small field, but still a field.

There are new flower baskets hanging from the lamp posts.

It's such a small thing, but the new flower arrangements hanging from the lamp posts just add more color and life to campus.

You and your friends are all in the same place again.

In college, the friends you make can be from anywhere in the world, and over summer you all go back to your own respective home towns. But once school starts again, the friend reunions are so much more intense than they ever were in middle school. You're all suddenly thrust together again and excited to catch up over pizza and Mario Kart tournaments.

New students means new friends.

Though some people agonize over the influx of freshmen, new students present the opportunity of meeting some really cool new people and making some really awesome friends.

Tons of events go on around campus.

Lots of things go on to get new and returning students more engaged! From tie-dye shirts to inflatable jousting, there are so many fun things to do, and most of it is free!

Cal got a new Chick-Fil-A!

You heard right! Now occupying the space where Flatz used to be, Cal has its very own Chik-Fil-A and students can hardly contain themselves.

Redecorating your dorm.

When you're moving back into your room, you have the chance to completely redo it from how it was last year. New decorations, new arrangement, maybe even a new roommate - the sky's the limit!

Cal has a new app.

The app, myCALU, puts access to news, courses, events, maps, WCAL radio, and more at the fingers of smart phone users. If students log in with their student accounts, they can even look at grades, transcripts, financial aid, and D2L quickly on the go. And its actually really nice, no lie.

You can connect to Wi-Fi everywhere.

Having wi-fi anywhere on campus is such a blessing. Whether you're Facetiming in front of Morgan Hall, working on homework between classes in Steele, or taking down the Pokemon Go gym at Manderino Library, you're always connected.

You're one year closer to graduating.

As much as we might love Cal, we've got lives and careers ahead of us! The start of a new semester means we're one step closer to moving on to bigger and better things!