There is no better feeling than stepping on campus, and finally being able to see your friends after a long summer apart from them. This is an exciting time of the year; everyone is decorating their dorm rooms, and gearing up for the upcoming school year. Many people have their cabinets stocked with multiple types of alcohol, and bar clothes already picked out for the first Thursday night out. It’s hard staying away from the University of Hartford for the whole summer. At some point, you actually start to miss the village apartment you stayed in with NO air conditioning. From late night snacking at konover, to Thursday nights out, there is a lot of things to be excited about when getting ready to leave your house, and come back to the University of Hartford.

1. Syllabus Week

Finally, my favorite time of the week is almost here. Professors never give out homework, and the University of Hartford students get to go out to the bar every single night of the week. Non-stop partying for a week. It doesn’t matter if you have an 8am. It doesn’t matter if you have work really early in the morning. Syllabus week is a must. But, don’t worry Mom and Dad, I’ll hit the books hard once the week is over.

2. The 5’s

God bless the people that are able to make it out the 5’s alive (yes, I am one of the survivors here to tell my tale.) Something that is great about the 5’s, is that it’s the perfect spot for daging. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 degrees out, or if there is a snow storm, there will be someone ready to dage with a funnel in hand. There’s always something fun going on the 5’s - even when people aren’t getting extremely intoxicated they are playing cornhole, or lounging in the middle of the field. But, for the most part, people are daging and funneling through the window - which always is a good time.

3. Angry Bull

Yes, the line at angry bull is always SO long. But, the good thing about coming back to Angry Bull in September is that you won’t have to freeze your ass of waiting in line. Once you’re in, you can get beer for a quarter. Does it really get any better than that? Not really. Sometimes, there is even penny beers. This is a gift for broke college students like myself. If you’re at Angry Bull, you’ll probably see every single person you know from the University of Hartford, so don’t expect to try and dodge anyone you don’t want to see.

4. Aladdin's

Aladdin's deserves this shout out right now. Aladdin’s is the perfect go to spot to get a slice of pizza, or entire pie, after a long night at the bar. No better way to end a night at the bar then shoving your face with a slice of pizza (I have no shame).

5. Halloweekend

Not one costume, but three. Three costumes in one weekend. It definitely messes with my bank account a little, but of course, it’s worth it. So far, I’ve had nine different Halloween costumes. Granted, freshman years could have been a little more creative, but I still managed to pull together nine different costumes thus far.

6. Spring Fling

Non-stop daging Tuesday - Sunday. Professors know to cancel their Friday morning classes because students probably aren’t going to show up. Whether the performers are good, or really awful, the concerts are still fun to go to if you’re intoxicated. The food trucks are the perfect late night snack for when you have the “drunchies”.

Most importantly, the University of Hartford is a place that turns friends into family. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be reunited with them soon enough!