Homecoming: It is the time of the year when everyone gets excited about their school, participates in fun competitions designed to bring classmates together and form school spirit and looks forward to the second-best dance of the school year (compared to prom). There is discussion and debate concerning who will be crowned "King and Queen," which class will win the float and hallway decorating contests and whether the football team wins the big game. This, most likely, is an accurate description of the high-school version of Homecoming.
At the University, students agree Homecomings does not necessarily elicit the same level of enthusiasm. Some students did not even realize we were in the midst of the event last weekend.
"It's Homecoming ... oops, I didn't get that memo," fourth-year Engineering student Drew Michelotti said.
A view of the difference between Homecoming in high school and Homecomings in college was summed up by third-year College student Ali Morgan. When asked what she considered to be the main difference, she said "Beer."
Another view focused more on the purpose of Homecoming. In high school, the purpose may have been to bring students together, but in college, Homecomings seems to be more centered on football and the return of alumni.
"It just doesn't mean the same thing," said second-year College student Rocco Caponi, referring to how he feels differently about the event in college than he did in high school.
While many students may cite how they felt more attached in high school because they contributed more to the events associated with Homecoming as compared to college, others have had experiences which diverge from the common view.
Some students said they did not attend a high school that considered Homecoming activities to be as important, and some said they think the University is more involved than many students may perceive.
Third-year College student Ame McGrath was sympathetic to both of these perspectives. She said her high school "wasn't very big" on Homecoming, and while she does not feel the activities are that big of a deal in college either, there may be more sentiment forming among students in recent years due to the efforts of committees and people involved in making the event a bigger part of students' University experience.
"I do feel that this year they have tried to make more people aware about the event and its activities," McGrath said.
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