Tuesday marked the first official day of the fall season, which means things are going to start to get a lot cooler.

Fall means a new season for fashion, football and pumpkin-spiced everything. That being said, with the weather changing, it’s also a time where everybody starts getting sick – which means coughing through class, liquid diets and pumpkin-spiced Tylenol.

You’ve probably already noticed – if not from hearing someone talk about then from hearing muffled coughs and sniffles during lectures – that most of campus has already come down with the cold.

People may have told you many times that you should be taking care of yourself, drinking plenty of fluids, etc. The problem is, some of us don’t feel like we have time to take care of ourselves amongst everything else.

Balancing class, extracurricular activities, homework and study time alone takes a lot out of us, to the point where trying to get a couple of extra hours of sleep seems impossible.

Not to say that we should completely shut down when we get sick, but we should make taking care of ourselves a priority. Tackling all of your responsibilities will be that much more difficult if you have to stifle a guttural cough every 30 seconds.

In the meantime, talk to your professors, let them know that you’re working through being sick and you’re trying to get better. It’ll be easier to make up a bit of work in a couple of days than a couple of weeks later when your cold has finally died down.

Professors, please understand that some of your students may be taking 18 credits, working and participating in outside activities. Though grades are very important, so is everyone’s health.

As long as everyone takes care of themselves this season, there’s no reason that we can’t enjoy fall – just be sure to bundle up.