Fall semester is nearing its end. We all know that, right?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New… Fall semester is nearing its end. We all know that, right?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. The holiday season is coming, but with it comes another season that spreads misery instead of joy among college students – flu season.

Last year, I had it over spring break. The year before, when I lived in Sutherland Hall, my roommate and I had it one week after another in February. I know that those months seem a long ways off now, but trust me, the flu doesn’t care what month it is.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Luckily, the CDC has had no flu activity reported in Pennsylvania as of Nov. 3, so it looks like we’re in the clear for now.

The flu is tricky though. One day in one class a single person has the sniffles. A few days later, a third of the class is absent, and another third has tissues piled on their desks. The flu can act fast, and if you are anything like me, you won’t be ready for it.

Freshman year, my roommate and I had been completely unprepared for the morning when she woke up with a fever. The flu had caught both of us by surprise. We had no thermometer, no medicine, no soup. I even think we were out of tissues. Since then, I’ve learned a few things about surviving the flu as a college student.

Keep the cupboard stocked with soup, noodles, tea and jello. There is nothing worse than being sick and having nothing to eat. We’ve all had our parents rush out to buy these foods at the first sign of sickness, but now, in college, no parent is around to make this grocery run. Rather than dragging a feverish body to the Giant Eagle in a few months, do your shopping now. These foods will keep until you need them, and they are simple enough to cook within the limitations of dorm room appliances.

Other useful supplies to assemble are more medicinal in nature. As students, our medicine cabinets, naturally, are equipped with over-the-counter remedies for stress headaches, upset stomachs and the like, but I’ve found that these pills and liquids provide little relief from the general aches, irritationsand melancholy of the flu.

Sure, enough Nyquil can put a sick person to sleep, but personally, I can’t sleep away 24, 48, 72 hours waiting for recovery. Instead, I rely on a humidifier full of Vicks vapor rub to make the air in my apartment breathable – I was never a fan of putting that greasy stuff on my chest. For stomach aches, I use a heating pad, and to alleviate the general unhappiness of being sick