Once again autumn is upon us, gracing us with her brisk weather, vibrant colors, and our good friend, the common cold.

Though fall has its perks, whether it is breaking out the favorite beat-up old hoodie or dusting off those new stiletto boots you got on sale at the end of last season, there are some negatives.

Autumn marks the beginning of the dreaded flu season, which to an ordinary person means a few sick days when the bug hits you, but college life is anything but ordinary. The average student does not worry about catching the flu (in fact some of us embrace a few days bed rest), what I and many of my peers fear is the inevitable two-week off again, on again cold. It is certainly not common anywhere else but in a college atmosphere and for some it can last from now until mid-spring semester.

It's no wonder why it is nearly impossible to rid yourself of a cold during the next few months. Perhaps you have failed to take notice to the slowly escalating choir of coughs that eventually consume our lecture halls.

Do those students cover their mouths in an attempt to save the rest of us?

Of course not, they save that for the White Loop, to wipe their germ saturated hands on the communal poles that we all are forced to grab at one point or another.

Germs have found themselves a perfect niche here at Penn State, thriving on the door handles, water fountains and other communal grounds that the 40,000 students share. Some students may care and take precaution with their health in mind, but it is other student's negligence that infects the remaining 39,999 students.

I am by no means a germ-a-phobe, but the fact that currently I am plagued with such a cold, seems to be consuming my life.

Being sick, or even slightly under the weather, is something I cannot afford. There are classes I can't miss, homework to be done and parties I have to attend.

All of this cannot be done with a less-than-perfect immune system. These days my cold seems to be overwhelming me, and taking priority of my everyday life, forcing naps upon me, costing me countless dollars worth of tea, which I'm forced to purchase on campus.

And I can't neglect the fact I may not be able to go out this weekend. All in the attempts to rid my body of its bacterial (or viral) flaw.

The thing that perplexes me is why it is that I, the properly dressed, vitamin obsessed, well-rested individual, is the one who has the cold?

What about the kids who are sporting the flip-flops until Thanksgiving?

What about the kids still in tank tops and skirts, or recklessly making out in the corners of bars, potentially spreading unwanted and unknown germs?

Perhaps I am just dwelling upon the minor imperfection that is more noticeable to me than to the outside world.

Maybe other students accept the fact that the fall cold is inevitable, but I am not one of those students.

I strive for perfection, and that certainly does not exclude my health. I may seem to be dwelling on the inevitable cold, but you don't appreciate your good health until it no longer exists.

If you are one of the individuals fortunate enough to not yet be contaminated or under the disorientation of flu medicine, consider yourself lucky and take my advice and enjoy it while it lasts. If you are one of the countless victims of our near and not-so-dear cold, make a slight attempt to save the population from suffering the affliction you face.

Cover your mouths, wash your hands and for the love of god retire your flip-flops.