News
River Run Rampage
A look into the longstanding Housing Day Eve tradition.
At long last, Harvard College Housing Day is here again. This annual event—sometimes touted as one of the most important days of a student’s years at the College—decides which of 12 Houses will become a first-year’s home for the next three years. First-years spend the months after winter break navigating blocking group formation—an often dramatic […]
Hogwarts at Harvard
A look at what makes each of Harvard’s Houses truly magical.
Every year, on the final Thursday before spring recess, Harvard first-years symbolically don the College’s “Sorting Hat” as they are randomly assigned to one of the 12 undergraduate Houses, where they will live for the rest of their time at Harvard. Appropriately named Housing Day, the tradition will take place this year on March 13. […]
Engaging With The HGHI
A profile of the Harvard Global Health Institute and how to get involved in its global movement.
The Harvard Global Health Institute considers itself a hub for connecting students with international global health and policy internships, fellowships, speaker events, and research showcases. As U.S. healthcare policies shift under the new presidential administration, Harvard students are turning to the HGHI for opportunities to not only educate themselves but also gain real-world experience in […]
Putting a Cap on Time Caps
A look at the movement to end limits on non-tenured Harvard staff contracts.
A university as expansive as Harvard requires thousands of teaching staff to preserve its academic reputation of integrity and curiosity. Though they are known by various names—professors, senior lecturers, preceptors, and College fellows—each faculty member’s mission is to educate. Tenured professors like Jason Furman ’92 and Michael Sandel enjoy unlimited lengths of stay at Harvard, […]
Is the Grass Greener at Other Schools?
Students voice concerns over uniquely Harvard inconveniences.
Do Harvard students melt down over the minuscule? Or are their complaints of campus crises completely justified? Whether it’s sprinting across campus to make Annenberg Hall’s slim 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. dinner hours, battling the printers in Lamont Library, or making the outdoor trek in 20-degree weather to another building to do laundry, minor […]
HOLA: A Home Away from Home
A look inside the Harvard Organization for Latin America.
Harvard College is home to a wide range of unique student organizations. However, the Harvard Organization for Latin America stands out due to its vibrant combination of culture, connection, and celebration. While many of Harvard’s students primarily hear about consulting or networking organizations, HOLA’s rich Latin American community makes its presence just as critical for […]
Forum
Not So Unlucky: In Defense of the Quad
A few reasons why the dreaded phrase “You got quadded?” might actually be a good thing.
We’ve all seen the videos of Housing Day—the chaos, the revelry, and most of all, the excitement for the future. Housing Day is one of the most iconic Harvard experiences, no matter whether you’re a freshman or a senior. It’s the culmination of weeks of speculation, strategizing, the chaos of blocking, and the Housing Lottery. […]
Fractured Faith
Grappling with the prospects of luck in the face of loss.
August 2022: My mother is smiling to herself while old Bollywood music quietly plays off my Baba’s new computer. As my Nannos hum Hindi lyrics, I scratch away at a lottery ticket with a dulling quarter. “I won five dollars,” I say. My aunt calls from across the dining table, “Hey, I knew today would […]
House of Cards: How Harvard’s Housing System Was Rebuilt
How Harvard’s housing system evolved from social stratification to a randomized tradition.
As Housing Day approaches, anticipation, excitement, and fear of the Quad fills the air in Harvard Yard. Freshmen across campus grapple with the intricacies of blocking groups, house culture, 8-minute-long housing videos, and the annual River Run tradition, where Harvard freshmen visit each River House the night before Housing Day to avoid being placed in […]
The Universal Law of Luck
The elevator ride I’ll never forget.
If you think you can escape the infamous “Harvard Bubble,” take it from me—you can’t. Growing up in Cambridge, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with Harvard affiliates. From crossing paths with undergraduates as they oscillated between Harvard’s libraries on a typical Tuesday to finding myself behind Michael Sandel in line for coffee last […]
A Broad, Abroad: Turning 21 in Europe
How I found meaning in America’s biggest birthday in a place where it held no significance.
If you had asked me four years ago to envision my ideal 21st birthday party, I would have described a glamorous soiree like the one Rory’s grandparents threw for her in Gilmore Girls—my favorite show at the time. Two years ago, I might have dreamed of a birthday bash at Bar Enza. Two months ago, […]
Abreast on Abroad: Letter Two, “Scarebnb”
The Red Light and an upstairs rager: Sadie Kargman’s unsettling Amsterdam accommodation.
Hey Shitstains, How’s the weather in Cambridge? “Spring,” am I right? Anyway, welcome to this week’s edition of “Abreast on Abroad.” In my last letter, I discussed how my decision to “cross the pond” ultimately hinged on the ability to wander the world. What can I say? I dreamed of becoming the next insta-travel-baddie and […]
Arts
The Story of a Symphony
A review of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra’s third concert of the season.
At Sanders Theatre, performers dressed in concert black are ordered in rows upon the stage, their bows moving in unison. As the strings swell into a racing melody, conductor Federico Cortese’s audible and emotional breaths guide the orchestra forward, cueing the dramatic crash of the cymbals, the militaristic drum of the timpani, and the brass […]
River Runnin’
Complete the river run and I’ll tell you what upperclassmen house you actually belong in.
After what seems to be a never ending first half of the spring semester, it is finally the long awaited week before spring break here at Harvard. If you’re a first-year student, you have likely already come to face many battles this far in your Harvard journey. After claiming that you were going to stage […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: A New Home
A story of finding my way back to belonging.
I wandered too long,a stranger in my own life,watching laughter through glass,close enough to see, too far to touch. I lived at the edge of things, where streets stretched into silence, where each step away felt like exile, where the night ended not in sleep, but in the long breath before loneliness. It was waiting—always […]
Somewhere Between Performance and Reality: A Review of “be cozy”
An original play that successfully subverts reality.
The real world is never as stable as we think—especially when a story dares to break it right before our eyes. From March 6-9, Harvard students sold out the original play “be cozy,” which distilled a whole world into a living room—a living room where the lines between performance and reality blurred with unsettling ease. […]
Bassett & Vance Join the Sphinx
The Hasty Pudding revives their Golden Sphinx Award and honors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance.
For the first time since 2019, the Hasty Pudding Institute hosted their 8th Annual Golden Sphinx Award Ceremony on March 2. The Order of the Golden Sphinx, named for the Pudding’s traditional symbol, “recognizes individuals in the entertainment industry for their extraordinary contributions to the performing arts” and is the Institute’s highest honor. This year, […]
Underground at the Ag
Our love letter to Ghungroo: Rooted.
Painted lehengas and Parle-G cookie boxes adorn wooden set panels of the Agassiz—affectionately dubbed the “Ag.” Bollywood vocals mixed with piano, guitar, and percussion echo through the theater. Spots, PAR cans, and Fresnels illuminate the stage. 12 dancers in classical Indian attire stand in four lines. The first dance of Ghungroo 2025 is about to […]
Sports
Women’s Water Polo Makes Waves
Harvard women’s water polo is on an exciting winning streak as they strive for the conference championship.
The Harvard women’s water polo team is riding high, showing no signs of slowing down. This past weekend’s dominant 16-9 win over Brown pushed their streak to an impressive 14 games while also marking a significant milestone for head coach Ted Minnis—his 250th career victory. This remarkable run is record-breaking. Ranked No. 8 in the […]
Sports Spotlight: Harvard Men’s Tennis
The Harvard men’s tennis team is a dominant force on the court.
Game. Set. Match. Harvard men’s tennis is no stranger to these words as their legacy of excellence and ambition has led them to 33 Ivy League Championships and 29 NCAA Appearances. This year’s team embodies a similar penchant for greatness, demonstrating standout performances heading into the 2025 spring season. The Crimson currently holds an overall […]
Indy Sportsbook: Bracket Busters & Title Chasers
A list of the key teams to know for The Big Dance.
Though it feels like the semester started yesterday, March has arrived, bringing with it erratic weather, grueling midterms, and madness. The NCAA Division I single-elimination basketball tournament, or March Madness, pits 68 college teams across the country against each other. Held annually for the past 86 years, March Madness hosts teams of different skill levels […]
Indy Sportsbook: Podium Picks
Pre-season testing takeaways and our predictions for the 2025 Formula 1 Season.
Formula 1 is back and better than ever after a solid week of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Coming off of a drama-filled 2024 season with grid changes, championship battles, and seven different Grand Prix winners, the 2025 season is bound to bring even more excitement. Ending his 12-year tenure with Mercedes, seven-time World Champion Lewis […]
The Art of a Mental Health Walk
How consistent exercise can help prevent a crash-out.
At Harvard, we toss around the term “crash-out” as casually as if it’s just another everyday occurrence—like leaving your laundry in the machine for a minute too long and coming down to find it discarded on the floor in a plastic bag. Students are relentlessly torn between academic, social, and physical demands, pushing themselves to […]
Lost In Translation: The Life of an ESL Student-Athlete
The art of juggling sports, school, and a new way of life.
The challenge of balancing elite sports and academics is hard enough, but with language barriers, cultural confusion, and fast-paced professors to the mix, it becomes a whole new game. For international student-athletes, adapting to life in the United States comes with plenty of unexpected hurdles, both on and off the field. On the Harvard field […]