In third grade, I strutted through hallways and across the playground on the most exciting day of the school year, dressed in a pinstripe suit, bowler hat, and sunglasses —finished off with a bright red lip. In my full ensemble, I was more than ready for the Halloween parade as 1920s gangster Al Capone. My […]
Each morning this summer, I passed the same wall on my way to work. Behind me, the brakes of a bus hissed, and a gust of warm air carried the smell of exhaust and garbage. The wall changed constantly—first a movie poster, then a perfume ad, then a mural commissioned by a sneaker brand. Each […]
At Harvard, you don’t need ghosts to make the place feel haunted—stress is enough to fill the halls with the unease of ambition that never sleeps. It’s hiding within busy comp schedules and crowded day-to-day schedules, breathing through the walls of dorms that never quite feel “homey” enough, and slipping into the quiet. It’s a […]
Every Sunday night, my suitemates and I crowd onto one of our twin XL beds, blankets in hand and worries from the week forgotten, to watch the latest episode of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The snacks laid out on the bed perfectly encapsulate Harvard’s global community: maple sea salt popcorn from Trader Joe’s, licorice […]
On Friday, Oct. 10, Widener’s steps were packed with sophomores posing with concentration banners beneath the cloudy sky, trying to get a photo before their flag disappeared into the crowd. Along with most life sciences concentrators, I went straight from Chem 17 lecture to snap a photo with my roommates holding the “Concentration Declaration Day” […]
“Do I look Indian?” I interject into our conversation with a hint of eagerness. It’s the middle of June, and my friends and I are sitting around the kitchen table, eating the dinner we had just cooked together. The stove is a mess with dishes out everywhere, as penne alla vodka and steak elegantly rest […]
“Today’s gift will help continue that legacy by making SEAS a 21st-century engineering leader. It provides a solid endowment for faculty development, research, scholarships, and financial aid.” That was John A. Paulson’s—Harvard Business School Class of 1980—objective when he donated $400 million to the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences—now named in his honor—in […]
The world runs on updates. Phones, cars, sneakers—everything has a version number now. Each season promises an upgrade: a faster processor, a lighter fabric, a “new and improved” formula. You buy one, even when last year’s still works, and the changes are almost imperceptible. That’s beside the point. What matters is not the object, but […]
The beach stretches endlessly into the dark. It’s the early season, still too cold to go in the water. I can see boats with their lights on far in the distance. I scan across the water’s edge, catching glimpses of buoys bobbing up and down. The air pulls tight against my skin, cold enough that […]
“I think Confucius would critique Menzi’s emphasis on rewards and punishments.” “I think men have a higher social dominance orientation than women.” “I think the limbic system and prefrontal cortex are in a tug of war.” At Harvard, no class statement seems complete without an “I think.” It slips out unconsciously, often going unnoticed by […]