There’s a moment every shopping week when the choice isn’t between two classes you love, but between an easy A and a harder B+. You look at the syllabi side by side: one packed with weekly papers, late nights, and the risk of failure; the other promising generous curves, lighter reading, and a safer GPA. […]
Dear Readers, This fall marks the 56th anniversary of the Harvard Independent. Born in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War and a campus disrupted by protest, the Indy emerged from students who demanded unbiased, topical reporting and a space for counterculture writing. For over half a century, the Indy has chronicled Harvard at […]
As the White House escalated its pressure campaign on Harvard and other Ivy League universities this past academic year, many of us at Stanford braced ourselves for similar scrutiny, wondering when our school would draw the Trump administration’s ire. So far, those anxieties have mostly gone unrealized. Stanford has remained outside the national spotlight, avoiding […]
The Riesman Center for Harvard Hillel was once my refuge. As a struggling undergraduate, I found comfort there, and not because my family’s name was chiseled into its edifice. I was welcomed at its dinners, warmed by its community, and guided by leaders who seemed to genuinely care about a better Jewish future. But today, […]
I still remember the first time I stayed silent in section—watching the moment slip by until someone else jumped in with a safer, more polished thought. That pause felt small then, but it lingers now, as LFDOC photos flood my Instagram feed and I step into the rhythm of “last firsts.” It makes me reflect […]
Hey Shitstains, What a whirlwind it has been since we last spoke! For new readers, I went abroad to Paris last semester, and I won’t shut up about it. I traveled across Europe, met incredible people (including Harry Styles), had my apartment robbed, and finished the term a die-hard Francophile. So where does that leave […]
This summer, riding the high of an intoxicating spring semester, I decided to take a much-needed T-break. I stopped drinking, tossed out the substances stashed beneath my childhood bed, and committed to being the designated driver for boozy high-school reunions. But, as a reward for my sober pledge, I would allow myself one reprieve: my […]
During the last week on campus in Sever Hall, I spotted a fresh sheet of printer paper taped beside the door of a freshman expository‑writing class. In bold Helvetica, it warned: “No ChatGPT, no Claude, no Copilot—ALL work must be entirely your own.” The sign wasn’t just a classroom rule; it was proof that Harvard’s […]
Throughout high school, I spent much of my summers in the Honduran countryside. Swaying in a hammock beneath mango trees, I’d lose myself in history books. I was always especially interested in those exploring the rise and collapse of authoritarian regimes through a humanitarian lens. I was drawn to the lived experiences of people who […]